Transcript The Connected Library

The Connected Library
What it takes to be an
engaged library
Acknowledgement
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Urban Libraries Council with the Chicago
Community Trust and IMLS
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The Engaged Library:
Chicago Stories of Community Building
The New Library
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No longer a passive repository of books and
information or an outpost of culture, quiet
and decorum in a noisy world, the 21st
century library is an active and responsive
part of the community and agent for change.
Existing Assets
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Libraries have a wealth of assets: free
community space, technology resources,
connections to the local economy, a sense of
ownership by the community and, above all,
a level of community trust.
Community Assets
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The skills and resources of it’s individuals
The power of relationships in voluntary associations
Assets present in the array of local institutions
The physical infrastructure of the community
The profile and dynamics of the local economy
The stories that define the community, its history and
its dreams
Libraries as the Center of the
community
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Deeply imbedded in the community
Generate institutional partnering
Create culture connections
Connection with young people
Libraries fuel the local economy
Space for the community
Be the “community connector”
Get Outside the doors
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Successful community/library relationships
are proactive –
Library leaders and staff that take an active role in the civic life of
the community create the “two-way street” that positions the
library at the center of community
Find the Leaders
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A concerted effort to discover who’s who in
the community makes all of the difference
Reading local newspapers, asking long-time residents, attending
civic events, rotary meetings – all can be ways to find and work
with the people who are already at the center of community
activities.
Be Creative
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As an essential part of the community, be
creative about what the library can contribute
to a community’s success
Go beyond the obvious and be prepared to
say “yes” to new ideas that fall within your
mission
Discover and Contribute
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Cultural attributes, family requirements, the
particular situations of neighborhood youth
all provide opportunities to make the library
indispensable.
Therefore, discover and contribute to the unique capacities and
conditions of the community
Support local businesses and
institutions
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Set up reciprocal relationships with local
businesses and institutions. Advertise your
services to them, spend discretionary funds
locally. All of these activities will rebound to
the library’s and community’s benefits.
Make the library building a community
center
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Public buildings are community assets in
many ways beyond simply being meeting
spaces. The more people feel ownership,
the more integrated the library becomes in
community life.
Create a community minded culture
among library staff
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All staff and should be encouraged to learn
names, attend events, develop relationships,
and pay attention to community issues.
Make the library a bridge to and among
community populations.
Support library investments that entice
community redevelopment efforts
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A library in any neighborhood signals hope.
A new library in a neighborhood brings hope
and attention to areas that may have
experienced disinvestment.
Support new libraries with resources for
building social networks.
Vibrant communities
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When libraries engage their communities,
the best characteristics of both library
and community are mobilized.
There is no limit to the role libraries can
play in building vibrant communities, by
actively participating in the neighborhood
culture, economy and physical
environment.
The End
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Thank you
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Siobhan A. Reardon
Westchester Library System
540 White Plains Road
Tarrytown, NY 10591-5110
[email protected]