This document discusses civic media and how communities can use media to enact social and political change. It provides examples of civic media projects like debt refusal movements, creating and sharing political memes, grassroots mapping of environmental issues, and tracking political promises. Civic media projects are open, participatory, and aim to increase civic engagement. Libraries are well-positioned to support civic media because they provide access to resources and skills, convene diverse groups, and emphasize the local scale. The document encourages libraries to support existing civic media projects and develop new ones to further engage and empower their communities.

1. Civic Media:
Communities Making Change
Next Library 2015
Erhardt Graeff
MIT Center for Civic Media
@erhardt
Civic Media:
Communities Making Change
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2. Civic Media:
Communities Making Change
Next Library 2015
Erhardt Graeff
MIT Center for Civic Media
@erhardt
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3. Civic Media:
Communities Making Change
Next Library 2015
Erhardt Graeff
MIT Center for Civic Media
@erhardt
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Debt refusal as a mechanism of
social and political change

6. Debtor’s Assembly in Oakland

7. “There are countless ways to ‘strike’ debt:
demanding a people’s bailout and an end to
corporate welfare; collectively refusing to pay
illegitimate loans; targeting and shutting down
collections agencies, payday lenders, or for-
profit colleges; regulating loan speculators out of
business; reinstating limits on usurious interest
rates; defending foreclosed homes; fighting
tuition hikes and school budget cuts; resisting
austerity policies; fighting militarism, which
accounts for half of our nation’s discretionary
spending; organizing debtors’ associations and
unions; and more. On the constructive side,
building an alternative economy run for mutual
benefits is a long-term goal.” (213)

10. rollingjubilee.org

11. Civic Media:
Communities Making Change
Next Library 2015
Erhardt Graeff
MIT Center for Civic Media
@erhardt
Creating / Sharing a Political Meme:
Binders Full of Women
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“And I said, ‘Well, gosh, can’t we — can’t
we find some — some women that are
also qualified? I went to a number of
women’s groups and said, ‘Can you help
us find folks,’ and they brought us whole
binders full of women."

12. Civic Media:
Communities Making Change
Next Library 2015
Erhardt Graeff
MIT Center for Civic Media
@erhardt
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15. Civic Media:
Communities Making Change
Next Library 2015
Erhardt Graeff
MIT Center for Civic Media
@erhardt
Pillars of Civic Media
Open & Accessible
Participatory & Community-building
Fosters or Enhances Civic Engagement
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16. Participatory Civics demands Participatory Design
Civic Media:
Communities Making Change
Next Library 2015
Erhardt Graeff
MIT Center for Civic Media
@erhardt
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17. betweenthebars.org

19. 19

20. Grassroots Mapping: publiclab.org
Civic Media:
Communities Making Change
Next Library 2015
Erhardt Graeff
MIT Center for Civic Media
@erhardt
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27. Promise Tracker: promisetracker.org
Civic Media:
Communities Making Change
Next Library 2015
Erhardt Graeff
MIT Center for Civic Media
@erhardt
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30. 30

31. Civic Media:
Communities Making Change
Next Library 2015
Erhardt Graeff
MIT Center for Civic Media
@erhardt
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32. Civic Media:
Communities Making Change
Next Library 2015
Erhardt Graeff
MIT Center for Civic Media
@erhardt
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33. Data Murals: datamurals.org
Civic Media:
Communities Making Change
Next Library 2015
Erhardt Graeff
MIT Center for Civic Media
@erhardt
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34. Step 1: Story Finding
Civic Media:
Communities Making Change
Next Library 2015
Erhardt Graeff
MIT Center for Civic Media
@erhardt
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35. Step 2: Visual Design
Civic Media:
Communities Making Change
Next Library 2015
Erhardt Graeff
MIT Center for Civic Media
@erhardt
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36. Step 3: Painting
Civic Media:
Communities Making Change
Next Library 2015
Erhardt Graeff
MIT Center for Civic Media
@erhardt
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37. Your Library is already engaged in Civic Media
Civic Media:
Communities Making Change
Next Library 2015
Erhardt Graeff
MIT Center for Civic Media
@erhardt
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38. Civic Media:
Communities Making Change
Next Library 2015
Erhardt Graeff
MIT Center for Civic Media
@erhardt
Core Values of Dokk1
• The citizen as key factor
• Lifelong learning and community
• Diversity, cooperation and network
• Culture and experiences
• Bridging citizens, technology and knowledge
• Flexible and professional organisation
• Sustainable icon for Aarhus
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40. Connected Messages
in five Free Library branches in Philadelphia
Civic Media:
Communities Making Change
Next Library 2015
Erhardt Graeff
MIT Center for Civic Media
@erhardt
40
Orkan Telhan, Yasmin B.
Kafai, Richard Lee Davis,
K-Fai Steele, and
Barrie M. Adleberg
http://civicmediaproject.org/
works/civic-media-project/
connectedmessages

41. Nashville: Building Blocks
in the Nashville Public Library
Civic Media:
Communities Making Change
Next Library 2015
Erhardt Graeff
MIT Center for Civic Media
@erhardt
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Ty Hollett
http://civicmediaproject.org/
works/civic-media-project/
nashville-building-blocks

42. Civic Media:
Communities Making Change
Next Library 2015
Erhardt Graeff
MIT Center for Civic Media
@erhardt
Pitfalls of Civic Media
Resource, Skill & Participation Gaps
Homophily & Apathy
Efficacy
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43. Civic Media:
Communities Making Change
Next Library 2015
Erhardt Graeff
MIT Center for Civic Media
@erhardt
Pitfalls of Civic Media: Libraries’ Promise
Resource, Skill & Participation Gaps
Libraries democratize access to tools and learning
Homophily & Apathy
Libraries convene diversity & cultivate exploration
Efficacy
Libraries emphasize the local & the possible
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44. Gordon Welters for The New York Times

45. Civic Media:
Communities Making Change
Next Library 2015
Erhardt Graeff
MIT Center for Civic Media
@erhardt
Pitfalls of Civic Media: Libraries’ Promise
Resource, Skill & Participation Gaps
Libraries democratize access to tools and learning
Homophily & Apathy
Libraries convene diversity & cultivate exploration
Efficacy
Libraries emphasize the local & possible
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Building up Resources ≠ Building a Community

46. Civic Media:
Communities Making Change
Next Library 2015
Erhardt Graeff
MIT Center for Civic Media
@erhardt
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MIT Center for Civic Media

47. Civic Media:
Communities Making Change
Next Library 2015
Erhardt Graeff
MIT Center for Civic Media
@erhardt
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48. Civic Media:
Communities Making Change
Next Library 2015
Erhardt Graeff
MIT Center for Civic Media
@erhardt
Thank you.
Erhardt Graeff
MIT Center for Civic Media
@erhardt
48

49. Civic Media:
Communities Making Change
Next Library 2015
Erhardt Graeff
MIT Center for Civic Media
@erhardt
Describe a project your library is already
doing that is civic media related.
49
Pair & Share #1: 5min

50. Civic Media:
Communities Making Change
Next Library 2015
Erhardt Graeff
MIT Center for Civic Media
@erhardt
Describe a civic media project you would
like your library to do in the future.
50
Pair & Share #2: 5min

51. Civic Media:
Communities Making Change
Next Library 2015
Erhardt Graeff
MIT Center for Civic Media
@erhardt
Briefly write down your ideas from the Pair
& Shares on separate Post-It notes and put
on the flip charts on your way out.
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Report to the Community