Coauthors of the cover story “Check Out the New Library” in Public Management ‘s (PM) May issue (Kira Hasbargen and Craig Gerhart,), concentrate on how managers can build working relationships with today’s libraries, as these wonderful, local institutions pursue the role of being agents of community change.

The article includes two case studies of libraries that have built solid manager-library partnerships. Here are five ways for managers to build working partnerships with library directors.

1. Reach out. Sometimes it’s all about relationships. Reach out to your library director. Visit the library and get out to all the branches. Invite the library director for coffee or lunch. A good way to get a firm handle on your community’s needs is to ensure that representatives from all facets of your organization are invited to the table. If the library director is not already a member of your leadership team, invite him or her on board and encourage active participation.
    
2. Seek understanding. Keep an open mind. The two most important factors of a successful partnership are to understand your community’s needs and focus on what you have in common. Recognize that sound partnerships create benefits for all parties and that engaging the library in community-wide problem solving must also work for the library system.
    
3. Define the pluses and minuses. Identifying where you can make the most difference is one key to being relevant. Defining the key assets each party brings to the partnership is a great way to start the dialogue. Another key to being relevant is to understand the real (and imagined) barriers. Sometimes you’ll have to create opportunities and be open to nontraditional solutions with nontraditional partners.
    
4. Be patient. Some partnerships may go off without a hitch, whereas others may be a little more difficult to implement. Think of collaborating like fishing. You may not catch fish with every cast.
   
   Look for ways to expand the manager-library partnership through engaging such other community groups as nonprofit organizations, service clubs, and the media. And remember, it’s okay for partners to benefit from the relationship. Bringing attention to a group, getting its name out there, networking, and raising a group’s community profile are not reasons to forgo implementing a partnership that will positively impact your community.
    
5. Develop benchmarks. Don’t let the perfect get in the way of the good. Develop measures of success, establish ownership for outcomes and activities to hold partners accountable, and build in an evaluation plan. That way, you can incorporate the partnerships into decision making and operations.

For more information on how libraries are meeting the needs of local government residents, read the May PM.