1. American Democracy Annual Meeting June 18, 2010 Susan Shumer & Rob Shumer

2.  Urban 4-year public institution with 9,606 students  Mission Statement: The university is committed to academic excellence and community partnerships through curriculum, teaching, scholarship and services designed to support an urban mission.  Vision Statement: “The faculty, staff and students will reflect the area’s rich diversity and will demonstrate an unwavering commitment to civic engagement”

3.  Consists of a central library and 12 branch libraries  a public institutions that provides materials and service to the public  Vision Statement: To be respected and recognized, by people of all ages and diverse backgrounds, as their doorway to reading and information.

4.  The complementary mission and vision of Metro State and the St. Paul Public Library: ◦ A shared commitment to civic engagement and lifelong learning

6.  Meeting authentic needs of both communities/organizations  Authentic collaboration to achieve mutual goals  Institutional and community leadership  History of collaboration: Center for Community-Based Learning

7.  Sharing of personnel  Funded by a joint grant from Bush Foundation  Created collaborative working partnerships with community organizations: CLUES, Dayton’s Bluff Elementary School, Community of Peace Charter School

8.  Described in book chapter: ◦ CLUES collaboration grows tremendously ◦ American Library Association: Teens Know Best and Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA) ◦ Para los Ninos – collaboration between MN Children’s Museum ◦ The Homework Help Center

9.  …and beyond the chapter:  College Goal Saturday  Gordon Parks Gallery Initiatives

10.  All relationships take time  Defining mutual operating procedures and policies  Maintain institutional commitment  Shared staffing

11.  Develop commitment at all levels in participating partner agencies  Understand that partnerships, like all relationships, take time  Maintain respectful communication, which builds trust  Clarify shared values and mutual interests  Create mutually defined goals  Identify opportunities to work together  Make a commitment to evaluate the collaboration as well as the joint programs

12.  Design formal structure of the partnership  Build trust and understanding: relationships matter  Clarify roles of each partner  Meet on a regular basis  Identify grant sources/fundraising collaboratively  Create short and long term goals and action plans: focus more on inputs than outcomes ---process more important than products  Reflect  Celebrate

13.  The most notable success of this partnership is that through the efforts of an institution of higher education, a public library system, and a community with a dream, and a mutual need, worked together to build a University-Library Partnership which provides Dayton’s Bluff residents and the Metropolitan State community access to an array of services, technology and opportunities.