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Planting the seeds for partnerships to benefit the public By Karen L. Trimbath
Nancy Eaton, dean of University Libraries, led the Libraries’ participation in Penn State’s Partners in Public Service project: an exhibit titled “History Past, History Present: The Daguerreotype Portrait in America” and related resources. Dr. Jorge Reina Schement (above), professor of communications and co-director of Penn State’s Institute for Information Policy, and Karen Menichelli, president of the Benton Foundation, present an evaluation report on already-established partnerships and the shifting demographics of selected Partners in Public Service (PIPS) communities. Their report was an integral part of the second planning conference for PIPS, held at Penn State’s Pattee Library. photos by Dick Ackley Penn State Image Resource Center	The seeds of partnerships between nonprofit entities need to be nourished with time and open communication before they can blossom, according to feedback given by participants at the second planning conference for Penn State Partners in Public Service (PIPS), held at Pattee Library on the University Park campus.   PIPS is an experiment in collaboration, focusing on partnerships between libraries, museums and public television stations that have historically operated independently of each other. This yearlong national initiative is administered by Penn State Public Broadcasting and supported by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.   “Penn State is excited to serve as host of this meeting and as the administrator of this important project,” Dr. James H. Ryan, vice president for Outreach and Cooperative Extension, said. “This pioneering project will have a far-reaching impact on our communities across the nation. We will be capable of providing greater access to our museums and our libraries.”   He added, “Perhaps the most exciting aspect of this initiative is the synergy that can be achieved by bringing several nonprofit entities together to offer a high-tech museum experience to worldwide audiences. The tool kits that will be created as part of this initiative will have a significant impact on other institutions, public broadcasting stations, museums and libraries who want to replicate this project and who will launch other collaborative initiatives across the nation.”   During his remarks, Ryan thanked the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for providing funding to the Partners in Public Service project. Lisa Richardson and Jennifer Walters represented CPB at the conference. Also attending was Mamie Bittner of the Institute of Museum and Library Services.   Ryan urged the Partners in Public Service members to “use your imaginations and creativity to explore new ways of partnering. We must replace traditional paradigms with new models for collaboration and engagement. We must find new ways to communicate and disseminate knowledge and provide access to our offerings.”   During the conference, Dr. Jorge Reina Schement, professor of communications and co-director of Penn State’s Institute for Information Policy, and Karen Menichelli, president of the Benton Foundation, a nonprofit organization that works to realize the social benefits made possible by the public interest use of communications, presented an evaluation report on already-established partnerships and the shifting demographics of selected PIPS communities.   In addition, project organizers from eight test sites shared ideas, lessons learned and recommendations for future collaborative projects.   The test sites, selected from many applications, are: Penn State, the cities of Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, San Antonio and Denver, and the states of Connecticut, Kentucky and Wisconsin. Each site worked through a public service project, which enabled the partners to discover each other’s strengths, cultural differences and community connections. The goal of these projects was to create a tool kit that can be used by others to develop their own collaborative initiatives.   For example, as part of PIPS, the University Libraries partnered with Penn State Public Broadcasting to use technology to increase public accessibility for a Palmer Museum of Art exhibit titled “History Past, History Present: The Daguerreotype Portrait in America.” This accessibility was expanded through a Web site and outreach activities for schoolchildren.   Jan Muhlert, director of the Palmer Museum of Art, said, “The staff and I valued the opportunities to work with our colleagues in the University Libraries and Public Broadcasting. We all learned to appreciate our differences and capitalize on each other’s unique experiences and expertise. Acknowledging that opportunities for collaborations are endless, we look forward to working on other PIPS projects, especially those with time lines that work equally well for all our partners.”   Nancy Eaton, dean of University Libraries, added, “The PIPS project provided Penn State Public Broadcasting, the Palmer Museum and the University Libraries with invaluable experience in how to work collaboratively, drawing on each unit’s expertise and strengths. Our objective was to seek new ways of using the World Wide Web and digital television collaboratively to provide wider audiences with greater access to our educational resources, collections and programming.”   The Partners in Public Service project will culminate in a November conference sponsored by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, during which participants from the test sites will share what they learned from their collaborative projects. Ted Krichels, assistant vice president for outreach and general manager of Penn State Public Broadcasting, will report on the Partners in Public Service project. The conference also will feature demonstrations of PIPS projects from several test sites.
Partners in Public Service Steering Committee   Members of the Partners in Public Service Steering Committee oversaw the conceptualization and implementation of the Partners in Public Service national initiative, administered by Penn State Public Broadcasting.   Steering Committee members included Ted Krichels, assistant vice president for outreach and general manager, Penn State Public Broadcasting; Laura Miller, Media Sales coordinator, Penn State Public Broadcasting; Dr. Jorge Reina Schement, co-director, Institute for Information Policy, College of Communications; Dr. Richard Taylor, co-director, Institute for Information Policy, College of Communications; Jan Muhlert, director, Palmer Museum of Art; Nancy Eaton, dean, University Libraries; Dr. Gary E. Miller, associate vice president for Distance Education and executive director of the Penn State World Campus; Lisa Richardson, project manager, Corporation for Public Broadcasting; and Beverly Sheppard, acting director, Institute of Museum and Library Services.