Large Programs on a Budget: Make Community Partnerships Work for Your Library

This poster will describe the process of creating an engaging multicultural family program for a public library system with access to little to no event specific budget. Using the example of Arlington Public Library’s Día de los Niños program, a three-hour community event meant for families with children of all ages, the poster will illustrate the history of the program since 2017, including its implementation during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, and how it has grown since the community building and marketing strategies described have been employed. It will further illustrate the values of hosting large scale (2000+ patrons) multicultural programs for diverse communities, especially for those institutions that serve areas made up primarily of Latine community members. The poster will explain how these larger events can be achieved with access to little to no budget through sustained community partnership building practices and utilizing effective communication skills for speaking with potential partners. It will also emphasize the importance of marketing these events to a diverse population and give information on how to approach marketing in a way that allows all community members to understand that the event is meant for them.