Partnering With Purpose

by Crowther, Janet H.

• ISBN13: 9781591580904
• ISBN10: 1591580900
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-10-30
• Publisher: Libraries Unltd Inc

Summary

Learn how to maximize your library's resources, gain access to more resources in your community, promote services, and reach new segments of the population through partnerships--with businesses, with schools, with other nonprofit organizations. Drawing on their experiences in developing successful partnerships with a variety of organizations, these authors show you how to go about creating productive and mutually beneficial community partnerships. They also explain how to avoid some of the common partnership pitfalls along the way. Based on what has become widely known as the WRL model, the guide begins with the rationale for partnerships and the organizational library structures needed; and then shows you how and with whom to form partnerships, how to handle challenges that may arise, how to meet partners, and how to create and maintain mechanisms for tracking and evaluating partnerships. The authors use the analogy of courtship to clarify the various phases of partnership development: glances, dating, engagement, and marriage. Brimming with samples and reproducible forms, this practical hands-on guide contains everything you need to get started on the partnership path.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
Introduction	xi
What Is Partnering?	3	(8)
A (Very) Brief History of Partnering	3	(3)
Businesses	5	(1)
Nonprofits	6	(1)
Governments	6	(1)
Libraries and Partnering	6	(3)
Is Partnering a Fad?	9	(1)
Notes	9	(2)
The Williamsburg Regional Library Model for Partnering	11	(14)
Background of the Library and Its Partnership Development Model	11	(1)
The Williamsburg Regional Library Partnership Model	12	(11)
Principle 1: Define ``Partnership'' for Meaning in Your Library	13	(1)
Principle 2: All Sectors of the Community Are Potential Partners	14	(2)
Principle 3: Partnering with Purpose	16	(6)
Principle 4: Partnering Is Centrally Coordinated and a Formal Process	22	(1)
Principle 5: Partnership Development Is a Library wide Strategy	23	(1)
Note	23	(2)
Internal Foundations for Partnership Development	25	(16)
Step One: Create a Strategic Plan	25	(2)
Step Two: Assessing Assets and Strengths	27	(9)
Step Three: Documenting and Tracking Partnering	36	(5)
Mechanisms for Tracking Partnering	37	(1)
Library Staff and Board Members	38	(1)
Partnership Managers	39	(1)
Partnership Development Group	39	(1)
Existing and Prospective Partners	40	(1)
Setting up the Internal Structure for Partnering	41	(16)
What Might the Structure Look Like?	42	(9)
Roles in Partnership Development	51	(6)
Generating Ideas	52	(1)
Coordinating the Development of Partnering Librarywide	53	(3)
Managing Partnerships	56	(1)
Forming a Partnership	57	(10)
Exploring the Community	57	(3)
Community Cycles	60	(1)
Matching Plans to Opportunities	61	(1)
Potential Conflicts in the Matching Process	62	(1)
Choosing High-Priority Partnerships	63	(1)
Opening Discussions with a Potential Partner	64	(1)
The Partnership Discussion Toolkit	65	(1)
Notes	66	(1)
Letters of Agreement	67	(34)
Writing a Letter of Agreement	70	(2)
Common Elements in Letters of Agreement	70	(2)
Issues and Potential Problems with Letters of Agreement	72	(1)
Timeline for Developing a Letter of Agreement	73	(1)
Renewing a Letter of Agreement	74	(27)
Evaluating Partnerships	101	(16)
Doing the Evaluation	106	(8)
Partnership Program Evaluation	114	(1)
Points to Remember about Partnership Evaluation	114	(1)
Note	115	(2)
Partnership Management	117	(12)
Skill Set for a Partnership Manager	118	(2)
Communication	118	(1)
The Big Picture	118	(1)
Organizational Skills	119	(1)
Leadership	119	(1)
Objectivity	119	(1)
Endurance	119	(1)
Training Staff for Partnership Management	120	(5)
Some Additional Partnership Management Considerations	125	(3)
Identifying Partnership Managers	125	(2)
Autonomy Issues	127	(1)
Compensation Issues	128	(1)
Summary	128	(1)
Partnership Problems	129	(6)
A Slow Process	129	(1)
Relationship Changes	130	(1)
Staffing Changes	130	(1)
Possible External Problems	131	(2)
Challenges to Partnering with Businesses	133	(1)
Possible Internal Problems	133	(2)
Conclusions	135	(2)
Bibliography: Further Readings on Partnering	137	(2)
Index	139