Community Partnership Fundamentals

***BEFORE YOU REGISTER FOR THIS ON-DEMAND WEBINAR PLEASE REVIEW IMPORTANT REGISTRATION INFORMATION BELOW***

New to partnerships and don't know where to start? Do you need a refresher or are you interested in some tips? This on-demand webinar shows the basics of how to develop successful community partnerships that can help you attract new patrons, create new programming opportunities, and make resources and information available to your community. Panelists discuss best practices and tips for building community partnerships, and offer a short workshop segment towards the end of the webinar to provide more tailored suggestions depending on the type of partnership(s) you are seeking.

Recorded live on October 22, 2025.

Learning Outcomes

At the conclusion of this on-demand webinar, participants will be able to:

• Understand the importance of partnerships and identify what makes a good collaboration;
• Know how to successfully build community partnerships from scratch; and
• Identify the different levels of partnerships and decide their best course of action.

Who Should Attend

This on-demand webinar is intended for any public library staff with an interest in community outreach with the purpose of community engagement and collaboration, including programming.

Panelists

Alfredo Gutierrez Alcantara (he/him) is the outreach coordinator on the outreach services team at the New York Public Library. Alfredo believes in reaching our most vulnerable and hard to reach patrons through creative outreach, resource sharing, and community partnerships. He holds a BA in English and American Literature from NYU, with a concentration in creative writing, and received his MSLIS at Pratt Institute. Alfredo was born and raised in the Bronx and advocates for the best borough whenever possible. When not doing outreach, you can find him on long bike rides or tending to his many plants.

 

Adriana Blancarte-Hayward (she/her/ella) is the senior manager of outreach services at the New York Public Library. She earned her MSLIS at The Palmer School of Library and Information Science, and holds a BS in information science engineering from ITESM in Mexico. A former library volunteer and ESOL library student, she has been with the New York Public Library for over nineteen years. Connecting communities and partners with library services, resources, and information is her passion. She loves to travel and learn new languages.

She currently serves as ALA councilor-at-large and on several REFORMA committees. She received the 2020 Dr. Arnulfo D. Trejo Librarian of the Year (LOTY) Award. Most recently, Adriana was a member of the ODLOS Services to Refugees, Immigrants, and Displaced Persons Subcommittee. She is also past-president of the REFORMA Northeast Chapter (2019–2020), alumna of Coro's 2016 Immigrant Civic Leadership Program (ICLP), and past-president of the New York Library Association Ethnic Services Roundtable (2013–2014).

 

Important Registration Information

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Accommodations

This on-demand webinar is closed captioned in English (United States).

If you have a physical or communication need that may affect your access to this on-demand webinar, please contact us at plawebinars@ala.org or 800-545-2433 ext. 5PLA (5752) prior to registering so we can attempt to provide appropriate accommodations.

Tech Requirements

To play this on-demand webinar you should use a browser with native HTML5 support. Please use the most up-to-date version available of Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Opera, or Edge. A fast Internet connection and computer is recommended.

Contact

This webinar is presented by the Public Library Association (PLA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA).

If you have questions or problems accessing a recording, send a message to plawebinars@ala.org or call 800-545-2433 ext. 5PLA (5752).