The Harwood Institute to Train Librarians across Texas in State Partnership
Public Innovators Labs to Take Place in Arlington, San Angelo and Houston Bethesda,Md., March 25, 2015 –The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation heads to Texas in May to conduct three Public Innovators Labs across the state through a partnership with the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC). The labs will help hundreds of library professionals lead positive, pro-active change in their communities by “turning outward,” the Harwood approach to guiding people and organizations so that their communities are the reference point for their choices and actions.
Each of The Harwood Institute’s three-day labs will be hosted by TSLAC, which is offering them to public and academic librarians free of charge. The program is funded in part by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services and TSLAC.
The labs will take place May 12-14 at the University of Texas at Arlington; May 20-22 at the McNease Convention Center in San Angelo; and May 27-29 at the Marriott Houston South at Hobby Airport. Shortly after opening registration, the Arlington lab filled to capacity. Those interested in joining the waitlist or attending the other labs should contact Jennifer Peters, TSLAC’s Community Engagement Administrator, at jpeters@tsl.texas.gov or 512-463-2214.
“Libraries are trusted institutions uniquely positioned to help people engage with each other and strengthen their communities,” said The Harwood Institute Founder and President Richard C. Harwood, who will lead the Arlington and San Angelo labs. “This unique partnership will help library professionals across Texas develop their abilities to become catalysts for creating lasting and positive change.”
The Institute, based in Bethesda, Md., is a national nonprofit organization that teaches and coaches people and organizations to solve pressing problems and change how communities work together. Harwood has dedicated more than 25 years to transforming communities nationally and worldwide, partnering with groups such as the American Library Association (ALA), United Way Worldwide, Corporation for Public Broadcasting and AARP. The Institute’s work recently spread to Australia, where it has teamed up with the Local Community Services Association in New South Wales.
The Institute has worked extensively with libraries across the country and has conducted two national Public Innovator Labs for Libraries together with the American Library Association. The Institute is also partnering with ALA to guide 10 libraries from New York to California to act as innovative change-makers for communities facing a variety of challenges.
To learn more about Harwood and the Institute’s work with libraries, read the Library Journal’s Rich Harwood on Libraries as Change Agents, Turning Outward, and the Need for Qualitative Data. For a peek into the Institute’s three-day learning experience, read the Library Journal’s Inside the Harwood Institute’s Innovators Lab for Libraries.
To schedule an interview with Richard C. Harwood, contact Andrew Willis at thi (at) theharwoodinstitute.org or call 301-656-3669.
About The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation is a national nonprofit organization 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 Founder and President Richard C. Harwood, who has dedicated more than 25 years to transforming communities nationally and worldwide. For more information, visit www.theharwoodinstitute.org.
About the Texas State Library and Archives Commission Formed in 1909, TSLAC is committed to giving Texans access to information and programs to improve their lives and communities. TSLAC provides historical and genealogical search assistance, federal and state government documents, electronic research and library services to all Texans, including those who are unable to read standard print material because of physical or reading disabilities. For more information,visit www.tsl.texas.gov.
