Involved in activity Greatly interested Committed The “Engaged” Library Involved in activity Greatly interested Committed

Background Better Together: Restoring the American Community, Putnam and Feldstein, 2003. Called libraries a “bridge” for building social connections Libraries have the ability to bring together different types of people who may not share experiences with each other otherwise.

Background Urban Libraries Council had researchers at Northwestern University investigate several branches of the Chicago Public Library to look closer at the role of libraries in building community. Study resulted in report The Engaged Library: Chicago Stories of Community Building, 2005.

Why the topic is important All of us want vibrant Iowa communities We believe that public libraries have an essential role to play in building vibrant communities

Community building involves discovering and mobilizing assets: Skills and resources of individuals Power of relationships in voluntary organizations Assets present in local institutions Physical infrastructure of the community Profile and dynamics of local economy Stories, history, dreams

Libraries come to the table with a wealth of assets: Free community space Technology resources Connections to the local economy Sense of ownership by the community Above all, a level of community trust

Positioning libraries to be centers of community life – lessons learned Get outside the doors – all staff should be encouraged to take an active role in the community Find the leaders – use local papers; ask long-time residents; attend civic events Be creative about what the library can contribute – go beyond the obvious and be prepared to say “yes” to new ideas that fall within your mission

Lessons Learned… Discover and contribute to the unique capacities and condition of the community Support local businesses and institutions – advertise your services to them; spend funds locally Make the library building a community center

Lessons Learned Create a community-minded culture among library staff and volunteers (and board members) – they should learn names, attend events, develop relationships, pay attention to community issues Support library investments that jump start community redevelopment efforts – a new library in a neighborhood bring hope and attention

Strategies for community development must be: Asset based Internally focused Relationship driven “No plan, solution or organization from outside the community can duplicate what is already there.”

Your turn… P. 41 – Inventory your library’s assets – all sections except Constituents and Networks Then p. 32, 33, 36, 37, 39 Go as far as you can and as quickly as you can 20 minutes We will discuss as a large group

Discussion What did you learn about your library? What did you learn about your community? What surprised you? What do you think you will do with this information?