Strategies That Public Libraries Use to Build Communities

This article is a companion to “The Role of Public Libraries in Community Building,” which appeared in Public Library Quarterly 30, no. 3. That article explored five facets of public libraries as agencies of community building: (1) how libraries serve as a conduit to access information and to learn, (2) how libraries encourage social inclusion and equity, (3) how libraries foster civic engagement, (4) how libraries create a bridge to resources and community involvement, and (5) how libraries promote economic vitality within the community. The goal of this article is to provide concrete examples of library community building. The focus here, therefore, is on the specific strategies that libraries employed to create and operate library programs that effectively built a library community.     

The Role of Public Libraries in Community Building

King County in Washington State is home to two large urban library systems, King County Library (KCLS) and Seattle Public Library (SPL). KCLS and SPL are effectively building community through their library service. Professionals in the fields of library and information science, public libraries, and community development discuss these successes and the ways that public libraries can build a strong community. Five facets of community building are explored: (1) how libraries serve as a conduit to access information and to learn, (2) how libraries encourage social inclusion and equity, (3) how libraries foster civic engagement, (4) how libraries create a bridge to resources and community involvement, and (5) how libraries promote economic vitality within the community.     

Public Libraries as Post-Crisis Information Hubs

Like the crisis responses to hurricanes, after a tornadic event public libraries play emergency roles both in the short and long term. Community members rely on public libraries for Internet access to request aid, to help find missing family and friends, to file Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and insurance claims, and, in general, to begin rebuilding their lives. This article reports the quality of services and activities public libraries performed in response and recovery in twelve different communities impacted by tornadoes. The discussion includes an evaluation of the quality of the responses and some recommendations to improve preparedness and response.     

Product Owners at Hesburgh Libraries: Increasing Stakeholder Engagement and Accountability through Continuous Organizational Enhancement

Abstract

The hierarchical decision making structure of academic libraries and consequently established cultural norms can affect the implementation of project management, hindering effective stakeholder engagement and ongoing ownership of and accountability for library products and services. The Hesburgh Libraries at the University of Notre Dame offers a strategy for navigating structural issues which emphasizes making incremental organizational changes that empower agile decision making responsive to stakeholder demands at appropriate levels. This study, a discussion of the Libraries’ experience, focuses on the implementation of one specific role designed to improve the development and maintenance of library products and services, the product owner.