Advocacy in Reach. Advocacy in Community Connections

We may often overlook the numerous resources that exist in our towns and cities: historical societies, fire and police departments, doctors, lawyers, artists, musicians, authors, and more. In our high school, we have engaged our library programming with many community groups and agencies over the years. Each of these organizations can help connect students to their community and these activities can be an important advocacy piece for the library.

Local Military

We have invited members of the Arkansas Army National Guard to show off military vehicles for a few of our library collaborations. Most of the time recruiters and/or local armories are just looking for any outreach opportunities. Remember also that students and teachers in your school will have connections to personnel in the local military. If you don't live in a town with a military presence, seek out members of the local National Guard or Reserves for any branch of military. You might be surprised who will volunteer to visit during Veterans Day or other events.

We have also invited members from the Veterans of Foreign Wars to visit and demonstrate the proper procedure for retiring American flags. Each year they have come, our students have thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Events like this are great opportunities to take photos and send them to the local newspaper and school social media. Such images show how the library can be a staging area to engage with the community. It is a priceless practice for our students to learn from community members. Remember to have students write thank you cards or letters to anyone that volunteers to visit.

Local Fire and Police

My wife Cindy Evans, a K-6 teacher librarian, has hosted our local fire department to discuss fire safety to her kindergarten and first-grade classes in the library. At the high school level, I have invited the local police department to display their SWAT armored vehicle as part of a library collaboration on more than one occasion. Cindy and I always share these events on Facebook and Instagram. In fact, last year I shared it on Facebook Live! Such images and video clips showed our stakeholders that school libraries are much more than storehouses of print books and digital devices. They are places to connect with local heroes. I invite our school board members and administrators to attend these events. This is a chance for them to get a return on their investments in the library by seeing our students connect with the community.

Local Musicians

We have also invited local musicians to perform in the library. Some of the most popular have been a jazz band, a large flute ensemble, and a percussionist who brought many different African drums. Most of the time, music groups and individuals are looking for places to play in town, and they may perform at no charge. Check to see what may be available in your area. Be sure to ask for their permission to share photos and/or video clips of their performances on social media. Invite the newspaper to visit on the day of a performance. This provides great media coverage for the library and the musicians that perform there. Your stakeholders will view the library as a gathering place for the community. Your students will have their minds opened to local art through music. Remember to pull related books and resources to share with students that come to listen to the performance.

Giving to the Community

We have hosted several coin drives for local organizations for students with special needs, hurricane relief, and more. Some of these drives have been student-led. While not all coin drives are connected to the immediate community, it is important that students be encouraged to give to those in need. Why not let the library be the place to collect such funds? Each of these events can easily be promoted on social media. Imagine how stakeholders might view the library program when they see it as a location that can give back to the community and beyond.

It is important to consider the numerous resources within our communities. The library is a great place to help students connect to the community by inviting the community into the library. Be sure to share your library community connections with us at @SLC_Online.