Librarians Make Great Partners!
A special thanks to the anonymous person who shared this idea when responding to our survey in January.
In Chelsea, Wilma Ware, co-chair of Age-Friendly Chelsea, reads to children in the library.
Recently, the News shared some examples of successful community partnerships.
In Maine, many (maybe most) people live in small towns where, as the saying goes, “everyone knows everyone else”. It should come as no surprise, then, that partnerships between community groups become woven into the fabric of our towns - neighbors working together to make life better for all. The same people who serve on Friends of the Library committee often also volunteer with age-friendly.
Even in the larger towns, these partnerships develop and thrive. Recently, we asked for examples of the libraries that get involved. Here are some of their stories.
Recently, we asked for examples of the libraries that get involved. Here are some of their stories.
Age-Friendly Sullivan (AFS)
Frenchman’s Bay Library (FBL) is an active “member” of Age-Friendly Sullivan. Early on, librarians and some board members embraced roles in AFS.
Representatives of the library report updates monthly. FBL has also received donations of educational materials from AARP Maine. They also partnered to win an AARP Maine Community Challenge grant to renovate their community room.
AFS volunteers also support the library by serving on their Board of Trustees and participating in their fund-raising events. The Dementia Inclusion Downeast partnership has generated additional funding from the American Library Association and the Maine Community Foundation for FBL. Their Dementia Inclusion Downeast Facebook page continues daily educational / activity postings.
Age-Friendly Coastal Communities (AFCC)
AFCC partnered with each of the 6 year-round libraries on the Blue Hill peninsula to exhibit their handy home tools project.
They co-sponsored, with several of the libraries, a hybrid presentation about Nesterly, the home-share program.
AFCC, along with the Blue Hill Library, organized and led two dementia inclusion (DI) strategies. The first was a pilot make-your own memory kit workshop that was co-designed with people experiencing memory changes. To learn more about the workshop and download a toolkit to host one in your community, click here. So that no one is left out, other area libraries are being given free samples and workshop supplies to host their own memory kit events.
BLING (Building Livability in New Gloucester)
Partnerships are the foundation of Age-Friendly Gray/New Gloucester. Both municipal committees work closely with BLING, a volunteer organization dedicated to making the community more livable for all ages. This collaboration comes naturally, as the communities already share schools and other activities.
Weekly social hours at the library in Gray are co-sponsored with BLING, as well as weekly "office hours" for the G-NG Community Connectors, Lori Fowler and Cindy Slocum. The Southern Maine Area on Aging (SMAA) has provided several presentations.
The New Gloucester library is working with the National Digital Equity Center to offer some technology classes). The N-G Rides held a volunteer lunch at the New Gloucester library.
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In Maine’s small towns and cities where "everyone knows everyone," community groups naturally collaborate. These partnerships between age-friendly and libraries are inspiring examples of how groups come together to improve life for community members of all ages–from toddlers to centenarians.
We will be highlighting more examples in future editions. Is your age-friendly committee partnering with your library? Tell us about it! Email lifelong@maine.edu.