Becoming an “Untraditional” Library
Laurel (Del.) Public Library is, as assistant director and head of circulation Wenona Phillips explains, an untraditional library. But it wasn’t always this way.
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community engagement
Sheep to Sweater Series
The Sheep to Sweater Series featured five different programs surrounding fiber arts and the process of making wool yarn.
3 Ways to Reach Elected Officials: Building Key Support Relationships
Libraries participating in Libraries Transforming Communities (LTC): Focus on Small and Rural Libraries were encouraged to share information about their programming and its outcomes through letters to local elected officials.
De-Escalation Techniques for Real-Life Programming Scenarios
As a librarian, you may face stressful or potentially harmful situations on the job. Maybe you’ve recently had a run-in with a patron asking you uncomfortable questions or had a program that was met with protests. What are the best ways to de-escalate these situations? Luckily, they are techniques you probably already have in your librarian toolbox.
Community Art Swap
A Community Art Swap is an event where new and gently used art materials are exchanged. Community members are encouraged to trade secondhand supplies, all of which are available for free.
Mutual Support: Libraries and Community Partners
Through our evaluation of ALA's Libraries Transforming Communities (LTC): Focus on Small and Rural Libraries initiative, we’ve seen libraries reach out to their publics to assess needs, host discussions about pressing issues, and expand their roles as community centers.
Holding Space: Conversations to Build Community Trust
When the staff at Waimea (Hawaii) Public Library learned that the county of Kauai needed their community’s feedback on development plans for a new 417-acre parcel of land, they saw an opportunity to continue the library’s engagement work. What the library staff could not have known was that it would also be an opportunity to be part of helping a community regain trust in its leaders.
Reducing the Stigma Around Mental Health at the Library
While experiencing months of isolation due to COVID-19, conversations about the importance of mental health have come to the forefront.
Fitting Community Needs: Redefining Library Programming
When people think about programming in libraries, traditional programs — like story times for kids or a knitting club — may come to mind.
The Library Didn’t Forget You: Staying Connected with an Isolated Community
“Residents were used to being out and about; they came into the library for programs and read-alouds, they had off-campus jobs, they went to the movies and the pool. […] Unfortunately, once the pandemic came around, they became one of the most isolated groups in our community,” says Jolene Poore, director of Ada Public Library in Ada, Oklahoma.
Plant Share and Propagation Library
The Plant Share and Propagation Library is an area where patrons can donate loose cuttings and/or small potted plants to share. This area is the first part of our makerspace that has a STEAM identity and embraces the heritage of Catawba County, one of artisans, craftsman, textiles, furniture and entrepreneurship.
Taking a Brave Pill: Facing Community Tension at Library Conversations on Race
Located in Colorado's Grand Valley with a population of 14,000, Fruita is a community in transition. Once reliant on agriculture and ranching, Fruita's economy has recently shifted toward adventure-based tourism, igniting cultural changes and revealing divisions in the community.
COVID Research to Homework Help: Town with Little Internet Looks to the Library
"Wi-Fi hotspots have been a Godsend for our community,” says Brenda Cervantes, grants and special projects administrator at Yuma County Public Library in Arizona. “With no coffee shops or large shopping centers, there are essentially no spaces in the community that provide free Wi-Fi or internet service outside of the libraries.”
Animal Advocates
Animal Advocates is a program for animal-loving kids and teens that began in September 2021. Members meet once a month with the mission to help local shelters and educate the community about animal rights, animal welfare and environmental topics that impact us all. We occasionally go to animal shelters to volunteer for field trips.
Telescopes and Tamales
Everyone loves tamales! Telescopes and Tamales was a community-centered program featuring an outdoor tamale dinner, presentations and videos on the upcoming James Webb Telescope launch, and STEAM crafts for kids. The program was topped off with a chance for participants to look through a telescope and view stars and planets on a clear, beautiful night.
Good Programs Start Small: Attendance Doesn't Equal Success
It’s easy to imagine a successful program as a packed Zoom call or large outdoor gathering — but major change doesn’t necessarily require major turnout.
Through ALA's Libraries Transforming Communities (LTC): Focus on Small and Rural Libraries initiative, libraries engage their small communities in discussion around issues that matter. Here are the stories of two libraries whose programs started small.
Hosting Difficult Conversations at the Library
The Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries initiative supports small and rural libraries to engage their communities in discussion around issues that matter. However, the most important topics to talk about are often the most controversial. Here are two stories of how librarians prepared for difficult conversations.
ALA's LTC Engagement Grant Presents - Branching Out: Amplifying Voices Through Public Performance and Art
Albany Public Library was the recipient of ALA’s 2021 Libraries Transform Communities Engagement Grant for its Branching Out program, a community initiative intended to uplift local Black voices in music and art. Â
Apply Now: "Ask, Listen, Empower” Virtual Book Club Series
ALA has announced the “Ask, Listen, Empower” Virtual Book Club, a series of three virtual, interactive conversations about community engagement to be held once per month in January, February and March 2022.
SOAR Analysis: 16 Questions to Improve Your Community Engagement
Albert Einstein once said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” One way to get a different perspective on things is by using a SOAR Analysis.
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