Tagged IMLS

Skills for Community Centered Libraries Curriculum Release

Like many libraries across the nation, the Free Library of Philadelphia is undergoing a paradigm shift . Increasingly, our focus is not only on extensive collections but on how we are engaging with our communities. To address this…

Exploring the Neighborhood: Virtual Adventures in Community Asset Mapping

This blog post was written by Jeanette Coppinger, Digital Resource Specialist for Lovett Memorial Library. Jeanette was a member of Cohort 10 of the Skills for Community-Centered Libraries training program. The timing of my cohort for…

A Final Update from Our Skills for Community-Centered Libraries National Partners

Throughout the  Skills for Community-Centered Libraries initiative , we have shared experiences from our seven pilot sites as they tested the training series in their own libraries. We were thrilled that our partners in San…

Storytime Pivots During COVID Times

This blog post was written by Becky Shaknovich, Department Head of Parkway Central Library's Children's Department and Field Teen Center . Becky was a member of Cohort 7 of the Skills for Community-Centered Libraries…

Community-Centered Libraries Are More Important Than Ever

When the Free Library of Philadelphia first started working together to draft a curriculum for the Skills for Community-Centered Libraries project, we never guessed how essential the skills we proposed to cultivate and strengthen would…

Community-Centered Libraries: Another National Partner Perspective

Blog post author Amy Honisett is the Learning and Development Specialist for Multnomah County Library. Multnomah is the public library system for Portland, Oregon and a national partner in the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Skills…

Sharing Skills for Community-Centered Libraries with the American Library Association

The American Library Association (ALA) defines  community engagement  as "the process of working collaboratively with community members—be they library customers, residents, faculty, students, or partner…

Kingsessing Library Celebrates 100 Years with Fine Forgiveness Jubilee!

Blog post author Ben Remsen is a Library Supervisor at Kingsessing Library and a participant in Cohort 2 of the Skills for Community-Centered Libraries trainings. November 29, 2019, marked the 100th anniversary of the Kingsessing…

Community Engagement with National Partners

The Free Library is well into the third year of our Skills for Community-Centered Libraries training program, and we continue to learn from our six national partners as they test the workshop series in their own libraries. Encouraged by…

Tacony Library Celebrates Community Through Their Events

Blog post author Allison Wysong is a Children's Librarian at Tacony Library and a participant in Cohort 6 of the Skills for Community-Centered Libraries trainings. Although we're headlong into the winter holidays, today we want…

Testing the "Skills for Community-Centered Libraries" Workshops in Small Rural Libraries

The Free Library of Philadelphia’s "Skills for Community-Centered Libraries" training curriculum was recently piloted in two other locations, Shippensburg, PA, and Columbus, WI. While the curriculum was developed here in…

Honor the Past, Embrace the Future: Exploring Services for Veterans and Their Families

Blog post author Nina Coffin is a Librarian in the Social Science & History Department at Parkway Central Library and a participant in Cohort 6 of the Skills for Community-Centered Libraries trainings. Prior to joining the staff of…

Multicultural Fair: Empowering Communities, Quilting Stories

Sharing cross-cultural stories is so important to developing civic engagement and participation in our communities. Creating safe environments is essential to discovering, exploring, and learning about our neighbors. We all share a set…

Reflections on Year 2 of Skills for Community-Centered Libraries

Blog post author Lynn Williamson is the Chief of the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Neighborhood Library Services Division, the Project Manager of “Skills for Community-Centered Libraries,” and a participant in Cohort…

Inter-Library Loan Department Surveys Patrons

Blog post author Dan Ryan is a Library Supervisor in the Inter-Library Loan department at Parkway Central Library and a participant in Cohort 3 of the Skills for Community-Centered Libraries trainings. A library’s Inter-Library…

Music Department and Culinary Literacy Center Collaborate on Programming

Naquawna Letman is a Library Assistant at Parkway Central Library and a participant in Cohort 3 of the Skills for Community-Centered Libraries trainings. Exploring Music and Food through the Senses is a program that introduces…

Gardening for Kids Programs Grow Community Connections

Meredith McGovern is a Librarian at Falls of Schuylkill Library and a participant in Cohort 3 of the Skills for Community-Centered Libraries trainings. As a children’s librarian, I work with our youngest patrons. Many of the…

Engaging Community Partners in Program Planning

Claire L. Hand is an Adult/Teen Librarian at Wynnefield Library and a participant in Cohort 2 of the Skills for Community-Centered Libraries trainings. During library staff’s initial introductions to potential community partners,…

A Trauma-Informed Approach to Community Engagement

Chera Kowalski is the Assistant to the Chief of Staff at the Free Library of Philadelphia and a participant in Cohort 1 of the Skills for Community-Centered Libraries trainings. The Skills for Community-Centered Libraries training…

The Journey to Understanding Libraries: A Library Assistant’s Story

Sa-de Brown is a Library Assistant at Lucien E. Blackwell West Philadelphia Regional Library and a participant in Cohort 2 of the Skills for Community-Centered Libraries trainings. "Life is a journey not a…