The webinar discussed the role of libraries and museums in comprehensive community development. Susan Hildreth, Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, outlined IMLS's strategic goals of placing learners at the center, promoting institutions as community anchors, supporting stewardship of collections, and advising on plans to increase public access to information. Chris Walker of LISC discussed recent IMLS investments supporting community engagement and storytelling. Chris Siefert of Children's Museum Pittsburgh and Matt Poland of Hartford Public Library then shared examples of their institutions' partnerships with schools and organizations to enhance neighborhoods.

1. The Role of Libraries and Museums in
Comprehensive Community Development
June 19, 2014

2. Susan H. Hildreth Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services
On January 19, 2011, President Obama appointed Susan H. Hildreth to be director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Her nomination to her new
post was confirmed by the US Senate by unanimous consent on December 22, 2010. Hildreth had been the city librarian in Seattle for the previous two years.
Before moving to Seattle, Hildreth served for five years as California’s state librarian, a position to which she was appointed by Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger. Previously, Hildreth was at the San Francisco Public Library, where she served as deputy director and then city librarian. Her background also
includes five years as deputy library director at the Sacramento Public Library, several years as Placer County's head librarian, and four years as library director
for the Benicia Public Library, all in California. She began her career as a branch librarian at the Edison Township Library in New Jersey.
Hildreth was active in the American Library Association, serving as president of the Public Library Association in 2006. She has a master's degree in library
science from State University of New York at Albany, a master's degree in business administration from Rutgers University, and a bachelor of arts, cum laude,
from Syracuse University.
Hildreth is serving a four-year term as the Director of the Institute. The directorship of the Institute alternates between individuals from the museum and
library communities.
Speakers
CHRISTOPHER WALKER, Director of Research and Assessment , Local Initiatives Support Corporation
Chris Walker is Director of Research and Assessment for the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, the nation’s foremost community development intermediary.
He is responsible for assembling, conducting, sponsoring, and disseminating high-quality research on community development’s contributions to the well-being
of individuals, families and communities. He also supports the research activities of the 30 LISC local programs throughout the United States.
His current work includes research into LISC’s Building Sustainable Communities program, a comprehensive place-based initiative to support community change
in more than 100 neighborhoods in cities where LISC works, analysis of financial capability outcomes for clients of LISC’s Financial Opportunity Centers, and
research into the role of arts and culture in community revitalization.
Prior to joining LISC in late 2005, Mr. Walker directed a community and economic development research program at the Urban Institute in Washington, DC,
including national studies of federal- and foundation-funded affordable housing, community lending, cultural participation, and other community and economic
development issues.

3. Speakers
Chris Siefert, Deputy Director, Children’s Museum Pittsburgh
In 2007 Chris Siefert was appointed to the Children’s Museum Pittsburgh as Deputy Director. In this role, Siefert implemented the Charm Bracelet Project, oversaw the
development of a $6.1 million city park revitalization, manages numerous, capital projects and oversees five museum departments. Prior to this appointment, Siefert
taught sculpture at Louisiana State University (1996-1998); served as Director of Exhibits for Children’s Museum Pittsburgh (1998-2000); and served as project manager for
the capital expansion of the Children’s Museum Pittsburgh which opened in November 2004. In 2013, Siefert was awarded a fellowship from the Noyce Leadership
Institute.
Siefert received his MFA from Carnegie Mellon University [where he was a Jacob K. Javits Fellow] and a BS in landscape architecture from Cornell University. He studied
planning at the Denmark International Studies program and he attended the Museum Management Institute sponsored by the Getty Leadership Institute in 2000. Prior to
his master’s degree, Siefert worked with interdisciplinary design teams at Cesar Pelli and Associates and Balmori Associates in New Haven, Connecticut on several notable
projects. Across his professional and artistic career, Siefert received an AIA Public Space Award, the Times Project Organization Public Artwork Grant, and grants from the
Louisiana Division of The Arts amongst other grants, awards, and commissions.
As an extension of his work, Siefert actively participates in conferences and symposia addressing issues of non-profit management and the roles for institutions in their
community. Siefert is currently Vice President of the Northside Cultural Collaborative, a member of the Allegheny Commons Steering Committee, and is President of the
Pittsburgh Dynamo youth soccer club.
Matthew K. Poland, Chief Executive Officer, Hartford Public Library
Matt Poland joined Hartford Public Library in June 2008 as Deputy Administrator and was named Interim Director in December 2008. Poland was appointed the Library’s
ninth leader since 1893 and its first chief executive officer in October 2009.
Prior to joining the Library, Poland was senior vice president and general manager for Work/Life Innovations, an award-winning employee assistance and work/life
programming organization. Prior to joining Work/Life Innovations, he was senior vice president for human resources at Community Newspaper Company and Veritude,
both Fidelity Investments Companies in Boston. Before Boston, Matt worked at The Hartford Courant where he held the positions of vice president for human resources
and community affairs, vice president for operations, production director, and director of employee relations. He began his career in retail banking and human resources in
the financial services sector in Hartford.
Poland received his bachelor’s degree with honors in philosophy and literature from St. John’s College Seminary (Boston, MA). He also has completed executive leadership
and management programs at Harvard University, Babson College, University of Southern California, and the Times Mirror Executive Leadership Institute.
Poland currently is a member and former chairman of the Hartford Board of Education and is a member of the Community Steering Committee of Opportunities Hartford.
He serves on the executive committee of the board of the Urban Libraries Council, is a board member for Hartford Performs, a corporator for Hartford Hospital and the
iQuilt Partnership, and serves on the leadership committee and policy cabinet of MoveUP!. Poland is also a member of the American Library Association, the Connecticut
Library Association, Leadership Greater Hartford, Society for Human Resources Management, and the Human Resources Association of Central Connecticut. He is a
LeadBoston Fellow and a Senior Fellow of the American Leadership Forum. Hartford Magazine named him one of Hartford’s Most Influential People in 2013.

4. Webinar on Museum / Library Community Engagement
June 19, 20142

5. Institute of Museum and Library Services

6. IMLS Strategic Goals
1. IMLS places the learner at the center and supports engaging experiences in libraries and museums that
prepare people to be full participants in their local communities and our global society.
2. IMLS promotes museums and libraries as strong community anchors that enhance civic engagement,
cultural opportunities, and economic vitality.
3. IMLS supports exemplary stewardship of museum and library collections and promotes the use of
technology to facilitate discovery of knowledge and cultural heritage.
4. IMLS advises the President and Congress on plans, policies, and activities to sustain and increase public
access to information and ideas.
5. IMLS achieves excellence in public management and performs as a model organization through strategic
alignment of IMLS resources and prioritization of programmatic activities, maximizing value for the
American public.

7. Leveraging Strengths/Seeing Value in Different Community Institutions
Community Wellbeing
Community
Development
Practice
Library and
Museum
Practice
• broader perspective on community need
• better understanding of respective roles

8. Recent investments
• Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience - Seattle, WA
The Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience will produce a newly designed tour program to empower the Asian Pacific
American community to share their stories, help stimulate the local economy, and promote the historic and cultural vibrancy of the district.
The Chinatown International District, on the National Register of Historic Places, is Seattle’s lowest-income neighborhood, struggling with
multiple issues that threaten its preservation. The program will emphasize community storytelling and audience engagement.
• City of Omaha – Omaha, NE
The Omaha Public Library and the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s Center for Public Affairs Research will produce a toolkit of useful
resources and a replicable model to guide public libraries toward leadership roles in civic engagement efforts in their local communities.
The project will also help libraries to measure and communicate the value they add to the community. Deliverables will include principles,
practices, and tools to help libraries engage with citizens and other organizations to produce a map of local needs and available assets, a
portal of resources and guidelines to help position libraries as key community anchor organizations, and methods and metrics to help public
libraries measure, assess, and communicate the success and impact of their services and programs.

9. Museums, Libraries, and Comprehensive Initiatives:
Emerging Experience
A Research Project Supported by
The Institute for Museum and Library Services
Chris Walker
LISC Director of Research &
Assessment
June 19, 2014

10. LISC Direct Support for Museums and Libraries
• Los Angeles
• Milwaukee
• Indianapolis
• Chicago
• St. Paul
• Richmond

11. Points of Entry: Physical Revitalization
 Community planning and development
 Construction and renovation of own facilities
 Creative placemaking

12. Museum & Library Benefits to Communities
Social Political EconomicCultural
Physical and
Aesthetic
Community as
Source of
Pride, Identity,
and Enrichment
Community
Perceived
as Safe and
Vibrant
Increased
Cultural
Participation
Participation in
Lifelong Learning
And Access to
Technology
Increased Social
Connections
Among
Diverse Groups
Increased
Participation
In Community
Decisionmaking
Increased Support
For Well-Being
Of all Community
Members
Increased
Participation
In Entrepreneurial
Opportunities
Increased
Patronage of
Local Businesses
Development
And Preservation
Of Spaces with
Aesthetic Value
More Well-
Functioning
Public Spaces and
Reduced Vacancy
Visible Signs
Of Community
Identity Pride,
And Attachment
Improved
Educational &
Workforce
Outcomes
Preserved and
Increased
Diversity of
Residents
Stronger
Community
Institutions and
Governance
Strengthened
Social Policy
And Programs
Increased
Small Business
Formation
Development and
Strengthening
Of Economic
Clusters
Increased Public Safety
Better Public Health
Higher Incomes and
Employment
Increased Property Values
Increased Tax Revenues
Source: Adapted from How-Art-Works, 2012, by LISC Research and Assessment
Educational
Physical and
Aesthetic

13. Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art and Storytelling
New York, NY

14. Children’s Museum of Indianapolis
Indianapolis, IN

15. Points of Entry: Community-Building
 Organizing and volunteer mobilization
 Community cultural development

16. Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance Chicago, IL

17. Queens Museum Queens, NY

18. Points of Entry: Collective Impact
 Youth Development
 Workforce Development
 Health Promotion

19. Colleton Museum and Farmers’ Market
Walterboro, SC

20. Detroit Public Library Detroit, MI

21. Terms of Museum and Library Engagement
Level of Institutional Effort
Connection to Community Efforts
Institutional Commitment
Locus of Decisionmaking
Engagement is Add-On Engagement is Integral
Institution is Sole Decisionmaker Decisions are Collective and Consensual
Institution is Unaware Institution Supports Multiple Efforts
Small Scale High Priority to Senior Management
Series of One-Off Efforts Sustained Partnerships Across Multiple Efforts
Length of Involvement

22. Museums, Libraries, and Comprehensive Initiatives:
Emerging Experience
Report Availability
Summer, 2014
LISC Institute for Comprehensive Community Development
Contact:
Chris Walker, Director of Research and Assessment, LISC
cwalker@lisc.org

23. The mission of the Children’s Museum of
Pittsburgh is to provide innovative
museum experiences that inspire joy,
creativity and curiosity.

24. In-House Partners
• Pittsburgh Public Schools: Pre-K
Head Start Programs
• Reading is Fundamental
• Saturday Light Brigade
• Neighborhood Allies
• University of Pittsburgh Center for
Learning in Out of School
Environments [UPCLOSE]
• Youth ALIVE

25. Neighborhood
Involvement

26. ALLEGHENY
PUBLIC
SQUARE

28. FEBRUARY 2007 – FOUR DESIGN TEAMS…

29. The Charm Bracelet Project
• A network of cultural, educational, and recreational organizations transforming traditional understandings of how institutions make community impact.
• Works collectively to foster a vibrant, attractive and accessible Northside that is unified by visible, lasting connections between organizations and amenities.
• RESOURCE and NETWORK for each other and for other organizations
• CHALLENGE to take on new and different possibilities and partnerships outside of the typical
• VISION for ‘street level activity’ through collaborative programs in “everyday space”

30. Buhl Community Park – 2012
Children’s Museum – 2004 expansion
Library Building: 2015
New Hazlett Theater - 2006

31. Community Day in the Park
July 21, 2007

32. Andrea Cochran
Landscape
Architecture
Hood Design
La Dallman
Architecture
Garofalo
Architecture with
PSLA
Klavon Design
Associates
WANTED

33. www.pittsburghkids.org
Contact:
Chris Siefert
csiefert@pittsburghkids.org

43. Contact Matt Poland:
Hartford Public Library
Tel: (860) 695-6303
mpoland@hplct.org

44. The LISC Institute for Comprehensive
Community Development is designed to
share knowledge and resources with LISC staff,
local agencies in the LISC network and others
who are working in the field of comprehensive
community development.
The Institute website, trainings, webinars and
peer-to-peer support are tools that help
practitioners and their partners successfully
implement comprehensive community
initiatives.