Ask, Listen, Empower by Mary Davis Fournier & Sarah Ostman

Author:Mary Davis Fournier & Sarah Ostman [Fournier, Mary Davis & Ostman, Sarah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: LAN025000 Language Arts & Disciplines / Library & Information Science / General
Publisher: American Library Association

AN ONGOING PROCESS

Building a culture of ethical and inclusive community engagement takes time and patience. Start by listening to your stakeholders, which might include students, faculty, staff, community members, community organizations, politicians, donors, trustees, and the like. Have discussions with them about their perception of the library as a partner in the community and find out ways in which they would like to engage with you. Begin building strategic partnerships with individuals and organizations who share your values and goals. Host a program that is sponsored by one of your partners, and provide volunteers to assist, just to get your feet wet in community engagement. Think about joining forces with organizations that already have impactful programs that align with your work. This approach will allow you to use the expertise, services, or other resources that you currently have to make the program even better. This association will also help staff and faculty feel more comfortable working in this space, and the work will feel like an extension of what you do, rather than additional work.

There will be many challenges, but getting started and being open to learning and adjusting will be the keys to success. Listen, partner, execute, evaluate, iterate, and you will be well on your way to creating a culture of ethical and inclusive community engagement that is purposeful and impactful. Don’t forget, we’re all in this together!

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