Mollie Pherson, LSTA Project Librarian

During my time at PLA, I went to two conferences dealing with community collaboration.  My second day at PLA, I attended the preconference session called Bridging the Divide:  Libraries Transform Communities.  This program focused on how libraries need to be safe places for citizens to engage in civic conversation, especially during the election season.  Libraries are often seen as the safe haven in the community--it is important for libraries to build relationships in the community with other organizations, non-profits, etc., so the entire community sees the library as the main hub for city patrons.  Also, by partnering in the community, the library may be able to accomplish things it may not be able to do on its own.

Toward the beginning of the session, we had some small group discussion on what we can do to bridge the divide and shared ideas on how we can bring people together to make change in the library setting.  Our speakers shared seven ideas on how to engage the community at the library:

1. The Library as a Civic Space -- always provide space for informational programs, space for patrons to look at each other and have conversations
2. The Library as a Public Forum -- make the library a safe space for ideas
3. The Library as a Civic Information Center -- the library should be a place where people can engage with goverment
4. The Library as a Community Wide Place -- example: reading clubs are not only about reading, but the act of getting together to discuss is important, too
5. The Library as a Partner in Public Service -- always look for partnerships in your community, you can work together to make things happen (local broadcasting station, newspapers, non-profits, etc.)
6. The Library as an Enabler of Civic Literacy -- a place where patrons can find out information about community problem solving
7. The Library as a Public Advocate -- advocate for access AND engagement

We also got to see what a civic dialogue forum was all about when our small groups talked about the challenges of American immigration.  We evaluated approaches and tried to deliberate (not debate) the issues.  One of our speakers told us that "citizenship is not a spectator sport," and that really resonated with me, especially with the election coming up so quickly.  It's so important to respect everyone's opinions, to provide accurate information on all parties, and to provide a safe, neutral space for political discussion.  My small group interaction was particularly interesting because we had a library director from Calgary.  In Canada, especially in Calgary, she said immigration is imperative in the community so job vacancies are filled and to keep the community thriving.  She was really interested in the different American views of immigration.  (To see pictures of my small group, please check out Flickr)

I attended Public Libraries as Community Problem Solvers on my fourth day at PLA.  This program, like the above, stressed the importance of community collaboration.  Three speakers from three different libraries (one large urban library, one rural area library, and one small city library) spoke about how they have solved some of their community issues by partnering with other organizations (museums, public broadcasters, newspapers).  All three said that public libraries are not community problem solvers unless they are willing to work on community partnerships.  These relationships are extremely successful because each organization brings their greatest strengths to the partnership.  Two of the three libraries received IMLS dollars to help fund their projects.  The speaker from the Free Library of Philadelphia said that she had weekly meetings with representatives from the collaborating organizations--by keeping the communication flowing, everyone in the partnership knows what is expected in the project.