Libraries and Nonprofits

Libraries and Nonprofits: Collaboration for the Public Good explores collaborations between libraries and nonprofits to provide impactful services and programming to communities. The case studies illuminate the strategies libraries use to create short and long term partnerships with nonprofits, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and civil society organizations delivering unique services and opportunities for users, as well as the challenges of designing and coordinating these endeavors. Also addressed are the motivations, structures, and successes of nonprofit organizations that use library models for service delivery in the United States and abroad.

The authors highlight best practices for successful library and nonprofit collaboration geared towards libraries that have begun to participate in community engagement, outreach, and advocacy as well as public and social sector organizations interested in developing innovative service delivery models.

Tatiana Bryant is the Research Librarian for Digital Humanities, History, and African American Studies at the University of California, Irvine. She holds a Masters of Public Administration, Nonprofit Management, and Public Policy from New York University. Her expertise includes nonprofit management, cultural heritage preservation, and outreach.

Jonathan O. Cain is the Associate University Librarian for Research and Learning at Columbia University. He holds an MA in Africana Studies from New York University and has expertise in community organizing.