Be Changed by the Conversation

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Be Changed by the Conversation

• Community Engagement
• at Johnson County Library
• presented by Lisa Louis
• Community Engagement Librarian, JCL

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Outline

• What is community engagement?
• Why did JCL start a community engagement program?
• What is community engagement like at JCL?

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What is community engagement?

• Democracy
• Community development
• Service learning
• Community problem-solving

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Healthy Democracy

• Getting out the vote (voter registration,
  advance voting, publicizing elections)
• Increase awareness of issues on national, state
  and local levels
• Increase contact betweencandidates and
  constituents

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Community development

• Community involvement
• Civic muscle
• Volunteerism

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Service Learning

• Academic setting
• Students get real-world experience in their
  chosen field
• Students are contributing to their communities

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Community problem-solving

• Citizens working together to solve the problems
  of their neighborhoods / communities / cities /
  regions
• Ex KCK study circles
• Ex One KC Voice transportation engagements
• Ex Tyndall, SD creates youth center

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Whos doing it?

• Federal government Obamas memo on transparency
  and open government
• Cities
• Foundations
• Neighborhood groups
• Libraries
• Its an idea whose time has come.

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Why did we start this?
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Putnams thesis

• Social capital is failing
• 1987 53 thought parents generation was better
  in terms of being a concerned citizen
• 77 thought the nation was worse off because of
  lack of involvement in community activities

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More statistics

• 1996 only 8 believed the honesty and integrity
  of the average American were improving 50
  thought we were becoming less trustworthy
• Have we become less civil? 80 percent said yes
• 1999 66 thought civic life had weakened
• 80 wanted more emphasis on community

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What Putnam saw

• Downward trends in political participation
  (voting, participating in campaigns, attending
  rallies)
• Civic participation (membership in organizations)
• Religious participation
• Workplace connections (union membership,
  professional associations)

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Why?

• Time and money pressures
• Mobility and sprawl
• Technology and mass media
• Generational change WWII was a watershed

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So what?

• Social capital allows people to solve community
  problems
• Social capital greases the wheels
• It contributes to tolerance and empathy
• Social capital affects education, health, safe
  neighborhoods, economic prosperity, democracy

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Call to action

• Restore American community
• Improve civics education
• Increase participation in extracurricular
  activities
• Make workplaces more family friendly and
  congenial
• Urban planning initiatives to strengthen
  neighborhoods and reduce sprawl

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Call to action, cont.

• Religious involvement and tolerance
• Use technology to support community engagement
  rather than weaken it
• Use the arts as a means of bringing people
  together
• Find ways to encourage people to participate in
  the public life of their communities

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Where did we start?

• First forum in 2001
• Used the National Issues Forums model
• Had a committee to oversee the project
• Initially had plans for speakers once a year and
  panel discussions
• Goals were
• Provide the community with a place for the free
  exchange of ideas without censure
• Encourage citizens to understand and envision
  fresh solutions that will build a stronger
  community.
• Enable attendees to come away with a clear
  understanding of an issue and to draw their own
  conclusions based on the information presented.

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National Issues Forums

• http//www.nifi.org
• Around since 1981
• Purpose To increase citizen understanding of
  domestic policy issues and provide citizens with
  opportunities to express and convey informed
  opinions on the issues to the nation's decision
  makers.

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National Issues Forums

• Dialogue and deliberation
• Three approaches to weigh
• Small group discussions
• Find common ground
• Forum is not a town hall meeting.
• Its not a question and answer session.
• Its a conversation.

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Other types of events

• Engagements public input on community issues
  (transportation, solid waste management)
• Dialogues science and religion, interfaith
  conversation
• Events recycling, children and nature

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How do we put on a forum?

• Choose a topic
• Choose a guide
• These two can be interrelated
• Choose a date
• Find moderators
• Or do-it-yourself?

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How do we put on a forum? Cont.

• Market the forum
• Mailing list
• Email list
• Cold calling
• Manage reservations, catering, spaces
• Prepare handouts, take-aways, packets
• Run the forum
• Moderators, recorders, hosts

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More about take-aways

• Give attendees ways to
• learn more
• do more
• get involved
• Market library resources
• Books, articles, databases
• Point to internet resources
• Ex web sites, Google alerts
• Market for organizations who helped publicize
• Market other library events

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Web site

• http//www.jocolibrary.org/issues
• Blog
• Upcoming events
• Event archive
• Related events
• Polls
• Comments have never gotten one!

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The future

• Take on some local issues.
• Develop an online component.
• Develop new partnerships.
• Do more assessment and follow-up.

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Why do community engagement?

• Were already doing it.
• Show yet another way the library is essential to
  the community.
• Library as third place.
• Strong libraries can help build strong
  communities which then help build strong
  libraries.
• Why not?

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Resources

• Kranich, Nancy. Civic Engagement and Libraries
  Recommended Reading. (2008)http//www.hrcce.org/
  resources/readinglist.html
• Everyday Democracy Issues Guide Exchange
• National Coalition on Dialogue and Deliberation
  Learning Exchange

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• Leave yourself open to be changed by the
  conversation.
• - Catalina Mendiola

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Thank you!

• Presentation and handouts will be available at
• http//www.jocolibrary.org/lisalouis
• Contact Lisa Louis at
• louisl_at_jocolibrary.org
• 913-495-2421