“True community: connecting the Millennium Development Goals to public library services in the United States.”

Susan Maret

“True community: connecting the Millennium Development Goals to public library services in the United States.”

Information, Society and Justice Volume 4 No. 2, December 2011: pp 29-55.

Susan Maret.

Abstract

U.S. public libraries have the potential to actively participate in realizing the collective vision of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

While public libraries in the United Statesutilize measurement tools to plan socially responsive services and programs to address poverty and literacy in their communities, these initiativesare not connected to MDGtargets and indicators. Similarly, scorecards and quality of life reports compiled by municipalities and nonprofit groups, while they might investigate community social problems  are not linked to socially responsive  library services or the  wider  MDGs. This article suggests  that by re-imagining data collection methods coupled with active community partnership, U.S.public libraries have a significant role in actualizing the MDGs  in terms of working local social conditions by the deadline of 2015.

 Keywords: capacity building, human rights, public libraries, Millennium Development Goals, measures, planning, partnerships, United States.