Libraries play an important role in building community in three key ways: 1) They provide inclusive public spaces for community members to gather, learn, and engage with each other. 2) They offer a wide range of free services, resources, and programs that educate and support community members of all ages. 3) They help foster social connections and civic participation that strengthen the fabric of the community.

1. Libraries
Build Community
Valarie Kingsland
LIBR 287 Hyperlinked Library
2012 SJSU SLIS

2. “To belong to a community is to act as a creator and
co-owner of that community.”
“The essence of creating an alternative future
comes from citizen-to-citizen engagement that
constantly focuses on the well-being of the whole.”
Block, 2008
Block, P. (2008). Community: The structure of belonging. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

3. “The library and its leadership
need to be shaping that future
today by crafting services that
people want now.”
Casey & Savastinuk, 2007
Casey, M. E., & Savastinuk, L. C. (2007). Library 2.0: A guide to participatory library service. Medford, N.J: Information Today.

4. Libraries use friendly signage to welcome us.
Holy Names University Library signage http://www.hnu.edu/hawksquawk/2010/12/signage-kudos/

5. Libraries are inclusive; everyone is welcome.
Skokie Public Library Accessible Library Services http://www.skokielibrary.info/s_about/SALS.asp

6. Libraries stay current and adapt to new information
behavior and consumption.
MIT Libraries Mobile Apps http://libraries.mit.edu/mobile-site/

7. Libraries use social media to answer our questions.
Cardiff Uni Library service on Twitter (@cardiffunilib) https://twitter.com/cardiffunilib/status/269082142724734976

8. Libraries understand we are busy.
Cleveland Public Library: Drive-up Window http://www.cpl.org/BranchLocations/MainLibraryDriveupWindow.aspx

9. Libraries go to you if you can't go to them.
Warren-Trumbull County Public Library Homebound Service
http://www.wtcpl.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=111:homebound-library-service&catid=8

10. Libraries join forces so we have more choices.
Connecticut Library Consortium http://www.ctlibrarians.org/

11. Libraries provide access to exceptional resources.
Alaska Library Network: Digital Pipeline http://sled.alaska.edu/databases/

12. Libraries engage local experts to share their knowledge...
Jay County Public LIbrary Local Experts series http://www.jaycpl.lib.in.us/Newsnotes%20PDF/nnjan2012.pdf [pdf]

13. ...and provide public spaces for us to meet.
Multnomah County Library: Public Meeting Rooms http://www.multcolib.org/services/meetingrooms.html
Chelmsford Public LibraryMcCarthy Meeeting Room http://www.flickr.com/photos/chelmsfordpubliclibrary/2210233729/

14. Libraries encourage civic engagement for
a better community.
Village Learning Place #GivigTuesday http://www.villagelearningplace.org/2012/11/getting-into-givingtuesday/

15. Libraries respond to emergencies with heart.
Queens Borough Public Library branches offer help after Hurricane Sandy
http://librariansbuildcommunities.wordpress.com/2012/11/26/library-offers-books-and-community/

16. Libraries are into gardening...
The City Library Librarians Garden http://www.slcpl.org/events & http://saltlakegardencity.wordpress.com/about/

17. ...and farming, too!
The Northern Onodoga Public Library LibraryFarm http://www.nopl.org/library-farm

18. Libraries encourage collaborative consumption by
offering non-traditional collections, like tools.
West Seattle Tool Library http://wstoollibrary.org/

19. Libraries provide GED, ESL and citizenship classes...
Jones Library ESL Center http://www.joneslibrary.org/esl/index.html

20. ...and ballet, retirement and Wii Fit classes too.
87% of public libraries provide technology training. http://www.ala.org/research/initiatives/plftas/2010_2011/trainingmap1011
New York Public Library Programs http://www.nypl.org/events/classes

21. 90% of public libraries provide access to job databases
and online job resources.
Public Libraries and Access to Employment Resources http://www.ala.org/research/initiatives/plftas/2010_2011/jobsmap1011
The Seattle Public Library Job Resources http://www.spl.org/library-collection/articles-and-research/job-resources

22. Libraries offer free tax and eGov help.
81% of public libraries help with applications and access to e-government services
U.S. Public Libraries and E-Government Services http://www.ala.org/research/initiatives/plftas/2010_2011/egovmap1011
Houston Public Library Tax Resources http://www.houstonlibrary.org/tax-resources

23. Libraries offer business centers for local entrepreneurs.
Skokie Public Library Business Center http://www.skokielibrary.info/

24. Libraries recycle and support our local businesses.
Canton Public Library http://www.cantonpl.org/blog/post/small-business-saturday%C2%AE-november-24th

25. 86% of public libraries offer Wi-fi service.
WiFi Access in U.S. Public Libraries http://www.ala.org/research/initiatives/plftas/2010_2011/wifimap1011
Chicago Public Library: Free WiFi http://www.chipublib.org/aboutcpl/wifi.php

26. Libraries protect our intellectual freedom.
King County Library System Intellectual Freedom Policy http://www.kcls.org/usingthelibrary/policies/intfreedom.cfm

27. Libraries loan technology...
North Carolina State University Technology Lending http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/techlending

28. ...and will even bring it to our neighborhoods.
Houston Public Library's Mobile Express http://www.houstonlibrary.org/hpl-mobile-express

29. Libraries partner with teachers to help our students.
Grandview Heights Public Library Tools for Teachers http://www.ghpl.org/teachers/

30. 87% of public libraries offer free homework help.
Homework resources Available in U.S. Public LIbraries
http://www.ala.org/research/initiatives/plftas/2010_2011/homeworkmap1011
Clearwater Public Libraries Bilingual Homework Help

31. Libraries provide exceptional programing for our children.
Lester Public Library Kid Programs http://www.lesterlibrary.org/kids.htm

32. Libraries encourage play and imagination.
Hennepin County Library Act Out events http://www.hclib.org/pub/events/AllEventsAction.cfm?keyword=act+out

33. Libraries provide Maker Spaces and Fab Labs to support
innovation and so we can create cool stuff
Westport Public Library Maker Space http://www.westportlibrary.org/services/maker-space

34. Libraries help tell our stories...
Fayettville Public Library Teen Creative Writing Workship http://www.faylib.org/content/teen-creative-writing-workshop

35. ...and opportunities to share them.
Sacramento Public Library I Street Press http://www.saclibrary.org/Services/I-Street-Press/

36. Libraries have fun contests that promote and celebrate
creativity in our communities.
Troy Public Library Photo Contest: Where Do You Read? http://www.troylibrary.info/node/863

37. Libraries care about our health.
Canton Public Library: Traditional Yoga Basics http://www.cantonpl.org/blog/post/traditional-yoga-basics-0

38. Libraries provide access to consumer health resources.
Brooklyn Public Library Multilingual Consumer Health http://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/explore-topic/health/multilingual-
consumer-health

39. Libraries make a difference in our lives.
Scotch Plains Public Library & Fanwood Memorial Library, New Jersey http://www.librariesandautism.org/index.htm

40. Libraries offer cultural experiences...
The Morgan Library & Museum Concerts https://www.themorgan.org/public/concerts.asp

41. ...and give us a chance to express ourselves.
Walt Whitman Library Open Mic Night http://www.myrtleavenue.org/blog/index.cfm/2012/8/21/Open-Mic-Night-at-the-Walt-
Whitman-Library-Wed-822

42. Libraries help us find our history...
Brighton District Library Genealogy Program http://brighton.patch.com/articles/genealogy-experts-offer-up-resources-tips-and-how-
to-advice-for-you

43. ...and preserve our history.
Seward Community Library Museum Historic Photos http://www.cityofseward.net/library/photos.cfm

44. Libraries curate information to share with us.
O'Fallon Public Library Pinterest account http://pinterest.com/hcpl/

45. Libraries have fans...
Billy Graham Library Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/BillyGrahamLibrary

46. ...and friends.
Seward Community Library Museum Facebook account https://www.facebook.com/seward.libmuseum

47. Libraries
• serve & help
• share & curate
• celebrate & affirm
• teach & care
• create & innovate
• grow & preserve
• include everyone
• step outside their comfort zones
• offer free classes
• use local experts
• reflect community values
• support community development
• protect intellectual freedom
...and they invite you to do it all with them!
"the library in the life of the user"
Doug Zweizig, 1973 Syracuse University dissertation

48. "...the libraries’ primary purpose and mission,
as crafted over the generations by local
leaders and users, was to foster the kinds of
social harmony that community spaces and
stories—shared and experienced—provide."
Wayne Wiegand, 2011
Wiegand, W. (2011). Main Street Public Library. American Libraries. Retrieved from
http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/features/09272011/main-street-public-library

49. “The power is in the asking, not in the answers.”
Block, p. 184
“All of this takes time, but we are choosing depth
over speed.” Block, p. 148
If your library doesn't offer what you want, kindly tell them. Be
patient while they figure out what they can do.
Libraries strive to serve their communities well, but they are not
one size fits all. Each community is different.
Block, P. (2008). Community: The structure of belonging. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

50. Seward, Alaska
about.me/vkingsland
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Valarie Kingsland