J. Erik Jonsson Central Library in Dallas Source: Dallas Public Library
Our media landscape has changed dramatically in the last few decades. With the ubiquity of the internet and social media, where and how people get their information has shifted – and news outlets spend a lot of time thinking about how to connect with users effectively.
It can be a tricky goal to achieve, and some news organizations are turning to a new solution: partnerships with public libraries.
During election season this year, The Dallas Morning News took advantage of just such a partnership. Reporters held tabling sessions to talk to people in the community, setting up in public parks, on university campuses andin public libraries.
As news outlets across the country grapple with how to reach their audience, partnerships with libraries have gotten increasingly popular. And Dallas has long been a hub for such collaborative work.
For some in library or newsroom leadership roles, these partnerships just make sense. Jo Giudice, who last month retired as director of the Dallas Public Library, said she sees librarians and journalists as two sides of the same coin.
“Our goals are the same: really elevating facts, and teaching people how to tell fact from fiction,” she said. “Media literacy is big for both of us. And I think that’s probably the core of our partnership.”
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area.
He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit.
Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.
