Posted on May 13, 2021 at 11:16 AM by Brian Herder
Ask, Listen, Empower: Grounding Your Library Work in Community Engagement (2020)
Mary Davis Fournier and Sarah Ostman (eds.)
ALA Editions
9780838947401
Community engagement isn’t simply an important component of a
successful library—it’s the foundation upon which every service,
offering, and initiative rests. Working collaboratively with community
members—be they library customers, residents, faculty, students or
partner organizations— ensures that the library works, period.
This important resource from ALA’s Public Programs Office (PPO) provides
targeted guidance on how libraries can effectively engage with the
public to address a range of issues for the betterment of their
community, whether it is a city, neighborhood, campus, or something
else. Featuring contributions by leaders active in library-led community
engagement, it’s designed to be equally useful as a teaching text for
LIS students and a go-to handbook for current programming, adult
services, and outreach library staff. Balancing practical tools with
case studies and stories from field, this collection explores such key
topics as
- why libraries belong in the community engagement realm;
- getting the support of board and staff;
- how to understand your community;
- the ethics and challenges of engaging often unreached segments of the community;
- identifying and building engaged partnerships;
- collections and community engagement;
- engaged programming; and
- outcome measurement.
Sharing numerous examples of successful change, dialogue and
deliberation, and collaborative efforts, this book offers a
comprehensive look at community engagement work that can help all
libraries reinforce their roles as champions of lifelong learning.