School Communication Outreach Project

Agendas and Minutes can be found here.

Project: School Communications outreach

Strategic Goal:

  • Goal #5: We will expand our collaboration with groups outside the Library.

Background: With the number of students who attend school “virtually” on the increase in 2020-2021, the Butler Public Library has an opportunity to ensure that school personnel and parents are aware of all the resources the Library has to offer. These resources include books, computers, search services, packages of information on specific topics. Our Library staff has already done work to create bundles of resources, and other avenues for helping students. This project seeks to make those resources and services more visible to those who need it.

Purpose: Expand our communication channels to local schools by reaching out to the following individuals – persistently, pleasantly, and relentlessly. The following are busy people, so our purpose is to persist until we can establish credible and useful contacts with the following:

  • Hamilton Sussex Director of Curriculum (or a designated staff member)
  • Hamilton Sussex High School Librarian, as an entry point to all other librarians in the District (high, middle, intermediate, and elementary schools)
  • Other librarians for the district as recommended by the above
  • Key contact(s) at St. Agnes Catholic School (principle, teacher, librarian, etc.)
  • Key contact(s) at Emmanuel Lutheran School (ditto)

The desired outcomes from this effort to expand our communication channels is to ensure that:

  1. Relationships: Our library has face to face, viable relationships with school personnel who make decisions about using and recommending external resources (that is, our library).
  2. Connections: Information about our library services is able to reach a majority of the appropriate individuals at the schools, as well as the parents who look to the schools for recommendations on resources.

Project Completion: The point when this project will be completed can be determined by the group who are working on it.

However, at the very least, success could be declared when:

  • The above list of school personnel have been contacted in person, have heard about our resources and services, and agreed to be (or declined to be) recipients of information about our resources and services.
  • We have a complete list (by school) of contact names, numbers, email addresses, and a summary of types of resources the person is most interested in.

Personnel:

  • Project Leader (tbd): takes responsibility for completing this project. The leader defines the tasks that need to be done (working with others in the group), sets the calendar, recruits others where needed, suggests additional goals if necessary, and reports back to the Board on results.
  • Georgeane, with her background as a teacher, will be in a good position make contact with the district’s personnel, explain our resources and services, and create more contacts over time.
  • Amy Hynes Coe, as a parent, will provide valuable context for this project…what is needed to communicate to the “end users” (the students and their parents) via the schools. She can also provide access to other parents in the Village, gathering information from them, and adding time and effort for phone calls and visits to the school.
  • Melissa, in her capacity as Youth Librarian, will help Georgeane move this project forward. With limited hours and other responsibilities, though, we assume she will not be doing most of the work on this.
  • Jodi, in her capacity as Director, can work with Georgeane on this project as needed. She should not be a major resource but should be involved in creating the plan and any additional goals.

Notional agenda:

  • Confirm leadership role.