Building Programs for the Long-Term: Think C-S-C
Like many libraries across the nation, the Free Library of Philadelphia is undergoing a paradigm shift toward the community.
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community engagement
Going Beneath the Cultural Iceberg to Communicate with Your Community
Communication is complex. The way people communicate and the beliefs we have are deeply layered; our life experiences impact how we connect and communicate with others.
People with whom we’re communicating also have a lived experience that they’re bringing to our interactions. They also have lenses through which they see the world.
Knowing Your Strengths: Meredith Belbin's Team Roles and How They Can Make Your Community Engagement Stronger
The COVID-19 pandemic brought out some of the very best in libraries.
A Community Engagement Revolution: How Paying Program Participants Can Make Your Library More Equitable
When Racine Public Library was granted a Resilient Communities grant from ALA, Community Resources Librarian Nick Demske was excited to do transformative programming around climate change in his community. His plan: to desegregate the environmental activism community in Racine.
Pre-Application Webinar for Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries Round 3
LTC: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries is open to libraries in the U.S. and U.S. territories that serve small or rural communities. The Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) defines small communities as those with a legal service area population of 25,000 or less and rural communities as those more than, or equal to, five miles from an urbanized area.
Pottsboro Library Emerges as Emergency Preparedness Leader following Deadly Winter Storm
This falls into the “other duties as assigned” category for rural library staff.
In February 2021, a winter storm caused statewide power and water outages in Texas. You may have heard about the power grid failure; the loss of power resulted in the failure of our water system due to frozen pumps and broken pipes.
Hometown Librarian: Q&A with a Problem-Solving Small-Town Librarian
In the library world, we often talk about how knowledge of the community is one of the most important, if not the most important, skill a librarian should have. If that’s the case, then who could be more knowledgeable than a librarian born and raised in the town they work in?
Pre-Application Webinar for Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries Round 2
LTC: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries is open to libraries in the U.S. and U.S. territories that serve small or rural communities.
Apply Now: Libraries Transform Communities Engagement Grant
ALA invites library workers to apply for the Libraries Transform Communities Engagement Grant, an annual grant supporting innovative and meaningful community engagement efforts in libraries.
Applications will be accepted between Dec. 1, 2020, and Feb. 5, 2021. View the full award guidelines and apply online at www.ala.org/LTCEG.
Pre-Application Webinar for Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries
LTC: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries is open to libraries in the U.S. and U.S. territories that serve small or rural communities.
Global Neighbors Series
Gail Borden Public Library's Global Neighbors Series helps our patrons experience the culture and contributions of the people who live in our community. Our goal is to foster an understanding between cultural and ethnic groups to help build a stronger community through social, civic, and global awareness.
The series, held three times in 2019, featured local speakers from the chosen country as well as traditional food, music, film and other activities. We had programs for Scotland, Germany, Columbia and Poland.
Wisconsin Deaf Storyslam: Q&A With the Libraries Transform Communities: Engagement Grant Recipient
In May, ALA awarded its first Libraries Transform Communities Engagement Grant to the Milwaukee Public Library for Deaf Storyslam, a free community event, created in 2019, in which Deaf individuals of varying backgrounds share personal stories and experiences with the broader community.
Sharing Skills for Community-Centered Libraries
The Free Library of Philadelphia received a 2017 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to implement the Skills for Community-Centered Libraries Initiative. The project’s goal is to create a practical curriculum to build community engagement capacity in 300 staff members at all levels.
What I Tell People When They Ask about Latinx Engagement
As a child, I was very curious, annoying my family with my constant questions. In adulthood, that curiosity led me to librarianship. I am constantly trying to learn new things.
Libraries are key to expanding people’s curiosity, not just about the world, but about each other. For your library to truly be open to all, a place where everyone is welcome to learn about each other, you need to engage all segments of your community — not just those that you are intrinsically a part of.
Kingsessing Library Celebrates 100 Years with Fine Forgiveness Jubilee
The Free Library of Philadelphia received a 2017 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to implement the Skills for Community-Centered Libraries Initiative. The project’s goal is to create a practical curriculum to build community engagement capacity in 300 staff members at all levels.
Community Engagement with National Partners
The Free Library of Philadelphia received a 2017 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to implement the Skills for Community-Centered Libraries Initiative. The project’s goal is to create a practical curriculum to build community engagement capacity in 300 staff members at all levels.
Free Facilitation Resources for Small and Rural Libraries
ALA has released a set of free professional development materials to help library workers in small and rural communities develop the facilitation skills they need to thrive in the 21st-century library.
Ben Franklin Circle
Ben Franklin Circles are conversation clubs modeled on Benjamin Franklin’s “Junto.” Franklin gathered a small group of peers for weekly meetings where they explored how to improve themselves and the world around them.
Reflections on Year 2 of Skills for Community-Centered Libraries
Blog post author Lynn Williamson is the chief of the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Neighborhood Library Services Division, the project manager of Skills for Community-Centered Libraries and a participant in Cohort 6 of the trainings. Read more about the Skills for Community-Centered Libraries project at theirÂ
APPLY NOW: Free Facilitation Training for Small and Rural Library Workers
ALA has announced a professional development opportunity — including funding to attend an in-person workshop at the 2020 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago — to help small and rural library workers develop the communication skills they need to thrive in the 21st-century library.
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