Engaging Community Members

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Purpose and Target Population 

  • Offers resource navigation and technical assistance 

  • Provides resource-based programming for library patrons to increase knowledge of programs and resources available to them 

  • Open to all, including local residents, snowbirds, visitors, and unhoused individuals 

Planning and Implementation

  • Services have evolved over the past several years: under the Mobilize Katahdin initiative, the library employed a social worker who helped patrons obtain direct assistance: rides to doctor’s appointments or the pharmacy, gas cards, help with heating assistance, etc. but she moved away 

  • Shortly thereafter, the COVID-19 pandemic increased demand for resources, combined with ARPA funding for fuel assistance, one of the biggest needs in this region of rural Maine 

  • The library partnered with fuel companies to respond to requests for oil and wood, but the demand for direct aid outstripped available resources 

  • As a result, the library board decided to pivot to resource navigation and education 

  • A comprehensive Resource Guide was developed and placed on the library website; it is continuously updated 

  • Resource requests directly influence programming by the library – example is a presentation by Efficiency Maine that resulted from increased requests for fuel assistance 

  • The library itself is a nonprofit organization with a board of directors, who continuously ask the question: ”How can the library be more of a community center?”

Best Practices  

  • Lessons learned from the experience of providing direct aid were leveraged in making the transition to resource navigation and education 

  • Quarterly meetings are convened to assess implementation, identify gaps or changes that need to be made, and the impact of changing demographics and needs in the region 

  • Nationally and in Maine, libraries new roles and responsibilities for public libraries are emerging as the ‘third space’ (after home and work), akin to the town common, but with books  

  • Library staff are increasingly called upon to help different populations obtain needed resources 

  • Peer libraries in larger cities like Portland and Bangor have been helpful in responding to questions and providing advice 

Challenges and Solutions 

  • Biggest challenges are resource gaps in rural communities – example: organizations that limit their services to a specific region or town 

  • Priority issues are housing, child care, heating, transportation, and shelter for unhoused people who are living in unsafe conditions 

  • In addition to the Resource Guide, the library provides access to 211, True Connections, Behavioral Health Services, the regional homeless coordinator, other public libraries, and many other service providers 

  • A key staff role is to actively participate in ongoing meetings with other initiatives such as the Heating Council, Food Council, Transportation Council, and the Livability Council  to build relationships that facilitate referrals and maintain up to date information about services and programs 

  • Building bias-free trusting relationships between staff and individual community members is critical to engagement and assuring that requests are handled appropriately and professionally 

Resources and Tools 

  • Resource Guide (link) 

  • We are the Town’s Help Desk (pdf) 

  • Other (sample flyers for educational/informational programs) 

Contact 

Help Desk at Millinocket Regional Library

Based at the Millinocket Memorial Library, Millinocket, Maine