The Aspen Institute’s influential report, Rising to the Challenge: Re-Envisioning Public Libraries, (2014) predicted that the most effective public libraries will be the ones with services that prioritize and support local community goals. The COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing racial reckoning around the country require even more flexibility and adaptability as community needs change and as libraries more intentionally deploy resources in the communities they serve. This webinar provides an opportunity to contrast traditional community outreach with community engagement principles and discuss community asset mapping as a tool for engagement. Presenters also share lessons learned about community networking in the context of COVID-19 and encourage participants to share their own experiences.

We hope you will join us for parts 2 and 3 of this series on community-centered libraries, which will be offered on July 8 and August 5. The series is made possible in part by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Presented by:

• Lisa-Jane Erwin, Department Head, Homebound and Central Services, Central Public Services Division, Free Library of Philadelphia
• Tierre Graves, Digital Resource Specialist, Lucien E. Blackwell Regional Library, Free Library of Philadelphia
• Lynn Williamson, Chief, Neighborhood Library Services Division, Free Library of Philadelphia
  

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Access Recording

• View Webinar Recording (You will be prompted to log in to our free Course Catalog.)

Webinar Attachments

• View slides (pdf)
  
• View chat (xls)
• View captions (txt)
• Take and Turn - Learner Guide (doc) Use alone or with others to extend your learning.

Related Resources and Links

• About the Community-Centered Libraries project
• Skills for Community-Centered Libraries Curriculum now available
• Community-Centered Libraries blog series from Free Library of Philadelphia
• Handout samples from Community-Centered Libraries curriculum
• On Asset Mapping (pdf)
• On Team Roles (pdf)
• Belbin Team Roles
• Philly Teen Resources Asset Map
• Philly Hot Jobs videos on YouTube