Entering into a new partnership, with another library or community organization, can often be both challenging and overwhelming.
Recognizing that a successful partnership does not always have to involve splitting effort equally allows partners to set up realistic expectations from the outset, minimizing frustration later when expectations of equal work do not match with the reality of the partnership. It is essential to negotiate the terms of the partnership from the start, and to revisit those terms as the partnerships progresses. You can use these partnership types to help you start planning!
For more information and resources related to library partnerships, check out this toolkit.
A 50-50 Partnership
In a 50-50 partnership, both the library and partner organization take roughly equal responsibility in the planned ideas, activities, teaching, and learning that will result from their collaboration. This type of partnership typically takes place when both the library and the partner directly serve their targeted community, rather than using the partnership to reach out to the target community. Brainstorming ideas to address community needs is a priority in 50-50 partnerships, especially when the ideas include using both organizations’ resources together to exceed what the organizations could accomplish alone. In the beginning of a 50-50 partnership, the partner can act as an intermediary between the library and the target community, but this tends to change over the course of the partnership as community members begin to connect with the library more frequently.
A Library Intensive Partnership
In a Library Intensive partnership, the library staff understand that they will be responsible for the majority of the planning and work for the program. The partner can still be engaged and open to the new ideas, activities, teaching, and learning in this type of partnership, but they are often unable to actively engage in the planning process. The partner organization participates in this partnership by directly serving the library’s target community so the library can work through the organization, often on the partner organization’s physical premises, to meet the needs of children, parents, and the community. Encouraging community members to visit the physical library itself should be an expectation throughout the course of this partnership, but may need to be a more long-term goal.
A Partner Intensive Partnership
In a Partner Intensive partnership, the partner organization recognizes that they will be most actively engaged in planning the project, while the library acts as an information resource and source of support for the program. If the partner organization did not do all (or most) of the work there would be no partnership. These partnerships are common when libraries work with unique organizations that exist to target a specific community need or serve a population that is difficult to reach. The library supports the partner with the hope of connecting with their target communities through the partner’s programming.
A Passive Partnership
Once a passive partnership is established, no additional work or activity is required for either the library or the partner. Essentially, both partner organizations are now aware of the services provided by the other and can use that knowledge to provide resources and support for families and the community as situations arise. Rather than working together to create programming, this type of partnership is focused on understanding and supporting the partner organization, often through advertising and referrals for families. In passive partnerships, both the library and the partner organization already directly serve the target community and can support each other as they work towards meeting their community’s needs.