Libraries do not become the hub of the community without a
lot of work from the ground up by library staff. Most libraries look for ways to get community
members involved through surveys or focus groups, but many times that limits
the perspective to current library users.
If a library is going to be the hub of the community it must reflect all
of the people in the community.
In order to encourage more library participation, Shana Hinze, a librarian in Florida looked for other ways to reach out. She first got involved at a local school in the PTA and realized the importance on first hand communication with parents and schools and the areas that the library could support. Shana then took it further by getting involved with the local Kiwanis club, attending meetings and eventually gaining, volunteers and even funding for a literacy program at the library, not to mention a large number of new libraries users. She realized that creating a space for community members meant becoming active in her community. The best thing we can do as librarians to create a local hub is:
In order to encourage more library participation, Shana Hinze, a librarian in Florida looked for other ways to reach out. She first got involved at a local school in the PTA and realized the importance on first hand communication with parents and schools and the areas that the library could support. Shana then took it further by getting involved with the local Kiwanis club, attending meetings and eventually gaining, volunteers and even funding for a literacy program at the library, not to mention a large number of new libraries users. She realized that creating a space for community members meant becoming active in her community. The best thing we can do as librarians to create a local hub is:
“Get Involved. You can do it too! Join groups, attend
meetings, drop in at intergovernmental meetings, service clubs, parent teacher
meetings, reach out to the social services office, WIC office, state job
placement office, schools, after school programs. The idea is to go where
people in the community go to get help, ask for things, or get things done.
Becoming part of these groups will allow you to see and hear first hand the
needs of the community.”
Hinze, S. (2016). Librarians as Community Ambassadors. Young
Adult Library Services, 15(1), 27-30.
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