Poverty Safari by Darren McGarvey

In Poverty Safari Darren McGarvey  includes profound observations on the role of the library in the community. He notes that the community centre is being imposed on the library to streamline the service in order to justify keeping the library open. This practice undermines the integrity of both the library and the community centre. It undermines the principle that communities should be entitled to these vital amenities independent of one another. (p. 153).

Poverty Safari by Darren McGarvey (rapper Loki), Luath Press  has won the 2018 Orwell Prize.

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She was homeless until a Detroit library stepped in to help

Libraries have long been repositories of knowledge, mostly through archiving and lending books, and places to go when school is out for the summer. In an age of the internet and Amazon, communities are trying to do more with these institutions as Bryant — and other residents — turn to them for help.

Now libraries are helping people find housing, jobs and start new lives.

Bryant credits the Detroit library’s Parkman branch — a place she visited as a young girl with her aunt — with saving her when she was homeless

Libraries Help Heal Vets

“The Alachua County Library District (FL) “Heal Vets Craft Program”
Celebrates Veterans.” by Alicia A. Antone and Patricia E. Carr (Florida Libraries 60, Fall 2017).

Libraries provide safe spaces where people can meet, connect, and find common ground. Libraries transform lives….

Antone partnered with three agencies, HEAL VETS,

the New Century Woman’s Club of High Springs (a

division of the General Federation of Woman’s Clubs)

and the Alachua County Veteran Services to help local

veterans.

Public libraries & adult basic skills programs

 

Public libraries & adult basic skills programs.

 

Why Public Libraries and Adult Basic Education Programs Should 
Advocate For and Partner With Each Other.

Public libraries have an important role in promoting, providing, and advocating for adult basic skills services. There are a wide range of specific actions they can take wherever they are on the literacy action spectrum, from libraries that are new to thinking about adult basic skills services to those that are long-time providers of basic skills, often through collaborations with community-based adult basic skills programs, and those that advocate locally, in their state and nationally for resources for adult basic skills. Collaboration between libraries and adult basic skills programs can be mutually beneficial for both, as both parties can bring resources such as funding, space, knowledge, and technology, and can advocate for each other in their public policy advocacy work.

Open Door Collective–

Less poverty and economic inequality and more civic engagement and participation in all our society offers to individuals. ODC is made up of professionals working in adult basic skills, social services and poverty reduction, who believe that adult basic skills and lifelong learning programs can open doors of opportunity to healthier, more prosperous and more satisfying lives. ODC members have expertise in connecting adult basic skills to healthcare, employment and training, corrections, and family and social services.

Public libraries should be primary instruments for civic education in the community.

• Civics for Adults Workshops: Enhancing Civic Knowledge/Inspiring Political Engagement
  Misinformation, Fake News and Political Propaganda
  To distinguish truth from fiction using critical thinking strategies. The workshop uses real world examples in a “what do you see here?/what is missing?” type of format. The last part is about finding accurate information.
• Citizen Activism 101—Making Change Happen
  Learn about strategies for change, and more: Examples of successful advocacy; Brief historical perspective; Choosing your battles; What matters to you?; Who makes the rules?; Getting heard: tools for change; “Tracking” civic/political issues.
• The Influence of the Constitution on Political Conversation
  By looking back at the creation of the Constitution, we puncture some myths and develop a broader perspective on its significance—perspective that helps us evaluate current political events more thoughtfully.

Cohen, D. (2017). Enhancing Civic Knowledge/Inspiring Political Engagement: The Role of Public Libraries in Civic Participation. OLA Quarterly, 23(1), 9-12. https://doi.org/10.7710/1093-7374.1884

Public Libraries & Adult Education

Public Libraries & Adult Education

National Council for Adult Learning. 7-13- 2017.

 

Community Engagement & Outreach

Community Engagement & Outreach at the Public Library Association website.

Resources devoted to helping you increase your community engagement and outreach, including: the ALA Libraries Transform campaign, outreach strategies, information on bookmobiles, how to work with community groups, universal access, and much more.

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