Libraries as Community Catalysts
Libraries as Community Catalysts is an OCLC research and programming initiative that seeks to support libraries and cultural institutions as catalysts for positive change. This work understands libraries as crucial community hubs with dynamic spaces for learning, collaboration, and community engagement.
OCLC Research partners with libraries and cultural institutions to offer the resources needed to meet changing community needs. This approach emphasizes the evolving and expanding role of libraries as essential contributors to a community's well-being and development.
Presentations
Libraries Create Pathways to Civil Legal Justice
virtual
People instinctively turn to the library to find help with crises in their lives. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has amplified a host of civil legal issues, such as housing, employment, divorce, custody, or debt management. Too many people don’t know their options and can’t afford to start with a lawyer. You and your library play a vital role in connecting community members with relevant information to help them navigate the complexities of the civil legal system, especially in rural areas where legal resources are sparse. Get inspired by stories of how the library can turn people’s lives around.
Topics: WebJunction
The Smart Spaces Process: Co-Create and Transform with Your Community
Burlington, VT (USA)
This presentation shows how libraries can move from designing spaces and services for their community to using key strategies for collaborating with community members to co-create solutions that work. Learn from real-world examples from the participants in the Small Libraries Create Smart Spaces project who applied this community-centered design approach.
Topics: WebJunction
Where's the Instructor? Effective Design for Asynchronous Learning
Austin, TX (USA)
In this hands-on workshop, Gutsche leads participants through the basics about asynchronous learning, instructional design, and how to embed the instructor in self-paced design. In addition to the slides, download the workbook (PDF) for the workshop.
Topics: WebJunction
Libraries and the Opioid Epidemic: Community-based Responses
Washington, DC (USA)
In this session, panelists share insights gained from the case studies conducted as part of the Public Libraries Respond to the Opioid Epidemic with Their Community project, as well as cross-sector discussions about emerging practices, opportunities, and challenges, and identify resources to help library staff guide their libraries’ response to the opioid crisis.
Topics: WebJunction
Scaling the Impact of Libraries Through Learning Networks
In this presentation, Streams discusses library learning in a networked setting, recent OCLC projects that utilize networked learning, and how WebJunction can support libraries' learning needs.
Topics: Sourcing and Scaling, WebJunction
Smart Spaces for Small Libraries
St. George, Utah (USA)
Learn from the dynamic experiences of fifteen small libraries, who re-imagined and reconfigured “smart spaces,” where community members co-create, participate in hands-on learning, and strengthen social connections.
Topics: WebJunction