The Harwood Institute and ALA to Host 3-Day Lab in Atlanta Oct. 8 to Help Libraries Tackle Community Issues

Sept. 22, 2014, Bethesda, Md. –The Harwood Institute and ALA to Host 3-Day Lab in Atlanta Oct. 8 to Help Libraries Tackle Community Issues The Public Innovators Lab for Libraries will take place at Atlanta’s Loudermilk Convention Center. Through discussions, hands-on activities and collaborations with like-minded library professionals, participants will learn to:

• Tap libraries’ natural values to contribute to the greater good and bring their communities together.
• Convene and lead productive, insightful community conversations.

• Identify people’s shared aspirations for their communities and help bring them to life.
• “Turn outward,” using the community as the reference point for decisions and choices.

• Become stewards of public knowledge.

The deadline to register for the lab is Sept. 30. The cost is $1,495 per person, and $995 per additional person from the same organization. Click here for more information about the lab.

“Libraries have an important role to play in strengthening our communities,” said Richard C. Harwood, founder and president of the Washington, D.C.-area Harwood Institute for Public Innovation. “This lab will help library professionals and others develop their abilities to be catalysts for creating lasting and positive change.”

Said ALA Executive Director Keith Michael Fiels, “Libraries are undergoing a transformational shift.They are no longer passive providers of services; they are consensus-builders and a driving force in community change. The ‘turning outward’ approach equips library professionals with the skills they need not only to adapt, but lead.”

The Public Innovators Lab for Libraries is part of ALA’s Libraries Transforming Communities Initiative, designed to assist librarians and others in engaging with their communities. The partnership is based on the idea that libraries, because of their trusted roles in communities, are uniquely suited to help solve challenges ranging from high unemployment and low school graduation rates to crime, poverty and mistrust in government.

Harwood, who has spent more than 25 years guiding communities across the country, has been described as “the nation’s leading crusader for community action.” He has spent years working with libraries to provide the tools and support they need to help their communities. To schedule an interview with Harwood, contact Jennifer Packer at jpacker@theharwoodinstitute.org or 301-656-3669.

About The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation is a national nonprofit based in Bethesda, Md., that teaches and coaches people and organizations to solve pressing problems and change how communities work together.The Institute is guided by Richard C. Harwood, whose transformational work during more than 25 years has spread to thousands of communities nationally and worldwide.

About the American Library Association

The American Library Association is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with approximately 58,000 members in academic, public, school, government and special libraries. The mission of the American Library Association is to provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.