Your community needs the library, and planning for the future of your library begins with understanding the community and their aspirations. Once you understand what your rural community wants and needs, you can assess how the library can help them. In this webinar, understand the important steps of this engaged planning process, including internal assessment, data collection and analysis, trustee involvement, and community conversations. Learn what it means for your library to “turn outward” to secure its place at the heart of your community.

This webinar is hosted in collaboration with the Association for Rural and Small Libraries.

Presented by: Cindy Fesemyer, Director, Columbus (WI) Public Library, population 5,000

Access Recording

•  View Webinar Recording (You will be prompted to log in to our free Course Catalog.)

Webinar Attachments

• View slides (pdf)
  
• View chat (xls)
• View captions (txt)
  
• Learner Guide (doc) Use alone or with others to extend your learning.

Related Resources and Links

• Read webinar writeup
  
• Association for Rural & Small Libraries
• Wisconsin's Public Library Space Needs: A Planning Outline
• Edge Assessment
• Impact Survey
• Gale Analytics
• ALA’s Libraries Transforming Communities
  • View a free, 60-minute webinar about how three libraries are using the "turning outward" approach: Go Out & Play: Community Engagement through Turning Outward
  • A Step-By-Step Guide to 'Turning Outward' to Your Community (pdf)
  • Community Conversation Workbook (pdf)
  • Calibrating Community Conditions / Moving from Aspirations to Action: Step 1 (pdf)
• LibraryVision.org for Aspen Institute Report and Action Guide for Re-Envisioning Your Public Library
• Shared in Chat
  • WebJunction's Spanish Language Outreach Community Leader Interview Guide
  • Webinar, Library Surveys for Success
  • Guide, Transforming Library Spaces for Community Engagement