Libraries Transforming Communities: Hosting and Leading Community Conversations (1 of 6)

This series of webinars explain, step by step, how to use the “turning outward” approach created by The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation. The approach emphasizes taking steps to better understand communities; changing processes and thinking to make conversations more community-focused; becoming more proactive to community issues; and putting community aspirations first.

“Hosting and Leading Community Conversations” (Session 1 of 6) describes the process of planning and facilitating community conversations, gatherings with community members to discuss their hopes for their community and challenges to realizing those goals. Topics include meeting “ground rules,” how to be an effective facilitator, note-taking and follow-up.

This webinar series is offered as part of Libraries Transforming Communities (LTC), an ALA initiative that seeks to strengthen libraries’ roles as core community leaders and change-agents. LTC addresses a critical need within the library field by developing and distributing new tools, resources and support for librarians to engage with their communities in new ways. As a result, we believe libraries will become more reflective of and connected to their communities and build stronger partnerships with local civic agencies, non-profits, funders and corporations. The initiative is made possible through a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.