Transforming Libraries, Building Communities


Book Description

This book is for those moving their library beyond places to find information. Written by practicing public librarians and an academic librarian with an interest in public libraries, the book focuses on how public libraries can become more community centered and, by doing so, how they can transform both themselves and their communities. The authors argue that focusing on building community through innovative and responsive services and programs will be the best way for the public library to reposition itself in the years to come.




LIFE in the Library: Events to Build Community


Book Description

This is a must read for all librarians, museum docents, and community organizers who plan events for adults. LIFE in the Library shows how to develop a weekly multifaceted event for grownups. Kids have all the fun. It's time for the adult community to come alive every week to something new, educational, and fun.




Social Work and the Arts


Book Description

Social Work and the Arts: Expanding Horizons is a collection of writings that explores how expressive methods are used in social work education, practice, research, and community action. Edited by Shelley Cohen Konrad and Michal Sela-Amit, the book aims to answer the question: What do the arts offer social work education, research, and practice? This query is woven throughout the four sections of the book: first, on the various ways the arts are used in social work education; second, an examination of art-based social work research; third, a compilation of narratives by social workers who are artists in their own right; and finally, the future of the social work profession and its relationship to the arts. Written by authors from diverse backgrounds, each with a unique perspective on the benefits of the arts in their respective areas of expertise, Social Work and the Arts is a must-read for anyone interested in the arts and social work and for those who are just beginning to explore its relevance in the field.




Innovative Solutions for Building Community in Academic Libraries


Book Description

The library has always been an essential part of the collegiate experience, providing students with access to knowledge and literature. However, as virtual services and online learning become more prominent within collegiate environments, the ways students conduct research and access resources has been altered. Innovative Solutions for Building Community in Academic Libraries examines new methods librarians use to engage both on-campus and online users in library services, taking into account the significant impacts of online learning on students’ interaction with library resources. Focusing on various outreach practices, techniques of literacy instruction, and the utilization of library spaces, this research-supported book is a pivotal reference source for distance educators, program planners, academics, and library professionals interested in new ways to attract users to library services.




Handbook of Research on the Facilitation of Civic Engagement through Community Art


Book Description

Outreach and engagement initiatives are crucial in promoting community development. This can be achieved through a number of methods, including avenues in the fine arts. The Handbook of Research on the Facilitation of Civic Engagement through Community Art is a comprehensive reference source for emerging perspectives on the incorporation of artistic works to facilitate improved civic engagement and social justice. Featuring innovative coverage across relevant topics, such as art education, service learning, and student engagement, this handbook is ideally designed for practitioners, artists, professionals, academics, and students interested in active citizen participation via artistic channels.




Asset Building & Community Development


Book Description

A comprehensive approach focused on sustainable change Asset Building and Community Development, Fourth Edition examines the promise and limits of community development by showing students and practitioners how asset-based developments can improve the sustainability and quality of life. Authors Gary Paul Green and Anna Haines provide an engaging, thought-provoking, and comprehensive approach to asset building by focusing on the role of different forms of community capital in the development process. Updated throughout, this edition explores how communities are building on their key assets—physical, human, social, financial, environmental, political, and cultural capital— to generate positive change. With a focus on community outcomes, the authors illustrate how development controlled by community-based organizations provides a better match between assets and the needs of the community.




Building Communities of Practice in Higher Education


Book Description

Drawing from a diverse range of expert voices within the field, this key work explores how communities of practice are an effective tool for supporting successful collaboration, whilst also creating the foundations for lasting institutional change. By examining communities of practice through a variety of critical lenses, this book encourages readers to consider how strategies may be applied within their own institutions to support feelings of belonging, encourage teamwork, and inspire learning. Supported by both practical case studies and current research, contributors suggest strategies that readers can use to create their own effective communities of practice. Chapters explore topics including: Communities as a method of regeneration within universities Cultivation of knowledge through community collaboration Questions of power in transdisciplinary communities Mapping career pathways through communities of practice Bringing together theory and practice, this is an essential resource for all involved in strategic planning, organisational development, and fostering a positive organisational culture within higher education.




An Introduction to Community Development


Book Description

Comprehensive and practical, this textbook enables students to connect academic study and professional know-how, and demonstrates how to best plan the rebuilding, revitalization and development of communities utilizing a wide variety of economic and strategic tools. Features include; chapter outlines, text boxes, key words and references.