NOTE: cannot be taken for credit by students who have already taken LIBR 579B (1)
PREREQUISITES:
MLIS and Dual MAS/MLIS: Completion of MLIS Core or permission of iSchool Graduate Advisor
MAS: completion of MAS core and permission of the iSchool Graduate Advisor
GOALS: To expose students to an intellectual and practical understanding of Community-Led principles and approaches, including the theoretical work that supports these principles.
To investigate and evaluate how Community-Led principles and approaches are infused through new and developing library thinking and practice.
To interpret and demonstrate the value of Community-Led principles and approaches for building inclusiveness, citizenship, and democracy by libraries for the communities they serve.
OBJECTIVES:
At the completion of the course the student will be able to:
- Discuss and analyze Community-Led principles and approaches in a library context
- Analyze the differences between Community-Led Library principles and traditional library principles, including those principles that underpin library programming, customer service, marketing and evaluation.
- Evaluate and critically assess the value of Community-Led principles when developing library strategic plans, service models, policies, programming, and assessment tools.
- Discuss the role of Community-Led library work in connecting libraries to their communities.
- Recognize and illustrate how Community-Led principles and approaches build inclusive communities.
- Critically engage with theories of social inclusion and understand how those theories affect library practices
CONTENT:
- Theories of social inclusion
- Libraries and social exclusion
- History, evolution and proliferation of Community-Led principles in the library
- Community-Led principles influencing library core principles
- Community-Led principles and social theory
- Community-Led principles and library strategic plans, service models, and policy
- Community-Led library work: a practical model for daily work
- Assessment and evaluation tools based on Community-led approaches and the power of telling a story
- The truths and myths about collaboration, consultation, partnerships and relationships
- Community-Led principles shaping the future of libraries