Using the nine essentials to expand school–university partnerships to include school library media specialists and academic librarians

Purpose This article calls for the inclusion of P-12 and university librarians in school–university partnerships (SUPs) to leverage the important resources P-20 libraries provide to support teaching and learning and to bolster the work of libraries during a challenging time for this significant social institution. Together through a shared mission, schools, libraries and universities can work in the third space of SUP to support common goals of literacy, access and equity. Design/methodology/approach Utilizing the Nine Essentials as a framework, this article describes how one Professional Development School (PDS) consortium is exploring ways to include P-12 and university libraries in SUPs. Findings By working together through an SUP structure, schools (including P-12 libraries) and universities (including academic libraries) are able to leverage important resources for the mutual benefit of all stakeholder groups. Specific suggestions for ways schools, libraries and universities can work together as SUPs are offered. Originality/value While libraries are important sites for teaching and learning, they are not often included in SUPs. This article explores how libraries, schools and universities might work together through the PDS model.