When the library declared their mission to provide essential resources, services, and support to all patrons, they understood that this work would need dedicated effort and collaboration to ensure that all patrons from all communities would feel welcome.
Sprung from this idea, the Community Outreach initiative began four years ago to transform relationships between Latino and Native American communities and their local libraries. Hennepin County librarians and community liaisons have been working together to create new programs, adapt traditional services, support neighborhood initiatives, and build networks of support. The result? Community Outreach now offers highly popular programs that help hundreds of adults advance their careers, maintain or improve their families’ health, express themselves creatively, celebrate their cultures, and engage in meaningful interactions in their communities.
“There is a shift in the way people are thinking about the library,” Karina, Community Liaison at Oxboro Library, tells us. “Before, it was a place they didn’t see themselves…a place that had never been for them. Now, there is so much excitement and so much interest about the library. It’s absolutely incredible!"
Community Outreach at Oxboro Library
With multiple Spanish speakers now on staff, Oxboro Library in Bloomington has transitioned from a place where Latino immigrants rarely ventured to what some describe as the heart of the community in Bloomington and Richfield. In 2021 alone, more than 400 Latino families signed up for library cards through Community Outreach. One of the most popular programs is a huge celebration during Hispanic Heritage Month, which the community renamed Celebrando Juntos (Celebration Together.) Another popular program is the Spanish-language business Entrepreneurship Series, which helped launch twelve new business registrations.
Community Outreach at Franklin Library
Franklin Library is experiencing similar transformational shifts. This library is in the heart of the American Indian Cultural Corridor, one of the most tribally diverse regions in the country. Working closely with members of the Native American community in and around the library, and even pioneering the first Native Advisory Council, Community Outreach has offered events and programs that have helped transform people’s attitudes about the library’s role as a trusted, safe, and welcoming gathering space.
Popular programs include the Virtual Native American Women & Friends Book Club, Family Fun Nights in partnership with the Minneapolis American Indian Center, and the newly pioneered Native Advisory Council. Through these activities, patrons have connected and supported one another while celebrating Indigenous traditions and contemporary life.
One patron, Fallon, exclaimed, “I love the staff at Franklin! Allison has helped me with job applications, job resources, and has always made me feel a part of the library community. I have had the opportunity to attend a lot of awesome events because she always keeps me in the loop.”
Lifesaving Connections
The COVID-19 pandemic revealed how deeply the new and transformed connections between the community and the library now run. When other County agencies needed to reach Native American and Latino communities to provide vital pandemic-related services, they turned to the library for help. In addition to distributing thousands of free books and activity kits to families, community liaisons connected residents with vital resources for rent assistance, food security, internet access, public health (technology, masks, informational resources), and human services.
Supporting Community Outreach
To continue breaking down barriers and ensuring the library can reach all patrons, Friends of HCL has committed to giving $935,000 in 2026 toward community outreach initiatives. The library knows that to be truly inclusive takes dedicated resources and effort. The Community Outreach team is excited to see their work continue to flourish with all the programming and events planned for 2026, and we are excited to be alongside them, supporting their efforts and sharing their triumphs with our Friends.
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