Bridgebuilding Resource Hub
Strengthening civic life and a sense of mutuality through libraries
The Library Bridgebuilding program is a project by IREX, a global development and education organization, in partnership with the Urban Libraries Council (ULC) and WebJunction. It is supported by More Perfect, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, and the Walmart Foundation. The project was created to enhance bridgebuilding capabilities of public libraries to combat rising levels of distrust and division in the United States.
Bridgebuilding, or bridging, is when different types of people come together with respect and understanding. It helps build trust and work towards shared goals. Over time, it can strengthen communities and create a more welcoming, connected society.
From 2022 to 2023, IREX conducted a landscape analysis. They looked at library programs across the U.S. to learn what bridgebuilding methods worked best. Using what they learned, IREX brought together a Community of Practice (CoP) from 2025 to 2026. This group included library practitioners from 46 states and 290 unique library systems. Each month, the libraries met to share ideas, ask questions, and support each other. They worked on making their libraries a place where all kinds of people could come together and connect. (Monthly Community of Practice meetings have concluded, but you can still join the community to take part in ongoing discussions. Visit the Urban Libraries Council website to learn more.)
In 2026, what the group learned was used to build an online course. You can take that course for free on the WebJunction website.
An introduction to bridgebuilding: Creating a library where everyone belongs
Learning Resources
Bridgebuilding: Creating a Library Where Everyone Belongs
In this course you’ll learn about reaching new people, building trust, creating belonging, and facilitating connection at your library.
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Bridgebuilding: Fostering Community Engagement and Dialogue
This webinar explores how public library staff can lead bridgebuilding efforts to create meaningful change, build trust, and strengthen connections within their teams and communities. Learn from a library director and her community engagement coordinator as they share their library’s story of transformation from both perspectives.
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Creating a Culture of Trust and Bridgebuilding: One Library’s Transformation Story
View the webinar recording to learn about the free tools in the Bridgebuilding Resource Hub and hear from public library staff who have offered bridgebuilding programs for deeper engagement with their communities.
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Measuring Trust: How to Collect Meaningful and Actionable Data
Trust is such an important part of library’s work. Learn from IREX evaluators and several library staff who discuss experiments they ran with trust-building programs. Leave with some tips and tools for measuring trust in your library.
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Resource list
Browse a curated collection of bridgebuilding resources, including facilitation guides, training videos, and tools for evaluating the effectiveness of your programs and activities.
Case studies
Read how public libraries have approached bridging activities, the partners that they worked with, and what they learned.
Needs assessment and measurement tools
These tools can support you in developing a needs assessment to determine the types of programming that will be most useful in your community and then measuring the effectiveness of those programs.
This resource was created by IREX through a project made possible with support from More Perfect,
Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, and the Walmart Foundation.
