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Adult learners need the best possible help and support to start and continue on their learning journey. By working closely together, libraries and Basic Skills providers can vastly improve the quality of the learning experience and foster enjoyment and commitment in new learners.

What the partners can offer

Working in partnership helps libraries improve their services to adult learners in four key areas: accessibility, learner support, stock provision and reader development. The Vital Link Improvement Framework shows how partners can make this happen.

Establishing a partnership

The first step to reaching those who would benefit from library support is for public libraries and basic skills providers to work together and share their skills and expertise.

How to contact each other

Basic skills provision is now available through an increasing number of sources ranging from online learning centres to the local further education college. Sometimes the latter is located right next door to the library. Library managers should make contact either with the head of the local centre, the basic skills coordinator or the head of a training organisation. Basic skills coordinators should make contact with a library manager or a senior librarian if there is no existing link with the library.

A note about terminology

Basic skills provision is a field where terminology is frequently changing and librarians need to keep abreast of these changes in order to contact the most appropriate partner for the development they are proposing. Look out for terms such as "Essential Skills" "Skills for Life" "Family learning" "Family Literacy, Language and Numeracy" (FLLN). Family Learning or FLLN partners may be the most appropriate for introducing the "Got kids? Get reading!" approach into your authority.

Advocacy

Libraries can motivate and inspire adult learners through the range of books and other resources they offer. But sometimes the message is difficult to get across. Basic skills providers may not realise how libraries have changed and the range of resources they can provide. Advocacy materials produced by The Vital Link can be used to:

• reinforce a first approach to a local college, Adult & Community Education Service, voluntary sector or commercial training provider
• encourage a basic skills provider to pass on the message to individual tutors
• engage and inform local basic skills networks
• support an advocacy presentation at a meeting of your local Learning Partnership

Download the Vital Link advocacy leaflet

The Vital Link programme has created a Powerpoint presentation for libraries to use when talking to basic skills providers and funders. It could also be used within the library community for staff who are new to this area of work. We suggest that the national picture outlined here is supplemented with regional and/or local detail as appropriate. The notes with each slide provide sources and additional information.

If you save the file from the link below, rather than opening it, you will be able to edit the presentation and add customised slides of your own, as well as view the notes. Opening the link will give you the slide show view only.

Vital Link advocacy presentation
Also available: Got kids? Get reading! advocacy presentation
This sets out the rationale for and benefits of partnership to each of the potential partners and could be used to support a presentation to managers, colleagues or partners.

Check out the Little Book of Public Libraries http://www.mla.gov.uk on the MLA website for more impressive facts and figures about modern libraries to use with potential partners.

Developing a working relationship

The establishment of an effective partnership takes time and effort and must be built on a commitment to achieving shared outcomes. Problems can arise when individuals understand too little about each other's organisational culture and priorities - setting time aside to discuss this will be time well spent.

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Partnership models

Partnerships are likely to differ from authority to authority and no single model will be suitable for all circumstances. Click on the links below to view examples of different successful partnership models:

Skills for All: a partnership between the library service and the local FE college
Quick Reads: a partnership between the library service and the authority's Adult Community Learning service
Got kids? Get reading! : a partnership between the library service, the Family Learning Service and Surestart children's centres
Multi-authority Skills for Life resources: a partnership between 4 library services and the local Essential Skills Strategy Unit
Read-Write-Plus-Hull: a partnership between the library service and Skills for Life practitioners
Quality in Libraries Award: a whole community partnership with the library service as core partner
Open doors: Skills for Life with museums, libraries & archives: a regional partnership coordinated by MLA Yorkshire between libraries, museums, archives and adult education providers in Yorkshire to improve services to Skills for Life learners.

Here are some guidelines from Partnerships Online which may offer you a way of deciding what sort of partnership you may wish to create, and how to make a start.

• Clarify your own aims and objectives in forming a partnership. What are you trying to achieve, and how will you explain that?
• Identify the stakeholders - the key interests who can help or hinder the project or programme and put yourself in their shoes. Who holds the power?
• Consider who you really need as partners, and who would really want to be a partner. Some stakeholders may simply want to be consulted.
• Before approaching potential partners, make sure you have support and agreement within your own organisation about working with others.
• Make informal contact with partners to find out about their attitudes and interests before putting formal proposals.
• Communicate with your partners in language they will understand, focusing on what they may want to achieve.
• Plan the partnership process over time. For example, a new organisation may well take a year to set up.
• Use a range of methods to involve people, workshop sessions as well as formal meetings. Be sociable.
• Encourage ideas from your partners. Ownership leads to commitment.
• Be open and honest.
  

Visit www.partnerships.org.uk for a more detailed downloadable guide to partnerships, developed by Partnerships Online.

Making the most of partnerships and Working with your FE college are pdf files available to download at www.helpisathand.gov.uk/resources/good-practice/good-practice/

Sustaining the partnership

Feedback from all the Vital Link projects has highlighted the importance of pro-active senior management involvement and support if partnerships are to flourish. In addition, they will need perseverance and regular communication. It will also be important to keep an eye on the bigger picture, celebrate success and spread the word about what has worked well. Click here for a partnership checklist to help you review progress.

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