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.
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.
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 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.
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 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.
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
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.
The Aspen Institute’s influential report “Rising to the Challenge: Re-Envisioning Public Libraries” predicts that in the coming years, the most successful public libraries will be the ones with services that prioritize and support local community goals.
ALA, the Public Library Association (PLA) and the National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation (NCDD) invite public library staff serving small, mid-sized or rural communities to attend a free learning series on how to lead productive conversations.
ALA's Public Programs Office, the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) and the National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation (NCDD) invite academic library professionals to attend a free learning series that teaches several dialogue facilitation approaches and helps librarians position themselves to foster conversation and lead change on their campuses and beyond.
In this session, librarians who have used dialogue and deliberation models will discuss how the process worked in their community. Presenters will discuss the NCDD network and NCDD's resources available to libraries.
During this two-year (2017-18) professional development project, library professionals will have access to free training in community leadership techniques like coalition-building and dialogue facilitation. Offerings will include free web-based and in-person workshops specially designed for three library types:
This introductory webinar will provide an overview of LTC: Models for Change. Participants will:
The ALA Public Programs Office and the National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation (NCDD) invite library professionals to attend a free learning series to explore various dialogue facilitation approaches and position themselves to foster conversation and lead change in their communities.
The Let’s Talk About program is a new series designed to engage the community in deeper discussions about noteworthy subjects that are often difficult to talk about. The library announces the subject, provides book lists to encourage a deeper dive into that theme, offers a safe place for the discussion, and coordinates the experts and authors who inspire and lead the program for more open conversations.
Previous Let's Talk About conversations centered around death, racism and voting, and our library plans to host more programs in 2017.
Session 2, “Tools for Naming and Framing Public Issues," describes the steps and processes for leading a “naming and framing” effort, and how to apply tools that help people weigh options for moving forward together.
Also see Session 1, "Beyond Deadlock: A Better Way to Talk about Difficult Issues."
Session 1: “Beyond Deadlock: A Better Way to Talk about Difficult Issues," explores how to help people work together to talk about public issues and make choices, and how to uncover the deeper concerns of communities.
Also see Session 2, "Tools for Naming and Framing Public Issues."
