BRIDGING THE DIVIDE: Libraries Transform Communities

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BRIDGING THE DIVIDE Libraries Transform
Communities

• Presentation for
• PLA Preconference
• By
• Nancy Kranich
• March 25, 2008

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Getting Engaged

• Im originally from PA, but I lived elsewhere
  most of my adult life, including almost 30 years
  in NYC.
• But when I came back to PA, I got the chance to
  get engagedengaged as a citizen
• After all my years in NY thinking about and
  promoting democracy, I got a chance to become
  more than a spectator.
• Coming back to PA, I found lots of opportunities
  to get involved almost immediately, and I was
  impressed by the level of involvement of people
  who in my community.

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Citizen Work

• Not just involved as a community activist or
  volunteer
• But engaged -- as a citizenas someone deeply
  committed to renewing a sense of community and
  participating in civic life
• In ancient Greece, the word idiot originally
  referred to people who were overly concerned with
  their own self-interest and ignored the needs of
  the community.
• Declining to take part in public life in Athenian
  democracy was considered dishonorable.
• "Idiots" were seen as having bad judgment in
  public and political matters.

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Withdrawal from the Public Square

• Its no secret that today, far too many people
  are fleeing the public square.
• Theyre alienated, removed from the dialogue
  about possibilities
• Their hope is unraveled
• The very notion of what is public and what is
  private has been shaken loose and are up for
  renegotiation

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Democracys Challenge Reclaiming the Publics
Role

• In the spring of 2006, people throughout the
  country and beyond, including us here in State
  College, held a forum Democracys Challenge
  Reclaiming the Publics Role
• Participants said Something is dreadfully off
  track in our democracy
• Many feel alienated from politics and community
  affairs and powerless to do much about them
• People have become consumers in democracy, rather
  than citizen proprietors
• People saw themselves as bystanders instead of
  active members with a sense of ownership in our
  democracy others felt themselves local but not
  national participantslike citizens in their
  community but not in the democracy.

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Underlying causes of alienation and disaffection

• Loss of public space where citizens meet
  informally and talk about community problems and
  political issues.
• No means to hear the other side.
• Americans have become more and more socially
  fragmented.
• They feel that politically, money talks, and that
  the system only responds to special interestsnot
  the broad, public interest the average citizen
  has no voice and is unrepresented

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Democracys Challenge--Opportunities

• But participants also felt that public
  deliberation could rejuvenate hope and
  public-mindedness that typify this nation at its
  best.
• They concluded that they, after all, had a
  significant role to play, recognizing democracys
  challenge is our problem and not their
  problem.

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How, as librarians who populate the public
square, do we?

• Bring people back into the public square?
• How do we provide opportunities for authentic
  engagement?
• How do we restore hope?
• How do we change the tone of public discourse?
• How do we renew communities?
• How do we reclaim democracy, as ours not
  theirs?

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Civic Engagement Movement

• In the past few years, a new movement has emerged
  to bring people back into the public square
• To encourage participation in the life of our
  communities and help shape our communitys
  future.
• To revitalize the tradition of civic education in
  schools (civic mission) and colleges (Campus
  Compact)
• Concern is on next generation and its lack of
  participation
• But the good news, older Americans are the ones
  most likely to participate in civic
  organizations, in voting, in public programs and
  events

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Libraries Bridge Divides

• In our libraries, we bridge the divide in our
  communities.
• We have risen to the challenge of standing up for
  1st Amendment rights consistently with out self
  interestto ensure access to a diversity of
  ideas.
• Now, our new challenge is to reinvent libraries
  as temples of civic engagement where communities
  can come together and exchange a diversity of
  ideasso essential in a democracy.

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Civic Engagement Definition

• Civic engagement describes how an active citizen
  participates in the life of a community in order
  to help shape the communitys future.
• Civic engagement can take many forms and includes
  a broad range of ways to participate in civic
  life.
• Include intensive community service broad
  community involvement through voting, advocating
  for community issues, holding public office, and
  making charitable contributions.

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What can we do?

• What pathways can we provide in our community for
  people and organizations to engage in public life
  that spans boundaries and dividing lines and
  brings people together?
• How can we offer citizens an opportunity to
  reconnect with one another in the public
  squareto cross dividing linesto restore hopeto
  change the tone of the discourseto reclaim our
  democracy?

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New programs to promote civic engagement

• Today, libraries throughout the country are
  undertaking a vast array of innovative, creative
  programs that help citizens share interests,
  concerns, and decision making.
• With a burgeoning movement to expand civic
  engagement in schools, universities, and
  communities, how can we take advantage of this
  perfect opportunity to extend our outreach
  programs further into the realm of civic life?
• I believe there are at least 7 different ways we
  can position libraries to foster civic
  engagementnot just access to ideas, but exchange
  and sharing of ideas.

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1) The Library as Civic Space-- comfortable,
inviting, neutral, safe

• Engaging the public means providing space
  conducive to democratic discourse--where citizens
  can work together to solve public problems
• Third places as Ray Oldenburg describes in The
  Great Good Placeplaces essential to the
  political processes of democracy
• Place that reinforces the American notion of
  association
• Flexible space where everyone can talk to each
  othernot just sit and look at a speaker.
• Space where they can discuss issues without
  concern for quiet, large spaces and small spaces
• Virtual space for public dialogueinteractive
  opportunities with social networking software
  --The library as conversation

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2) The Library as Public ForumDialogue and
Deliberation

• Many libraries host public programs that
  facilitate the type of discourse that offers
  citizens a chance to
• frame issues of common concern,
• deliberate about choices for solving problems,
• create deeper understanding about others
  opinions,
• connect citizens across the spectrum of thought,
  and
• To increase the likelihood of making sound,
  well-supported decisions about public issues
• To engage in authentic dialogue about issues of
  common concern
• Librarians moderate forums in conjunction with
  such groups as the Kettering Foundations
  National Issues Forums, Study Circles, Choices,
  and others who seek community sites and
  involvement in their promotion of participatory
  democracy.
• September Project

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3) The Library as Civic Information Center.

• Thanks to new technologies, libraries now deliver
  numerous local databases, digitized documents,
  and web sites to citizens eager to find and
  utilize vital services, including emergency
  services, within their communities.
• E-government has the potential to ensure reasoned
  reflection about political issues and active
  participation in deliberative democracy by
  citizens and by members of the government
• Connect public to services and programs of
  interest
• Civic information projects require libraries to
  collaborate and build partnerships with the
  organizations if they are to foster civic
  education and community development.

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4) The Library as Community-Wide Reading Club.

• Public, school, and academic libraries are
  hosting community-wide One Book/One Community
  reading clubs.
• Each of these efforts has included numerous
  cosponsors. Launched initially by the Seattle
  Public Library, the idea has caught fire in
  cities from Rochester, New York, to Greensboro,
  North Carolina, and locally right here with
  Centre County Reads
• Chicago beyond community, reading to give a
  public voice to build unity in a diverse
  community
• Offer collective/shared experiences

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5) The Library as Partner in Public Service.

• PSU launched Partners in Public Service (PIPS)
  initiative to demonstrate how collaboration
  between public broadcasting stations, libraries,
  museums and educational institutions enhances
  services to communities.
• Considered a vision for a community as a
  learning campus, IMLS built upon the PIPS idea
  by launching its 21 Century Learning Initiative,
  which included a conference, Exploring
  Partnerships for 21st Century Learning, a
  report, and funding numerous collaborative civic
  projects
• The Urban Libraries Council has endorsed similar
  initiatives that enhance the capacities and
  opportunities for libraries to contribute to
  civic agendas.
• Participants Penn State U, Carnegie Library of
  Pitts
• Amplify civic experiences and create a learning
  community

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6) The Library as Enabler of Civic Literacy.

• Children and adults alike must learn a broad
  range of 21st Century literacy skills if they are
  to function in a 21st century democracy.
• Focusing on civic literacy ensure that the public
  has the political knowledge and skills to serve
  as active informed citizens.
• Libraries can join with other civic-literacy
  institutions like Study Circles, newspapers, and
  organizations such as the League of Women Voters
  to extend their information literacy initiatives
  as well to elevate the competency of citizens and
  enhance civic engagement.
• Smart Voting Starts _at_ Your library. (SHOW)
• GIVE example of Anamarciaupcoming election year

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7) The Library as Public Advocate

• We must advocate not only for access, but also
  for engagement.
• Librarians should
• include civic engagement programs in their
  legislative advocacy at the Federal, State and
  local levels
• Partner with organizations that represent the
  civic interests to amplify voices
• Recognize the value of fostering civic engagement
  in their own advocacy efforts.

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Cannot do alone Libraries Build Civic
Partnerships

• Efforts abound that encourage more active
  citizenship. They offer libraries ideal
  opportunities to get more involved with promoting
  civic engagement in their communities and to join
  forces with the many organizations and
  institutions already committed to strengthening
  participation in democracy.
• Public, school, academic and special libraries
  can forge civic partnerships with other
  organizations and individuals that extend their
  reach and help them achieve their mission.
• Civic partnerships that establish new
  constituencies can widen public support, broaden
  and diversify sources of funding, and strengthen
  public involvement with local affairs.

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Partnership Opportunities

• College and university librarians should consider
  working with the Association of American Colleges
  and Universities and Campus Compact to promote
  community service and develop student citizenship
  skills and values, encourage collaborative
  partnerships between campuses and communities,
  and assist faculty with integrating public and
  community engagement into teaching and research.
  
• Public librarians should consider partnering with
  a long list of civic organizations to develop
  civil society programs, guide citizens to
  community information, and host reading clubs and
  other public forums.

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Partnerships for schools, universities,
communities

• School librarians should consider participating
  in projects such as the Campaign for the Civic
  Mission of Schools grants sponsored by the
  Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Knight
  Foundation to renew and elevate civic education
  in America's schools, and First Amendment Schools
  grants, aimed at helping teach students the
  rights and responsibilities of citizenship that
  frame civic life in a democracy.
• All libraries should participate in the September
  Project, a September 11th effort to bring people
  together in libraries for talks, roundtables,
  public forums, and performances in towns and
  cities across the country.

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Today--Extraordinary opportunity to engage the
public

• Experience Authentic dialogue
• Learn more, understand other viewpoints
• Get below the surface
• Foster Civic literacy
• Solve Community problems
• Transform our communities
• Hope you will get involved, bring people back
  into the public square, be a good citizen

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ALA Civic Engagement Opportunities

• Fostering Civic Engagement MIG
• Deliberate Listserv
• Libraries and civic engagement blog
• September Project
• At the PLA conference
• Making Cities Stronger Public Library
  Contributions to Local Economic Development
• Public Libraries as Community Problem Solvers
• LIBRARIES and CIVIC ENGAGEMENT ACROSS THE LIFESPAN

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Staking Our Claim

• Now more than ever, our democracy needs safe
  gathering places where community members can
  share interests and concerns, where they can find
  information essential to civic participation and
  civil society, and where they can connect with
  fellow citizens.
• To stake our rightful claim in Americas civic
  future, we must pick up the gauntlet and span the
  boundaries beyond our buildings into the
  communities that surround us. We must initiate
  and expand partnerships that help citizens bond
  and bridge differences. And we must demonstrate
  how libraries and librarians make a difference in
  achieving societal goals.

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Conclusion

• In the words of Robert Putnam, Just as one
  cannot restart a heart with ones remote control,
  one cannot jump start republican citizenship
  without direct, face-to-face participation.
  Citizenship is not a spectator sport.
• Together, we can find more active ways to engage
  your fellow citizens in order to encourage their
  involvement in democratic discourse and community
  renewal.