In 2021, eleven mid-size Wisconsin public libraries formed the City Library Collective (CLC) to address common issues and use collective knowledge and experience to improve their organizations and services to their communities. The group was awarded an American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant in order to collaboratively explore the concept of Libraries as Centers for Community Resiliency. The grant project combined highly collaborative activities with individual library pilot projects to develop shared processes for community data gathering and analysis, staff training, and the implementation of incubator projects that position the library as a community resiliency partner. These processes also serve as models for other CLC partners and libraries statewide. The goal is to help libraries and the communities they serve anticipate, withstand, adapt to, and recover from adversity — to be resilient. Leaning heavily on concepts and techniques of Whole Person Librarianship, the CLC focused on skilling-up librarians to address the psychosocial needs of their community patrons.
One of the main outcomes of the work is the development of a Library Resilience Toolkit. Available to all, this Toolkit provides an overview of social work concepts in the library, data and assessment strategies for evaluating impact, and practical resources, including job descriptions, press releases, and communication templates. Additionally, the toolkit shares resources and lessons learned from the various local projects implemented at several of the CLC libraries.
The CLC knows that many libraries are incorporating social work or Whole Person Librarianship concepts into their roles. Do you have resources or experiences you would like to share? Please reach out to melissa@wils.org to learn how you can contribute to the Toolkit.