Collaborative Outcomes in Allegany County

September 4, 2015 By SAL With no comments yet
By Brian M. Hildreth, Executive Director – Southern Tier Library System
Friday, September 4, 2015
Multiple generations particpate in a pottery class at the Scio Memorial Library provided by the Allegany Arts Association. Two great cultural organizations in Allegany County (arts and libraries) demonstrate the outcomes of collaboration.
What is the purpose of collaboration? We talk about this concept all the time in libraries. In fact it is discussed everywhere. We talk about collaboration in education, government, healthcare, etc. It seems no private industry or public field of work could exist without collaboration or the discussion of collaboration. It is a universal best practice.
Merriam-Webster provides several definitions of the word collaboration. My favorite is,“to work jointly with others or together especially in an intellectual endeavor.” However, the version I feel is most appropriate for libraries is, “to cooperate with an agency or instrumentality with which one is not immediately connected.”
Unfortunately, defining the word does not answer my question. I think we all realize collaboration is the initiative to work together to achieve some common goal. But, what is its purpose? I think the best way to answer this is to address the human side of the question. How does collaboration impact us as people? Is the purpose of collaborating to obtain some type of outcome, or is it about bringing people together? The librarian in me believes it is the latter of the two.
I see collaboration happen all the time in public libraries. It happens internally between libraries, library directors, library boards and library systems. It also happens externally between libraries and government, libraries and schools, libraries and agencies, libraries and businesses. Like I said, “it happens everywhere.”
So, what type of collaboration is most valuable to the public librarian, or more importantly, the community? I guess it all depends on what the community values.
One great example of collaboration is between the Allegany Arts Association (AAA) and Allegany County public libraries. For years, AAA has been working with 17 public libraries in Allegany County to provide free art classes to children. It happens every summer, and it is done with little resources (well at least for the libraries).
I had the privilege of interviewing representatives from both institutions this summer, so I want share with you their responses. The first responses are from the Allegany Arts Association. Participants include: Molly Pike-Riccardi, Allegany Arts Association Board Member and Elaine Hardman, Allegany County Arts Association Artist/Instructor.
—— Begin Interview ——
Brian (Me): When did AAA begin partnering with libraries in Allegany County to offer free art classes to children? And, how did it come about?
Molly : I’d say AAA partnered w libraries around 2011 or before… libraries had public access and were familiar to kids. Each library is unique and provides its own needs for the community. We have found that libraries with designated story hours have the most successful, well attended programs.
Brian (Me): How many artists participate in the program each year? And what kind of work is being taught?
Molly: On average, AAA uses about 15 different artists throughout the year. We run a summer program- Summer Arts Festival, and a smaller winter program-Cabin Fever, and we’ve had libraries ask us to include them in Cabin Fever as locations.
What has been taught? Movement classes-dance, hoola-hooping, rock painting, paper marbling, tie dying, water color painting, print making, clay stamping, hand building with clay, sand painting, simulated stain glass (symmography), basket weaving, paper origami folding, sculpting modeling clay, sewing machine classes, Anime drawing, chalk drawing, book making, metal embossing (repousse) and jewelry making are included, plus others.
How is it taught? Depending on the class/instructor, it starts with an art lesson, an art history lesson, it could be tied in with a story hour theme, it generally follows the STLS theme of the summer (this summer is Every Day Heroes) or it may be just art for the pure pleasure of the experience of art.
Brian (Me): Same question to Elaine, what kind of work is being taught?
Elaine: This year I presented a program with clay in Scio and last year I did a similar program at Wellsville. It was stuffed with science.
Art presents many ways to demonstrate physical vs. chemical changes. Cut a paper to make a pattern and the scraps and pattern are both physically changed but chemically unchanged. They are still paper.
Ask what would happen to the scraps if they were burned and students will come up with info such as flame, light, fire, heat and ash. They always know that it looks and smells different after it is burned and so chemical change enters the conversation.
With clay we physically change the shape of moist clay and show that clay can dry and be rehydrated but that once it is fired, burned, it can no longer be re-hydrated. It feels and looks different.  It is not pliable as when wet or brittle as when dry. It has changed chemically.
Art is materials study with a side order of emotion and interpretation. All art materials lend themselves to materials exploration. I have some advantage in being certified to teach elementary and special education as well as technology education in NY State and life allowed me to be a potter and tin tinker.
Brian (Me): S.T.E.A.M is becoming a national movement. What role do you feel art can play in public libraries today, especially in smaller communities?
Molly: The benefits are many. Allegany County is a rural county. Exposing children to art at a young age is a very enriching experience. These art programs are provided for the students at no charge–they are free. (A sit in charge of $5 for adults is offered if space allows)  A small income for the artists is provided ($20 an hour of instructional time.)
Brian (Me): What advice would you offer libraries that do not currently partner with art organizations, but are highly interested? Who should they contact, or what step should they take?
Molly: AAA is a dwindling volunteer association that needs membership and partnership. We are a small group who work very hard at programming, fund raising and more recently grant writing to sustain our free art programs for youth in Allegany County. We need the advertising, exposure and participation just like the small libraries need funding to stay open.
—– End Interview —–
My second set of questions regarding this collaborative project was for Allegany County library directors. Carrie Jefferds of Belmont Library, Cathy Fuller of Bolivar Library andKaren Smith of Whitesville Library were all willing to help.
—– Begin Interview —–
Brian (Me): How many years have art classes taken place at your library through AAA?   
Karen: Kristen has taught a jewelry workshop at Whitesville for 4-5 years.  Sue Beckhorn taught a painting class a couple years ago.  This year Molly Bentley-Kellogg has been here Wednesdays in August to do recycled art.  The jewelry class is always popular and one of the first programs I schedule every year (already have a date for next year).  The recycled art has been lots of fun this year using old T-shirts to make bags and hair accessories.
Brian (Me): Do you think the classes help expand library services? 
Karen: I do.  Kristen always plans her jewelry around the SRP theme.  For Make a Splash she used beads from the ocean such as coral.  Last year for science she used magnetic beads.  This year she used red, white and blue for the American heroes.
Brian (Me): Same question to Cathy Fuller of Bolivar, do you think the classes help expand library services?
Cathy: I think the Allegany Arts Association art classes are a wonderful gift to libraries.  This is our third year of having an artist share their talents with the community’s children.  I usually request for an artist during our summer reading program when I know I have an audience.  I advertise in our local paper and on a flier that goes home to all children Pre-k-5th grade during the last week of school.  The flier lists all activities going on during summer reading.  Attendance is always great and the projects they provide are exceptional.  Karen Dickerson brought canvas boards and acrylic paints for self-portrait hero pictures.  She helped them with thoughts on how to draw a self-portrait and was so very patient with our younger participants. The kids were so impressed and proud with their paintings.  I love having this opportunity to expose our kids to a professional artistic experience.  This is a great collaboration that I support with enthusiasm.
Brian (Me): How are classes promoted to community members?
Carrie: AAA does all the promotion through newspapers, etc. We advertise on Facebook, Library website and flyers throughout town.
Brian (Me): What do you think are the benefits of collaborating with AAA to offer classes?
Carrie: It brings in kids (and their parents) who do not usually use the library. Then we gain new patrons and they spread the word about all the library has to offer.
 Brian (Me): Same question for Karen, what are the benefits of collaboration?
 Karen: The AAA classes allow Whitesville to have programming I do not have time to plan and lead.  It also adds to our programming without additional funds from our very limited budget funds.—– End Interview —-
A colleague of mine recently shared with me this great book titled, The Responsible Business: reimagining sustainability and success by Carol Sanford. I have only touched the surface of it, but from what I have read, Sanford discusses the different types of stakeholders tied to a single organization. When I learned about these different stakeholders (customers, co-creators, Earth, communities, investors), it reminded me of STLS’ needed approach for strategic planning.
You may recall from my writing last week:
“How do we as STLS the organization (team members and trustees) engage with member libraries (directors, staff, trustees, volunteers, Friends) to improve the quality of life within Our Community (the multiple counties, towns and villages), so this generation and future generations have the resources to meet the needs of humanity.”
Sanford believes in this same type of sentiment. She states, “For a Responsible Business, the living entities- ecosystems, communities, and individuals-that it affects are not externalities; they are part of the body of the whole. A Responsible Business holds a significantly expanded view of what constitutes its body and soul.”
Both these passages can be linked to what I believe is the human side of collaboration. What is the purpose of collaboration? Collaboration is the act of bringing people together. In order for collaboration to be successful we must be honest with each other as stakeholders to communicate our desired outcomes, but also to think about how everyone is affected.
The collaboration between the Allegany Arts Association and Allegany County public libraries is fantastic. I can only imagine how their efforts affected those young artists.
Have a great Labor Day weekend, STLS. As always, please feel free to call or write with questions.
We appreciate all you do!
Kindest Regards,
Photo courtesy of Filomena Jack.
Brian M. Hildreth, Executive Director
Southern Tier Library System
Follow me on Twitter: @comlibpartner