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Notes from the Executive Director

Last month, I wrote about the necessity of being future-oriented as we work to keep libraries strong, vibrant, community hubs. I talked about the ways that MCLS is responding to input from our community – you, our members in Indiana and Michigan – and some of the changes we are making in response to the input we received. This month, I want to highlight a few member libraries, and the steps they are taking to create innovation in their communities. All of them attended a Harwood training workshop that we and the Library of Michigan sponsored in 2016. None of them went in exactly the same direction, but all of them found ways to create innovation and deeper community engagement.

At the March 2016 workshop, two members of the Clarkston Independence District Library staff learned about the Harwood tools and the value of turning outward toward their community. Over the summer and early fall, they held a series of Community Conversations. A city council member attended one of the conversations and after the session was so impressed that he asked the library to lead a Community Conversation for the city council. The council had experienced some tension in their regular meetings and stepping outside that formal setting allowed for them to see one another as residents with common aspiration and concerns. The conversation, as an official city council meeting, was, of course, an open meeting, and with this visibility, the library was asked by other local organizations to facilitate conversations for them. Later, the city council requested that the library lead a public conversation about a city park that was being considered for improvements and had sparked some community discussion. The library is on its way to becoming a significant boundary spanning organization that can build bridges among various constituencies in the community.

The East Lansing Public Library is collaborating with Michigan State University, and the Greater Lansing Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc to create a Social Justice Reading Group for Children. More than two hundred children attended the first meeting in January, with similar high attendance in February and March. Children ages four to 11 along with parents and caregivers listen to and discuss stories on immigration and migrant workers and get to make a craft. Director Kristen Shelley says, “I love this program. I found the program to be incredibly rewarding. Listening to children ages four to 11 years old share how they view people and the world was a positive and uplifting experience, especially while our country seems to becoming more and more divided.” You can read more about ELPL’s Social Justice Reading Group on their website.

The Ypsilanti District Library, too, learned about Community Conversations at the March 2016 workshop. They used the tool, along with other research, to inform their strategic planning process. A total of 11 staff served as facilitators and note-takers at the conversations. Those who had received training at the workshop trained others. Conversations were held at all three library branches, churches, and the local health and human services office. The library used another Harwood tool to gather community input at the downtown farmer’s market. As a result, the library identified common aspirational themes and shared concerns that resonated in their community. The library is using the results to guide changes in its outreach and expects to make more changes in the future.

It’s exciting and gratifying to see libraries picking up the engagement tools from our workshops and using them to create important change and innovation. These libraries identified local partners, took some action, and because one thing leads to another, are making their libraries more visible and relevant. They’re moving beyond the way things have always been done and tailoring their library services to the specific aspirations and concerns of their communities. Their solutions are almost certainly not your solutions. But the tools they used to gather input and find partners to create the programs and services can be used by any library looking to deepen its community engagement.

Last month, I mentioned that MCLS was beginning monthly “Coffee with the Executive Director” virtual meetings. Our first coffee and chat will be Friday, May 5 at 9:00 am. You won’t need to register. Just fire up your browser and point it to the address that we provide. We’ll publish the site address as we get closer to the date, so watch for it in the May newsletter and on our website.