So a Planner and a Librarian Walk Into a Bar…
Saturday, April 9, 2016, 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM
Colorado Convention Center, Room 501-504
Madison (Wis.) Public Library (MPL) has developed a new model for applying community planning principles to library service and design. MPL’s Library Planner and Neighborhood Library Supervisor will discuss the process of working with staff, neighborhood leaders, planners, developers, patrons, and traditionally underserved populations to build a culture of engagement for new library construction. This interactive session will present lessons from thinking cross-professionally and the perspective of a professional of color in designing methods of equitable engagement.
At the end of this session, participants will:
1: Learn about applying planning theory and practice to a project to expand services or facilities. 2: Hear about how a planner fits into the org. chart, including staffing logistics for non-librarian professionals and the merits of placing them within neighborhood libraries, administration, or in league of their own. 3: Walk away with new ideas to engage unserved or underserved communities in a broader, more systematic way that moves beyond outreach and discuss how the perspectives and roles of staff of color are a crucial part of this equation.
The session organizer(s) identified this session as appropriate for:
Level 1: People with no previous knowledge of the topic.
This session will have: Medium interaction: single speaker/panel with questions or audience participation throughout
Handouts: Download 1
Track: Collaborate
Tags: Spaces and Places, Buildings and Facilities, Civic Engagement, Collaboration, Community Surveys, Equity of Access
Presenters
Sarah Lawton, Neighborhood Library Supervisor
Madison Public Library, Madison, WI
Sarah Lawton has worked for public libraries in Colorado, Vermont and Wisconsin. A 2009 ALA Emerging Leader, Sarah's recent work focuses on collaborating with diverse communities, community organizations and local government agencies to foster greater social cohesion and promote equitable access to opportunity.
Catherine Duarte, Library Planner
Madison Public Library, Madison, WI
Catherine Duarte, AICP, is a library planner at Madison Public Library. Her experience in cultural education and service learning in Albuquerque fueled her interest in community development and the built environment, which took her to Austin, TX, where she got her graduate degree in Community and Regional Planning at UT Austin. She is interested in the role cultural infrastructure plays in reducing economic and educational disparities. Her dog is a minor internet celebrity.