Better Together

Abstract

The Library and Learning Center at Metropolitan State University is a shared space between the Metropolitan State University Library and a branch of the Saint Paul Public Library system. This chapter reviews the literature on joint use libraries and provides a history of the planning and development of the Library and Learning Center. In detailing the history of both organizations and the current state of collaboration ten years after the building opened, this chapter will describe how the experience at Metropolitan State aligns with that of similar joint use libraries. Furthermore, by highlighting collaborative services and programming, the chapter will be instructive for libraries that wish to form collaborative relationships outside of a joint use model. It will also describe the strengths of the joint use model in meeting the shared goals of community engagement and lifelong learning, while remaining cognizant of the challenges that are inherent in any joint use library initiative.