Theme: Community Development

Case Example: Working Together: Library Community Connections National Project in Halifax, Toronto, Regina, Vancouver. 2004 – 2008. The Halifax Program. Contact people: Annette DeFaveri (National Coordinator) · Vancouver Public Library; Darla Muzzerall · Halifax Public Libraries

Motivation for Working Together: Concern over the number of people socially excluded from using the library stimulated the Vancouver Public Library to propose the national project to involve the three other cities. In each city, populations such as low income families, the homeless, ex-prisoners, newly arrived immigrants, and first nations people often have literacy challenges and face exclusion from mainstream library services. These libraries wanted to take action on fulfilling their role as an egalitarian social institution.

Description of Working Together: The goal of Working Together is to work with communities to develop ways to deliver the library services that socially excluded populations want and to reduce the systemic barriers that they face in the library. This project uses a community development approach to change the often exclusive institutional culture of the library. Work begins by establishing relationships in the community with individuals and agencies to build a foundation of trust and respect. From that foundation, the libraries try to better understand how people view the library, what they want from it, and how the library can serve them. Through this process, the library works with the complexities of individual lives and the community as a whole. The project is funded by Human Resources Skills Development Canada; libraries have community partners and hire community development librarians.

As an example, in Halifax the project staff did a door-to-door survey about library use and services in the low income suburban neighbourhood where the project is housed. Staff used the survey as a tool to make contact with individuals and families, and to find out about their use of library services. Non-users said that libraries are for children not adults and libraries are not useful for them since they don’t read for pleasure.

The community development librarian then made the connection with an adult basic education program that uses a library meeting room. Volunteer tutors and paid instructors work in the program with learners from the community who were not library users. In the first year, librarians established relationships with the learners, tutors and group instructors so that the learners were comfortable with them in the room. Offers of free computer training for individuals or groups was not taken up. In the second year, the library provided the program with laptop computers on demand and interest grew. Learners are now using the computers, browsing the library, asking questions. They all have library cards and are borrowing materials.