Program Type:
Online CourseProgram Description
Event Details
Three-week Course + Workshop | Tuesdsays, March 25, April 1 and 8, 2025
Time Commitment: approximately 15 hours
Build a community-centered library from the top down by learning how to create a strategic community engagement plan.
Over the past several years, libraries have learned a lot about community engagement, but it can still be hard to realize into action. This course is designed to help you overcome this hurdle. Over three weeks of live and asynchronous content, this online course will take you through the ins and outs of strategic community engagement, starting with a reflective self-assessment, relationship building, and understanding your community, and ending with a strategic community engagement plan. You will learn how to build capacity in your teams for ongoing, iterative community engagement while using techniques to ensure everyone works together to meet your goals.
This course includes three weeks of live presentations from expert speakers as well as a guided asynchronous workshop with facilitated peer cohorts and assignments. In this workshop, you’ll have the opportunity to practice what you’ve learned through prompted activities, share and crowdsource issues with peers, and get feedback from peers and your facilitator.
Week 1: Tuesday, March 25
- Course & Workshop Introduction | 11:00-11:20 am
An introduction to the weekly assignments, an overview of what to expect from the online workshop in this course, and a chance to complete the course pre-assessment. - Session 1 | 11:20-12:20 pm
Creating a Community-Centered Organization and Checking Your Baggage
What are your preconceptions of your community? What biases do you need to become aware of and move through in order to engage? This introductory session will start by giving you reflective tools to “check your baggage” and approach your community with empathy and understanding. We will then discuss how to create an organizational structure that supports community engagement from the top down. You will learn leadership and relationship building skills, policy design, and how to create infrastructure for community engagement at organizational level.- Speaker: Michelle Hamiel, Chief of Programs at Urban Libraries Council (ULC)
- Session 2 | 12:30-1:30 pm
Assessing Your Current Community Engagement
What are you already doing for community engagement, and how well is it working? This session will teach you practical ways to evaluate your current levels of engagement. We will discuss how to identify appropriate data and metrics to collect and analyze as well as metrics for ongoing evaluation. You will leave with an understanding of how to use these data and internal assessments to articulate the impact of new and ongoing community engagement efforts.- Speaker: Dr. Zachary Stier, Ed.D, MSLIS, Consultant, Children’s Librarian, Researcher, Lecturer, and Business Owner
Week 2: Tuesday, April 1
- Workshop Explanation | 11:00-11:15 am
An introduction to this week’s assignment and an overview of what to expect from the online workshop in this course. - Session 1 | 11:15-12:15 pm
Asset Mapping and Relationship Building
How can you integrate more fully into your community? How can you determine what your community needs? This session will take you from the basics of relationship building to strategies for becoming an integrated thought partner with your community. You will leave with tangible ideas to elicit input from your community to help determine and meet their needs.- Speaker: Shamichael Hallman, Director of Civic Health and Economic Opportunity at Urban Libraries Council (ULC)
- Session 2 | 12:30-1:30 pm
Building Staff Capacity for Community Engagement
What does community engagement look like and require from different levels of staff? How can you increase staff buy-in for community engagement work? This session will discuss building staff capacity and buy-in to sustain a community-centered library. We will discuss the necessary skill building required as well as ways to balance expectations with current trends of employee burnout.- Speaker: Jennie Garner, Library Director, North Liberty
Week 3: Tuesday, April 8
- Workshop Explanation | 11:00-11:15 pm
An introduction to this week’s assignment and an overview of what to expect from the online workshop in this course. - Session 1 | 11:15-12:15 pm ET
Creating a Strategic Community Engagement Plan
How do you create a high-level strategy for a comprehensive community engagement plan? How do you plan and account for large organizational changes? This “nuts and bolts” session will discuss how to create and enact a strategic community engagement plan. You will receive plan templates to help guide discussions, and you will have hands-on time to brainstorm with peers. - Session 2 | 12:30-1:30 pm
Creating a Strategic Community Engagement Plan, Continued
This session will be a continuation of session five to give you ample time to discuss, work with peers, and apply new skills and ideas as you develop your community engagement plan.
CALL Training Partner for this Event: Library Journal
Additional Information
Enrollment Statement
I understand that a space will be reserved for me in this learning opportunity at a cost to CALL, and if I am unable to attend this learning opportunity, I will cancel my enrollment as soon as possible and before the start date.
Single Enrollment Disclaimer
I understand that I can register for only one course at a time (no concurrent courses). If I do not attend this course, I understand that I may forfeit the opportunity to enroll in additional CALL courses during this fiscal year.