The Libraries Transforming Communities (LTC) team from Red Hook Public Library used their training to engage residents in their small town. They learned people were frustrated that problems in their community—even obvious ones—often went unaddressed. The only stoplight in town, which didn’t work properly, was emblematic of their concerns and came up in many discussions with residents. The LTC team took action and brought officials together to figure out how to x the problem. This seemingly small act sent a signal to the community that it was possible to make things happen, which has led to people stepping forward to work together on other issues that are keeping Red Hook from being more livable and connected. The library is playing a central role in convening these groups and has become a model for how other organizations want to work in the community.

For much of its history, Columbus was a rural community, but today it is quickly becoming a commuter town. Feeling the effects of this rapid change, the Columbus Public Library joined the Libraries Transforming Communities (LTC) initiative to learn how to add more value in the community beyond being a lender of books. Not only has Columbus Public Library built a stronger reputation as an institution that can help solve community challenges, but its director—a newcomer to the community—has become a stronger, more credible community leader in the process.

Hartford Public Library has a long history of community engagement. Through the Libraries Transforming Communities (LTC) initiative, the library has deepened that work. Using new training they received from The Harwood Institute through LTC, library staff members reached out to people in an underserved part of town where many people were disengaged. Based on what they learned from residents, library staff have undertaken efforts to improve relationships between residents and important institutions in the neighborhood. As a result, Hartford Public Library is playing an even stronger role as a critical asset to the community and trusted convener.

The Harwood Institute is pleased to announce that Cheryl Gorman is the first recipient of the Harwood Public Innovator Excellence Award. The Institute will present this award to individuals who embody what it means to be a public innovator, demonstrating their ability to create positive change in people’s lives with courage, humility, and integrity. Gorman accepted the award at the Institute’s Board of Directors meeting in Bethesda, Md., Feb. 1.

Use this workbook to go through seven different ways that you can infuse civic engagement practices throughout your public work

The Turning Outward approach helped this United Way go from being seen primarily as a "pass-through" for money from donors to agencies, to a credible leader that could be a backbone for supporting large-scale action on education.

A local education foundation Turns Outward and uses knowledge from the community to build public will to drive major changes in education  in a community where meaningful progress had been absent for years. 

A public radio station in Las Vegas, Nevada, learns how to put the community at the center of their decision making, which leads to changes in what they cover and how they see their role in the community. All of this leads to more listeners and more resources.

A coalition of organizations work together to create strategies to get kids on a better path to high school graduation while also working deliberately to combat the negative conditions that have been stifling progress in this community for decades community.

A small United Way in Bakersfield, CA, realizes through Turning Outward that they need to shift their strategies in the community to better fit the capacity of the community to work together. Small changes make a huge difference and lead to major results.