School and Public Library Collaboration: A Phenomenology of Working Together

Abstract

Collaboration between school and public librarians has many benefits for the institutions, the communities they serve, and the librarians themselves. This study sought to understand more about the librarian’s experience of collaborating in a rural area of the Midwestern United States. Using phenomenology as a research method, twenty in-depth interviews were conducted with school and public librarians. The following themes emerged: (1) the meaning of collaboration, (2) the role of communication, (3) the dilemma of demonstrating value and (4) the impact of perceptions and limitations. The findings indicate that the librarians in this study want to work together more but are impacted by systematic and regional constraints that impact the depth and frequency of collaboration.

Examining Public Library Collaborative Partnerships with School Makerspaces and “Making Programmes”

“…Experiences and perceived outcomes Kammer and Moreland (2020), in their study of school and public library collaboration, noted that "The school and public librarian's experience of collaboration was not linear, but was instead often described as an informal and fluid relationship that occurred from living within the same community" (p. 43). Two of the librarians interviewed had established formal, ongoing collaborations with their local schools.…”

“…Many librarians also mentioned the difficulty in coordinating schedules with the school staff due to differences in working hours, "I work Sunday through to Wednesday, so the teacher might say, well actually, I have time on Thursday and Friday and I have to say, well sorry [ … ] I can't make it in." Kammer and Moreland (2020) also highlight the difficulty of working around school schedules. Some librarians attempted lunchtime or after-school programs but these did not necessarily attract a good level of participation.…”

“…Montiel-Overall (2017) discussed collaboration between teachers and librarians as "a trusting, working relationship between two or more participants involved in shared thinking, shared planning and shared creation of innovative integrated instruction" (2017, p. 260). Kammer and Moreland (2020) similarly used the term collaboration to describe mutual relationships between schools and public libraries. Others have linked it to the notion of working toward common goals (Breeding, 2015;Pandora & Hayman, 2013).…”

“…The Manawat u District libraries (New Zealand) wanted to connect better with the youths in the region to promote digital literacy, through their connections with local schools (Johansen, 2021). This outreach programme presents an example of how public libraries can work with other organizations to achieve common goals that benefit communities (Kammer & Moreland, 2020). Yu et al (2021) meanwhile discuss the value of participatory librarianship in developing libraries as learning spaces.…”

“…Other studies have found that teachers believe the most effective way of working together entails both parties taking care of their own responsibilities, and that planning on their own is easier than planning with librarians (Pietik€ anen et al, 2017), leading at times, to less cohesive efforts. In another study, Kammer and Moreland (2020) concluded that both schools and public libraries desired long-term collaboration, they were constrained by systemic factors affecting the depth and frequency of collaboration.…”