In 2023, a librarian in south New Jersey had been thinking of ways to provide special, non-traditional services to the teenage community . Shortly after this brainstorming session, Olivia Errico, Public Programs Manager for the Alice Paul Institute, reached out to the Cherry Hill Public Library with the  plan of installing a Period Pantry into the library’s Teen Space.

Errico, the Alice Paul Institute’s Girl’s Leadership Council (GLC) former supervisor, and her team created the Period Pantry to provide full access to menstrual hygiene products and educational materials for breaking stigma around periods and period poverty. With this pantry, according to the letter nominating the GLC, “we show our teen community we understand period stress and its impact on growing menstruating bodies. [We] hope this teen-powered initiative inspires users to support social justice projects that resonate with them.”

The letter added that “This Period Pantry has positively affected our community in so many valuable ways.” When the library shared  GLC’s efforts on social media, they received an overwhelming amount of hygiene product donations. So many that they shared the surplus with local women’s shelters and centers in need. Involved parents have thanked library staff at the desk and on social media for well-stocked products and educational materials about period poverty. One parent of a transgender teen even DMed the library’s Instagram account to thank them for this service and for promoting the Period Pantry using inclusive language.

The nomination concluded that “The GLC remarkably and independently designed the Period Pantry as a permanent, self-sufficient, installation to function as a facet of their organizational mission. They continue to run their own fundraisers, and donation drives to ensure it remains stocked. I’m so proud of their hard work and dedication on this initiative to fight period poverty and inspire other young leaders to impact their community in special ways. I am so grateful for their partnership and for promoting the library’s role in social activism, not just a book lending service, but a resource that supports deeper engagement and social justice.”

Learn more about this partnership here.

From 2023 to 2024 in Western Kentucky, local nonprofit, the Challenge House Movement, partnered with the Hopkinsville-Christian County Public Library to provide over 100 hours of free tutoring services to at-risk youth. According to the letter nominating this partner, “This amazing contribution has left a positive and sustainable impact on our students and tutors.”

The nomination added that “As a result of students and tutors’ dedicated efforts, students’ reading and spelling scores drastically improved.” Furthermore, this partnership was augmented by additional support from the Dyslexia Assocation of the Pennyrile, which provided specialized tutoring to help students with learning disabilities succeed. The nomination letter said “The Challenge House Movement’s engagement transformed our students’ education.”

“Giving students an opportunity to learn in a safe and encouraging environment outside of school has boosted our students’ self-confidence and has motivated them to continue engaging with our space by reading books. The Challenge House Movement went above and beyond in this forming an incredibly unique partnering experience. They not only provided free tutoring training for our library staff and free snacks to participating students, but most importantly, showed us the best resources you can find are a team of volunteers who are truly committed to supporting communities of learners.”

The Durham Children’s Aid Society was nominated collectively by the public libraries of Durham Region in Ontario, Canada: Pickering Public Library, Ajax Public Library, Whitby Public Library, Oshawa Public Libraries, Clarington Library, Museum, & Archives, Scugog Public Library, Uxbridge Public Library, Brock Township Public Library. The nomination letter stated that “Their commitment to Drag Queen Storytime has enabled community building in the face of adversity and challenge. The work of Durham CAS made a difference in the public library communities. This partnership should be recognized and celebrated for its long-term impact in Durham Region and its 2SLGBTQIA+ community members and allies.”

In 2017, Durham Children’s Aid Society launched its’ first Youth Pride Durham program for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth and families. The following year, in 2018, the Durham Children’s Aid Society (CAS) partnered with the eight public libraries in Ontario, Canada to host the now annual event: Drag Queen Storytime. When the program faced public challenges in 2021, Durham CAS provided financial support to the libraries to advocate their mission to meet Durham Region community needs. This partnership not amplified library programming, but increased library capacities and access to 2SLGBTQIA+ resources, despite the backlash for its growing development.

Since 2018, Durham Libraries partnered with CAS have hosted forty-eight Drag Queen story-times for thousands of community members to celebrates diversity and teaches love, inclusion and acceptance in their community, while promoting their commitment to free, open, and equitable access to diverse information and ideas, civic engagement, intellectual freedom, and freedom of speech.

Background on partnership

The Durham Region is home to over 650,000 residents from a wide variety of communities in eight municipalities, including Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa, Clarington, Scugog, Uxbridge and Brock Township. It is estimated that 10% of Durham’s residents identify as 2SLGBTQIA+ with an even higher percentage in the child welfare system and are more likely to experience rejection, neglect or abuse when their families learn of their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression

In response to this finding, Durham CAS launched the Youth Pride Durham in 2017 with a festival for older identifying youth which featured speakers, singers, drag queens and an information fair to provide a safe, fun event for the 2SLGBTQIA+ population.

The inaugural event was intended to support older youth from the 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, however, many families with young children attended, indicating a gap in programming but an opportunity to further their impact.

In response to this discovery, the Durham CAS approached all eight libraries to host a family event that supports literacy, diversity and inclusion. Durham CAS’s jurisdiction includes all eight libraries in the Durham Region, and it was important to be involved to ensure the program encompassed communities outside of urban areas. For many Durham Libraries, this was the first time they offered a Drag Queen Storytime and Durham CAS made it possible to continue for the past seven years.

Outcomes and impacts

In 2023, Durham Region community members responded positively to the events demonstrating Durham CAS’s large role in increasing library capacity.

“I wanted to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to your team for bringing the amazing Drag Queen Storytime event to Cannington [library]. The impact of this event on our communities cannot be overstated. I was so happy to see smiles, laughter, and engagement throughout the program. I really appreciated the chance to see so many community members come together for such a positive event. Thank you again for making this incredible event possible.”

“I just wanted to send a message of support and thanks for offering the Durham drag queen story time.  I would have loved this kind of magic when I was a young queer person.  You’re making a huge difference out there, and it’s not going unnoticed.  To all those involved – you are SO appreciated and valued, and I can’t thank you enough for programming this inclusive content.”

In 2021, there was an increase in calls from many non-community members to cancel the programs. In response to this threat, in 2022, Durham CAS and Durham Libraries laid out strategies to strengthen our partnership and ensure that Drag Queen Storytime is accessible:

• Coordinate booking and transport of performers for efficient scheduling.
• Establish partnerships and garner support from 2SLGBTQIA+ community organizations, including PFLAG Durham, Pride Durham, and North Pride Durham, all eight municipal governments, elected officials and emergency services to host safe and inclusive events.
• Develop consistent communication methods with stakeholders and the planning committee to support community needs.
• Collaborate on protest management, media coverage for a concerted effort resulted in record attendance in 2023.

Finally, the Durham Libraries and Durham CAS gained further recognition from the Ontario library community in receiving two awards from the Ontario Library Association:

• The Les Fowlie Intellectual Freedom Award, which recognizes the courage of individuals and organizations defending patrons’ right to full access to information
  – The Joyce Cunningham Award (Public Library Board of the Year), for demonstrating outstanding collaboration and innovation

Durham Region’s local university and colleges have been inspired by the LGBTQIA2+ student events because of the public libraries’ success and has strengthened our collaboration Durham CAS’s larger event, Youth Pride Durham, to share information and continue to discuss more collaborative opportunities that align with the mandates of this partnership.

Pictured are three members of the Alberta Health Services Edmonton Early Childhood Intervention Program that have supported the Edmonton Public Library for many years, in training staff and offering a strong and inclusive early literacy program. They are: Monique (pink) Teneille (middle) and Nathalie (print).

Alberta Health Service’s Early Childhood Intervention Program (ECIP) has provided unflagging support to Edmonton Public Library‘s early literacy programming for over 16 years. Beginning in 2005, this partnership started with the idea of developing a Sing, Sign, Laugh and Learn (SSLL) program at EPL’s Whitemud Crossing Branch library. Initially ECIP, developed SSLL to support families with children ages 0-3 with developmental delays and/or a diagnosed disability, but ECIP wanted to build a more inclusive community program with a partner who had established children’s programming, such as our library. By 2007, ECIP had led the SSLL program for 6 weeks across three library branches and it became so popular that ECIP agreed to help EPL build greater expertise and staff capacity to lead the program at all 21 EPL locations.

In 2008, ECIP and EPL had their first training session, which supported and benefited EPL’s staggering customers. From 2008-2024, EPL and ECIP worked in training courses and facilitating coaching and program sessions. According to the partnerships’ data, they accomplished 559 staff trainings in 26 courses; co-facilitated 23 six-week program sessions led 30 coaching sessions, whilst sharing resources. This free support for EPL is due to our interest in providing high quality and accessible programming for all children.

Since 2012, EPL staff led over 36,500 SSLL classes with over 900,000 attendees including nearly one-third of EPL classes and half of their in-branch class attendance. The following survey responses acknowledge the importance of ECIP’s contribution to SSLL’s success at EPL and its programming.

EPL SSLL Programmer Survey responses (2013):

• I had 3 types of training, and it helped me to feel confident starting out. So I think peer coaching, SSLL training session and SSLL coaching with an ECIP worker are all important. I think continuing that relationship with an ECIP representative is crucial for this program.

The staff of ECIP are quick to respond to any issues, and further training of new staff is appreciated.

EPL staff reflection (2022):

• Harrison’s mom was reluctant to come because Harrison is on the spectrum, and she was worried that the class would not be inclusive but her contact at the ECIP program assured her that EPL staff were trained in SSLL and would not make Harrison feel unwelcome. It is nice to know that EPL has such a good reputation for inclusivity. Mom said she will be back for a SSLL class with Harrison at Norwood or come to my CSD class on Monday.

Excerpt from a citizen’s message to Edmonton City Council (2022):

• I want to express my support for preschool programs at the Edmonton Public library, especially Sing, Sign, Laugh and Learn…. The library staff continues to facilitate this program, on their own, with training provided by the Edmonton Early Intervention program. The program remains very popular in the libraries, and I feel it is imperative that this program continue and expand…. I am now retired and currently attend Sing, Sign, Laugh and Learn with my grandchildren. I see the difference this program is making in all the children’s development. Parents and grandparents and other caregivers feel welcome, and they connect and support each other.

Excerpt from email Nathalie Maurice-Burgess, Team Lead, Early Childhood Intervention Program, after SSLL training (2024):

• We have done great work as a result of our amazing collaboration. Its success is a result of our shared vision to offer quality early childhood programming, an effort from both sides on all levels.

As of June 30, 2024, this partnership has added more consultancy, information sharing and referral to EPL’s strong foundation for children with all disabilities and developmental delays. Now EPL’s expertise has the capacity to provide continuous training, staff development and class delivery. ECIP team members who have especially made this partnership so successful are Monique Bleiken, Teneille Schellenberg and Nathalie Maurice-Burgess, a strong and dedicated Team Lead who is deeply committed to creating resources for different teams, including Alberta Health Services leaders to raise awareness of the valuable work we do together.

Intergenerational connections thanks to partnership between Elmwood: An Inspira Health Group Senior Care Facility and Hubbard Public Library

Elmwood Assisted Living partnered with the Hubbard Ohio Public Library Children’s Room to facilitate meaningful interactions between older adults, elementary school-age children and their families. This intergenerational program, Reading Pals provides enjoyment, promotes well-being for people of all ages. For three years, Reading Pals intergenerational book group has held its weekly one-hour meetings at the Elmwood library.  In these meetings, family residents read picture books together and participate in book-related library activities; making “wish flags”, writing “bio poems”, creating art, solving alphabet code puzzles and more.

Elmwood’s activity director agrees that residents love this program. Each week, the Elmwood activity director and staff members transport residents to the library on a bus. This library staff dedication has been evident when transportation issues arise and they provided multiple trips in a smaller vehicle to give everyone a trip to the library.

Bringing residents to the library for this book group fosters a sense of belonging. The first year of Reading Pals, the activity director tried to convince a current member in a rehab facility to come to the first meeting. The following week, the director drove his own car to pick up the members. The kids were counting on the library to pick him up and when he arrived in the Children’s room for Reading Pals, the residents lit up with enthusiasm, when rive to the Children’s room. Members have shared that:

• It was a great experience. My kids are not around the elderly very much…They had fun, and we will do it again!”
• “We love that we’re able to make community connections that would not have happened if it weren’t for the Reading Pals program.”
• “It gives the children a sense of community and bridging together the generation gap.”
• “I love everything about the program – having kids reading and interacting with the residents, the relationships that are created, and it reminds us to visit the nursing home.”
• “Reading Pals is an extraordinary program…for the building of friendships and teaching, supporting the character traits of kindness, empathy, patience, and respect.”

This year, two new residents decided to come to Reading Pals because they had been told it was enjoyable and were delighted that a family he had met before remembered him and was happy to spend time with him again.

Children’s Room library staff members agree that Reading Pals is one of our favorite programs. The joy in the room is evident in every meeting. This demonstrates the value of libraries that provide intergenerational programming and provide community space that brings different people together. Without the dedicated partnership of Elmwood Assisted Living, this meaningful engagement between older adults and young people But, this partnership made this uncommon not only possible, but successful.

AARP Foundation Georgia volunteers at a branch of the Fulton County Public Library

The Fulton County Library System nominated the AARP Foundation Georgia volunteers for the community collaborator award because of their spirit of partnership, expertise, detailed volunteer work and impeccable customer service. These volunteers worked at five library locations to provide free CPR classes, safe driving workshops and tax preparation services to library patrons throughout Fulton County.

The AARP Foundation Tax Aide volunteers provide an indispensable free tax preparation service every February-April. The volunteers go through 60-80 hours of training and commit to the entire tax season. In 2022, they prepared 888 returns. In 2023, 67 tax aide volunteers served an estimated 200-600 patrons within 5,000 volunteer hours. The volunteers helped file over 1,280 electronic tax returns for Fulton County residents. In 2024, 30 volunteers at five locations helped prepare 871 returns before the tax deadline.

A library staff member shared, “This is a very important program to our community because many people are not tech savvy and need help. Residents use this service annually and count on volunteers’ availability and expertise. We tend to have the same volunteers return each year and we welcome their contributions to our community.”

The tax service is especially needed for lower-income residents and senior taxpayers. Recently a patron who is a domestic abuse survivor shared with staff, that to her, the “library is a safe space” and that she “received wonderful service and support from the AARP volunteer team who took the time to help me.”

Staff at the Cascade, East Roswell, Milton, Northeast/Spruill Oaks and Sandy Springs locations shared, “these volunteers work hard, provide a priceless service and are impacting the community every day.” The services are invaluable, and we are grateful to recognize this partnership.”

In May 2023, the Prince William County Circuit Court Clerk’s Office launched a joint project with Prince William Public Libraries (PWPL) to give residents access to court services at libraries. Th self-service kiosk, “Seals on Wheels” was installed at Bull Run Library in February 2024 and has already served over 620 people. The Clerk’s Office will install kiosks at additional PWPL branches in the coming months.

According to the Clerk’s Office, the mobile public service center, “Seals on Wheels” is the first in the United States. Every month, the Clerk’s Office extends its services across all 12 PWPL branches on alternating Saturdays, to file marriage license applications, notary applications, name change applications, and more, outside the court’s business hours.

Additionally, Bull Run Library is the first PWPL branch with a self-service kiosk for the Clerk’s Office services, including deed copies, case information, payment services, general district court information, voter registration, tickets and the most sought out service: marriage licenses.

While this mobile center has successfully provided passive services, Seals of Wheels” has added a valuable opportunity for county officials to engage with the public. From May 2023 to May 2024, the mobile service center visited PWPL branches 12 times and served 529 people. Perhaps the most memorable outcomes of this collaboration are last summer’s marriages at libraries.

This collaboration between the Clerk’s Office and PWPL models cooperation between county agencies to better serve its community, making the Clerk’s Office services more accessible and convenient to residents. Public libraries, cornerstones of civic and social infrastructure, have evolved from quiet book-borrowing institutions to bustling community centers. The first of its kind collaboration with the Clerk’s Office helped PWPL enhance its services and embrace the libraries’ transformation into   active community service destinations. The innovative collaboration between the Clerk’s Office and PWPL now provides civic and legal services not previously available at the library, enhancing its people-centered mission.

For nearly 15 years, Poudre Libraries and SummitStone Health Partners have worked together to provide access to much-needed social and mental health services in the northern Larimer County communities. We have partnered on multiple occasions to support transitional employment opportunities for SummitStone clients, provide social work services for library customers, and mental health-related training for library staff.

The libraries’ partnership with SummitStone began in 2011 with the Spirit Crossing Clubhouse program which is part of an international initiative to address mental health needs. Today, Poudre Libraries continues to serve as a transitional employer for SummitStone’s Clubhouse members, providing free career services, including Career Online High School program, LinkedIn, technology and computer training classes. Through this program, librarians are trained and mentored to gain skills necessary to maintain community employment and community social health.

Although librarians can effectively provide career advice, our staff are not traditionally trained on how to address erratic and sometimes violent customer behaviors, even though they witness customers abusing substances and even attempting to take their own lives in the library. Considering this, Poudre Libraries’ social work partnership with SummitStone has provided much needed staff training around behavioral health issues. SummitStone is working with us to help staff manage their own trauma from these interactions by offering de-escalation training, mental health first-aid, and QPR (question, persuade, refer) training for suicide prevention.

Following the Covid pandemic, Poudre Libraries, saw a rapid increase in unhoused customers and those with mental health challenges and identified a need for a social services program at our Old Town Library. The Clubhouse program’s longevity and success is in part due to Summit Stone’s high and consistent professionalism, trustworthiness, and commitment. SummitStone has advocated for our clients in a convenient, non-clinical environment by employing a part-time trained social worker in our library to support our staff on-site at the Old Town Library to address this gap in services. This valued staff member has become a valued resource for community members. They hold regular office hours to support behavioral health needs and connect customers to outside services if needed. Since our customers have discovered the social services options, they have taken advantage of addiction counseling and utilize the services to find other service providers that support longer term care, and library staff also refer clients to the on-site social worker for rapid response care.

Our security staff work closely with the SummitStone social worker share their support in saying::

“Having a trained professional that deals with mental health is a great way to offer support and resources in a manner that employs both humanity and empathy vs just calling police/non-emergency services. Being able to help redirect negative behavior and offer resources in-house helps me immensely as a security officer in the library; It allows me to build rapport with patrons that have difficulty following the behavioral rules and decrease their likelihood of repeating the inappropriate behavior.”

Administration have seen the benefits of SummitStone in the Old Town Library as well, our Old Town Library Manager said this:

“I feel like this has really helped staff with customer interactions, knowing that they can tap into resources right away in the building. Customers are also learning that we have the services readily available and are finding their way to them. The stress level of the entire building, from my perspective, has gone down several notches.”

Because this innovative and cooperative partnership prioritized community needs, they have extensively grown and restructured their organization in the process. Poudre Libraries have gone through many transformations from a city department to an independent Library District and has now expanded regional responsibilities with SummitStone to find creative solutions to serve the community together.

The support and knowledge that SummitStone staff provide to Libraries’ staff has been invaluable in helping address the impact of our community’s behavioral health issues.

SummitStone is a large, respected, well-resourced, and purpose-driven partner committed to strong communities, healthy individuals and families, and reducing barriers to services. Joint work with SummitStone enabled Poudre Libraries to fulfill our organizational mission to build connections that strengthen our community. We are grateful for SummitStone’s support and look forward to many more years of engaged and responsive partnership.

Tacoma Needle Exchange tabling at the Tacoma Public Library

Tacoma Public Library (TPL) has partnered with the Tacoma Needle Exchange for 3 years. This community service organization uses a harm reduction approach to serve multiple libraries and shares an abundance of resources including safe injection supplies, naloxone training and distribution, safer sex supplies, and referrals for medication assisted treatment and other medical services.

The TPL Certified Peer Counselors have trained all TPL frontline staff in the distribution of naloxone, providing Naloxone boxes next to AEDs in all branches with helpful instructions. We have witnessed the library help its community by acting as a heating and cooling center, a supply center of socks for library patrons, an advice center to community members facing issues, and as peer navigators to help multiple patrons into housing.

The Safford City-Graham County Library, founded in 1916, serves a population of roughly 40,000 residents in its surrounding area. For over 100 years, we have adapted to changing technology and programming, while maintaining a vibrant collection. Our small staff of seven employees relies on community partnerships to support our library’s mission to engage, educate, and provide access to diverse programs and services that reflect the evolving needs in our community. Our relationship with the Gila Valley Arts Council is a shining example of how impactful a strong partnership can be for both organizations.

There are accessibility issues for Graham County, a rural area of Arizona with a poverty rate of 14.6% according to the 2022 American Community Survey in that Safford City’s cultural activity centers are very far from Tucson and Phoenix which limits creative opportunities. In response to this need, Gila Valley Arts Council (GVAC) increased artistic and cultural spaces in Graham and Greenlee Counties.

Each year, in Southeastern Arizona, the GVAC brings artists to both counties to sponsor visual and performing arts through the School Residency Program. Together we host a wide variety of performances from bluegrass to classical to African dance. Each artist has up to two bus-ins and music workshops for local students and teachers to register to attend live performances at the David M. Player Center for the Arts and in neighboring Greenlee Counties.

Now preparing for its fourth year, this three-day artist residency offers a workshop for early childhood teachers, two public performances and two school bus-ins for Greenlee County children. The resident artists even provide free copies of their books to participating teachers and parents.

The organization hosted two public concerts at the Safford City-Graham County Library, and the David M. Player Center for the Arts. The performances, artist school visits and bus-ins held from September 2023 to April 2024 reached 4,544 students and 805 community members. The structure of the program is based on the success of the GVAC School Residency Program and their Residency Chair who trained the library on procedures. The library offered free, daytime concerts in a welcoming environment, making cultural experiences accessible to everyone, allowing participants of all ages to engage in the community’s cultural fabric and have been praised by elderly patrons unable to drive after dark.

In 2021, Safford City-Graham County students were provided with creative opportunities to create art that reflects their readings of The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros and in 2022, students photographed the “The Beauty of Graham County” after reading The Bear by Andrew Krivak, taking images that capture our region’s biodiversity. In response to these creative initiatives, the library developed its Early Literacy Concert Series to foster creative literacy skills and increase cultural opportunities in our youth community. These art projects were well received and led to discussions on the English-Language Arts thematic topics.

The Safford City-Graham County Library received the National Endowment of the Arts Big Read grant in 2022 and 2023. Most notably, the GVAC-sponsored the two-year initiative, by helping judge a Big Read student art competition and providing prizes for the winners. The GVAC built relationships with student participants in Mount Turnbull Academy, Fort Thomas High School, and Fort Thomas Junior High School, which predominantly serve the Native American population affiliated with the San Carlos Apache Reservation student participants and provided prizes for the winner. This initiative strengthened the library’s relationship with previously underserved school communities in Graham and Greenlee Counties.

Donna McGaughey, Graham County School Superintendent, writes,

“The Gila Valley Arts Council’s bus-ins have added a great deal of value to the lives of our students in Graham County.  They have had the opportunity to experience a wide variety of musical genres, which they otherwise wouldn’t normally have exposure to. This has enriched their lives and has encouraged our budding musicians to continue practicing and pursuing music.  All students have been enriched because of the high caliber of the artists and their ability to showcase the arts in ways that are relatable to the students.  I have appreciated and learned so much from these performances myself and I’m a great supporter of the Gila Valley Arts Council.” 

The value of the GVAC partnership is further described by Shari Elkins, Graham/Greenlee Regional Director of Arizona’s First Things First.

“The Gila Valley Arts Council has done a wonderful job in bringing community partners together to provide young children and their families from all over Graham and Greenlee Counties the opportunity to experience the joy and wonder of music and movement through the library’s Early Literacy Concert Series. Music and movement activities engage young children in the learning process and help develop things like motor skills, coordination, and balance.  They also improve children’s language and social-emotional development and promote creative expression. I am proud to be one of the community partners identified by the Gila Valley Arts Council in putting on and promoting these concerts.” 

Each year, the GVAC assists in funding and ushering in at least one performance or event. Without their support, the Early Literacy Concert Series would not have been able to serve over 2,000 individuals across 19 schools and between both Graham and Greenlee Counties in 2024.  The successful partnership between the county libraries and the Gila Valley Arts Council enhanced our communities, fulfilled our shared mission to enrich lives through education and the arts. By combining resources, we broadened horizons of intergenerational populations by offering diverse opportunities that spark creativity and learning. This collaboration enabled both organizations to have a wider impact on the Safford City-Graham County Library and establish it as a vibrant cultural hub that fosters growth and inspiration for all community members.

Since 2016, the non-profit organization Let’s Move in Libraries has been a national and international voice advocating for strengthened partnerships between public libraries and others that want our communities to be healthier places for all. Through this work, we have seen that public libraries can do a lot to promote health, but this health promotion work is almost always made possible by community partners and community collaborators. Recognizing a gap around this topic, in 2023 Let’s Move in Libraries launched the annual I Partner with My Public Library Award to begin the process of creating a platform to celebrate and acknowledge the crucial work of community collaborators to the work of public librarianship. This award is open to all partners, not only those focused on health promotion.