October is Canadian Library Month. This
year’s theme is “libraries connect” and across the country, people are
celebrating the roles that libraries play in connecting people and communities.
This is the first of two Stories from the Field articles exploring
how libraries connect with people and with literacy—in Canada and abroad.
Over four years,
the project identified six key lessons learned:
·
Library
culture, along with rules and procedures, created significant barriers to
inclusion.
·
Libraries
must recognise that same or consistent customer
service, which does not take into account socio-economic disparity, results in
inequitable services that further disadvantage socially excluded people.
·
Planning
relevant and effective library services for socially excluded community members
requires a collaboration of equals between community members and the library.
·
Relationship
building is at the core of effective service planning.
·
Staff
“soft skills” such as empathy, interpersonal competence, and open-mindedness
are essential.
·
People
want to see themselves represented in the library and to have an opportunity to
participate. (Community-Led Libraries Toolkit 2008, 8)
An additional outcome of the
project was the development of a community-led service-planning
toolkit designed to help libraries engage with their communities.
The Community-Led Libraries Toolkit includes
sections on community entry, community mapping, relationship building,
partnerships, program planning, computer training, collection development, and
customer service. The Working Together Project’s success and its Toolkit provide
an exciting and useful blueprint for libraries interested in better serving
their diverse communities.
The library’s
relationship-building initiatives included professional development for staff
on diversity issues. As a result of the library’s efforts, more people with
disabilities, immigrants, and the First Nations community came to the library
and used the services (Khetarpal 2013).
http://www.centreforexcellenceinfoundationallearning.ca/
