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The chapter seeks to address a current gap in the literature: envisioning and justifying community outreach projects and turning such insights into best practices for managing such projects. Drawing heavily on informational interviews, the article highlights the importance of defining shared missions and strategic plans, identifying partners, researching needs and expectations, building trust and partnerships, setting and fulfilling communication expectations, offering tangible benefits to the partner, and evaluating outcomes. While focused on health sciences librarians and their community partners, these practices are broadly applicable to many library outreach programs and can enhance credibility, approaches, and impact, while increasing funding opportunities and users while creating sustainable collaborations.

Adults in the United States have low health literacy skills which puts them at high risk for serious health consequences. Libraries have traditionally provided programming on a variety of topics for patrons but barriers such as technology and transportation access may prevent potential patrons from attending. Librarians can help increase the health literacy skills of community members by providing health outreach programming to the communities they serve. This chapter examines strategies and specific examples that library managers can implement to facilitate technology and health literacy skills through programming in communities.

A community outreach program called Surabaya Memory (SM) initiated by Petra Christian University’s Library in Indonesia is described in this chapter. It is dedicated to the preservation of Surabaya city’s historical and cultural heritage, and provides a case study of academic library leadership both in its campus setting and in society in general. The initiative started in 2001 as a heritage project dedicated to preserving resources digitally, but since then evolved into much broader initiatives involving various community outreach programs. These programs and activities have been held in the city’s malls in an effort to reach everyone, not just the learned and cultured groups of society. In organizing all those programs and activities, the Library found itself assuming expanding roles and functions. It has also found itself exercising leadership roles in facilitating various university academic departments and administrative units to reach out to the community at large. SM also served as a forum wherein academic departments could showcase the Surabaya-related work of faculties and students to the general public. In some cases SM’s programs and activities which could be integrated into academic courses in several academic departments. The chapter discusses a model for academic libraries to assume leadership roles on campus, and for redefining their roles and activities well beyond their campuses. Such newly redefined roles will, in the end, raise not only the public profile of academic libraries on campus but also of the entire university.

Public libraries are great equalizers in a society that has become more divided between those who have plenty and those who can hardly survive. Anyone is welcome in a public library – there is no need to purchase anything or show identification to be there, and you can stay if you follow the rules and the doors are open. Public librarians use their skills and knowledge to help people find information to improve and enrich their lives. One way this happens is through community engagement. The more librarians become involved in their community, the better they can aid the community. This chapter explores how librarians can become more enmeshed within their communities, how libraries can transition from a traditional model of librarianship to a focus on meeting people where they are, both in terms of physical space and in overall skill, and how we can use technology to aid in these pursuits. The public library can be used as a bridge between the public and other services. Forward thinking ideas will help ensure the continued value that the public sees in libraries.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze a number of issues related to both education for and the practice of reading and readers’ advisory in library and information science (LIS). Written from the standpoint of an LIS educator, the paper is addressed to LIS professors, future and current LIS students, and public services librarians working in all types of libraries, including academic and special, because the practice of reading is no longer limited to school and public libraries. Librarians’ expertise can also benefit a larger community outside of the library walls, which would take outreach and embeddedness to an entirely new level.

The paper analyzes the situation in LIS education and reading practices based on a vast array of published sources and the author’s personal experience as an LIS educator.

The following problematic points are raised: modeling reading work and education for reading after information services and information science education, respectively; outdated pedagogical approaches; insufficient user orientation and excessive focus on materials; limiting reading activities to one to two types of libraries; insufficient community outreach; and, in general, the prevalence of responsive rather than proactive practices.

The paper proposes some solutions for the identified problems, the implementation of which depends on the collective effort and the collective will. However, it does not offer a particularly optimistic or upbeat view on the possibility of swift and sweeping changes.

The purpose of this paper is to generate awareness of and interest in the photovoice method, and help librarians to be more creative in examining user needs, perceptions and behavior and be more effective in conducting outreach to user communities.

Photovice is a qualitative method that combines visuals and narratives in exploring community issues. This paper reviews the photovoice method and discusses its implications in engaging library user communities.

Photovoice is rarely used in library research and practice and only three published studies reported the use of this method. The three studies were reviewed in this paper to offer ideas regarding the potential application of this method in the library profession.

This paper provides an overview of an innovative method and contributes new ideas to library outreach and user engagement.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate possible purposes of digital storytelling and discuss practical implementation in a community-based digital storytelling project.

This case study investigates the function of digital storytelling for archiving local history, specifically by journaling experiences during a digital storytelling grant project at a public library in Southern California.

This case study details a specific example of the impact digital storytelling can have on a community, both to foster community building and also to encourage documentation of local history. The main goal of the project was to present and archive filmed stories from local community members; however, the project also led to increased awareness of digital storytelling and the associated technology both within the library and the greater community.

This article should provide best practice guidelines for administering a community-based digital storytelling project including suggestions for outreach to the larger community, dealing with technical issues, and tackling operational issues.

Digital storytelling has had a profound impact on the way that society communicates and can be used effectively for purposes of outreach and activism, to educate using technology, or to document micro-histories. This case study provides an assessment of the current uses of digital storytelling and presents a successful implementation of a local history digital storytelling project at a public library.

The purpose of this paper is to provide examples by which the library, in its role as an essential service positioned at the center of a community, offers its services to not only a segment of the community but to it in its entirety.

This is a literature review and commentary on this topic that has been addressed by professionals, researchers and practitioners.

If it is to remain a viable, productive and trusted symbol of equality and humanity, the library must ensure that, whether it is located in a village, a town or a municipality, the library stands as the center of its community, with its doors swung wide and welcoming to all who enter.

The value in exploring this topic is to offer several examples of evidence indicating that the library is expected to continue in its role as an essential and respected community service, with programs and services accessible to all into the future.

This paper sets out to describe successful partnerships between Purdue University Libraries' faculty and directors of undergraduate honors programs. By reporting the results and implications of these collaborations and sharing effective approaches for building new partnerships, the author hopes to provide ideas and suggestions for others considering similar collaborations and services.

During the 2006/2007 academic year, the Instructional Outreach Librarian at Purdue University, West Lafayette, began partnering with directors of honors programs and consequently implemented new services for undergraduate honors students. The paper cites examples, including one pilot program in particular – a research workshop for freshmen honors students in the College of Liberal Arts. Also included are recommendations and effective approaches for partnership building, survey results, and plans for future programming and services.

These partnerships have strengthened the Libraries' visibility and effectiveness in preparing undergraduate honors students for college‐level research and lifelong learning. Though frequent communication and an invested recognition of shared goals is essential, partnerships between librarians and honors programs directors are a natural fit, as both groups work towards undergraduate learning and academic achievement.

Partnering and collaborating with groups outside the library contributes to the effectiveness of library services. This is particularly the case for environments where a naturally broad opportunity may not exist, as is the case at Purdue University, which lacks a core curriculum and information literacy requirement. The efforts described in this paper are transferable and could serve as useful models for librarians considering similar partnerships and programs.

Advocating libraries and the importance of information literacy skills is essential in today's digital information age. Reaching out to potential users and partnering with relevant groups and individuals in the community are invaluable in making known the Libraries' mission and importance.