Presenter: Name: Kelsey LaPort

Title: Library Teacher
Organization/School: Sayville Public Schools

Program Description
In today’s educational landscape, school libraries are more than just spaces for books, they are hubs of learning, collaboration, and community engagement. The proposed presentation, Librarians Leading the Way: The Power of Partnership, will explore how school librarians can strengthen their library programs through strategic collaborations within their district, other districts, the public library, and community organizations. By fostering partnerships and sharing resources, librarians can enhance literacy programs, promote equity by increasing access to materials, and position the library as an integral part of the community.

This presentation will highlight several successful collaboration models that demonstrate the power of partnership. One such program is a March Madness Literacy Competition, where students and staff from multiple schools and the administrative offices participate in a reading event styled after the NCAA Basketball Tournament. This program not only fosters a love of reading but also creates a sense of friendly competition across school buildings, encouraging students to engage with books and celebrate literacy together.

Another example is our 5th-grade book Club, Bookish Bites, which focuses on books that feature cooking and recipes. Designed to ease the transition from elementary to middle school, this program connects students with their future peers through a shared love of reading. By collaborating with middle school librarians, elementary librarians can help students feel more confident about the academic and social changes ahead while fostering a sense of community and continuity in their literacy journeys.

Additionally, cross-building initiatives such as video announcements, unite students and staff across multiple campuses. By sharing school news, book recommendations, and event highlights through video, librarians can create a sense of community and shared purpose. This initiative also provides students with opportunities to develop technology and communication skills.

A final example of a meaningful partnership is the establishment of an interlibrary loan program with the public library. This collaboration benefits both the public library system and our school community by expanding students' access to a wider range of books and resources, supporting research projects, independent reading, and classroom learning. It also introduces students to the public library, fostering lifelong library use. To strengthen this connection, we end the school year with a 5th-grade visit to the public library, where students tour the facility and explore the services offered by the Teen Department.

The presentation will not only showcase these successful programs but also provide practical strategies for building partnerships. Attendees will learn how to identify potential partners, establish mutually beneficial goals, and communicate the value of collaboration to administrators. The session will include a discussion on overcoming challenges such as scheduling conflicts, differing priorities, and limited resources.

Furthermore, the presentation will emphasize the importance of showcasing these partnerships to the wider community. By sharing success stories through newsletters, social media, and local media outlets, librarians can demonstrate the library's role as a community leader and advocate for continued support and funding.

Librarians Leading the Way: The Power of Partnership will leave attendees inspired and equipped with actionable ideas to bring back to their schools. It will reinforce the message that through collaboration, librarians can extend their impact beyond their own walls, building stronger communities and empowering students through literacy and learning.

Learning Objectives
1. Strategies for Building Effective Partnerships
The session will provide guidance on identifying potential partners and developing mutually beneficial goals. Librarians will gain insights into aligning their library’s mission with that of their partners to create impactful and sustainable collaborations. Additionally, participants will explore practical methods for overcoming common challenges such as scheduling conflicts, differing priorities, and limited resources.

2. Implementing Engaging Literacy Programs
Participants will discover innovative literacy initiatives that foster student engagement and cross-school collaboration. Programs such as the March Madness Literacy Competition—a school-wide reading tournament that encourages friendly competition—will be highlighted as a model for promoting a culture of reading. Additionally, the Bookish Bites 5th-Grade Book Club will be showcased as an example of a transition program that bridges elementary and middle school, helping students connect with peers while developing a lifelong love for reading. Librarians will leave with practical ideas for designing and executing similar literacy programs in their own schools.

3. Enhancing Access to Resources Through Collaboration
A major takeaway from the session will be how librarians can expand students' access to books, technology, and learning materials through strategic partnerships. The presentation will showcase how an interlibrary loan program with public libraries can provide students with a wider range of books, research materials, and digital resources. School partnerships with PTA to co-fund author events across elementary schools. These strategies will help librarians maximize their resources and ensure that students have equitable access to high-quality learning materials and enriching literary experiences.

4. Leveraging Technology for Community Building
Attendees will gain insights into how digital tools can be used to strengthen community engagement and collaboration. A key example is the cross-building video announcement initiative, where school librarians create shared video updates featuring book recommendations, student interviews, and school event highlights. This approach not only connects students across campuses but also helps them develop technology and communication skills.

5. Advocating for Library Programs and Securing Support
Finally, participants will learn how to effectively communicate the impact of their library partnerships to district administrators and the wider community. The session will provide strategies for showcasing success stories through newsletters and social media. Attendees will explore techniques for securing funding, writing grants, and advocating for their library programs in a way that highlights their value to students, schools, and communities.

Program Outline
1. Welcome, Introductions & Purpose: We will begin by welcoming participants and introducing ourselves, sharing our experiences working in school libraries, public libraries, and how we engage with our communities. This introduction will set the stage for the session’s purpose: exploring how school librarians can collaborate with other schools, public libraries, and community organizations to promote literacy and position the library as a community leader.

2. Interactive Icebreaker: The Collaboration Challenge: To help guide the discussion, participants will complete a brief poll about their biggest challenges when it comes to collaboration. Additionally, each attendee will receive a puzzle piece upon arrival. Throughout the session, they will be invited to place their piece in a collaborative puzzle at the front of the room, illustrating how partnerships help complete the bigger picture of literacy within our communities.

3. The Why: The Power of Collaboration: We will examine research highlighting how literacy partnerships benefit not only students but also families, educators, and the broader community. By looking at data and real-world examples, we will explore how collaboration strengthens literacy initiatives, increases engagement, and enhances access to resources. This section will also include compelling success stories that demonstrate the transformative impact of collaborative literacy programs.

4. Real-World Collaboration in Action: Building on the importance of collaboration, we will share three successful literacy partnerships that engage schools, community organizations, and public libraries. The first example, March Madness, is a literacy competition that sparks reading excitement through friendly competition. The second, Bookish Bites, connects books with hands-on experiences such as food tastings inspired by literary themes, making reading a multi-sensory experience. Lastly, Summer Reading with the Public Library showcases how schools and public libraries can work together to prevent the summer slide and sustain reading habits outside of the school year.

5. The How: Strategies for Building Partnerships: This section will provide a step-by-step guide for creating and sustaining successful partnerships. We will start with identifying potential collaborators and initiating conversations to establish mutual goals. From there, we will discuss how to identify programs that align with partnership opportunities, plan projects effectively, secure necessary approvals, and execute initiatives successfully. Finally, we will highlight the importance of celebrating successes and promoting partnerships to ensure continued engagement and growth.

6. Overcoming Common Challenges: After reviewing the results of the participant poll, we will address the most common barriers to collaboration, such as time constraints, lack of engagement from potential partners, and communication gaps. We will discuss practical solutions to these challenges, including starting small with manageable partnerships, leveraging technology to facilitate collaboration, and maintaining engagement by recognizing and celebrating small victories. This section will equip participants with actionable strategies to navigate obstacles and sustain long-term partnerships.

7. Next Steps, Resources & Key Takeaways: To conclude, we will summarize the key takeaways from the session and provide participants with a curated list of resources to support them in forming and maintaining literacy collaborations. As an actionable next step, we will challenge attendees to reach out to a potential partner within the next month to begin building a new connection. The session will then open up for a Q&A discussion, allowing participants to ask questions and share insights.

8. Collaboration Giveaway: To encourage participation and celebrate the spirit of collaboration, we will conclude with a giveaway for those who attend the presentation. Attendees will have the chance to win tools designed to support collaboration, such as a Padlet subscription for idea-sharing, a Collaboration Journal for tracking project progress, or a Rocketbook for reusable note-taking and digital brainstorming. This final moment will reinforce the value of collaboration while leaving participants with practical resources to take back to their schools.
Librarians Leading the Way: The Power of Partnership

Grade Level: Not grade specific

Session Strand: Collaboration

Presenter
Kelsey LaPort

Kelsey LaPort is a Teacher Librarian in Sayville, New York. She received her MS in Information Science School Library from the University at Albany after working for over 15 years in marketing and digital advertising. In 2023, she was selected to be part of the American Library Association's Emerging Leaders cohort and won the New York State Educational Media & Technology Association grant for Media Literacy. Kelsey was honored to be the second elementary librarian in the country to become Certified Sustainable by the Sustainable Libraries Initiative (SLI). Kelsey loves collaborating almost as much as she loves books.

Alison Cascarelli

Alison  Cascarelli is a Teacher Librarian in Sayville, NY.   She earned her MS in Library and Information Science  in 1996 and a MS in Educational Technology in 2014 from Long Island University, where she received  the 2014 Ludwig Braun Pioneer in Educational Technology Award. She began her career in the public library system in 1995 and has worked in the Sayville Public Schools since 2002. A 2025 Bright Light Award winner from ASSET, Ali is also a founder of NerdCamp Long Island, now in its ninth year, where she brings together educators, librarians, and authors to celebrate literacy and learning.

Kateri Volpe

Kateri P. Volpe, M.L.S., M.S.Ed. is a Teacher Librarian with over 20 years of experience in school and public libraries. Now at Sayville High School, she advises the Great Stories Book Club and leads both a Library Pages program and a Teen Advisory Council. She has collaborated widely with educators, mentored new librarians, and presented at the Long Island ASSET Conference. Kateri is passionate about literacy, technology integration, and the power of partnership to support student success.


Description: Librarians Leading the Way: The Power of Partnership details how school librarians can enhance their programs through strategic collaborations between schools, public libraries, and community organizations. By fostering partnerships and sharing resources, librarians can strengthen literacy initiatives, increase access to materials, and position the library as a community hub.

This session highlights successful programs such as the March Madness Literacy Competition, a joint 5th-grade Book Club that bridges elementary and middle school transitions, and cross-building video announcements that unite students and staff. Additionally, an interlibrary loan program and school visitations with public libraries expand access to resources and promote lifelong library use.
Attendees will gain practical strategies for identifying partners and setting collaborative goals. The session will also emphasize the importance of showcasing partnerships to district administration to secure support and funding. Through collaboration, librarians can extend their impact, maximize resources, empower students, and create a community culture of learning.