ULC Report Shows Lessons of Community Building

-- Library Journal, 04/12/2006

The Urban Libraries Council (ULC), with support from the Chicago Community Trust and Chicago Public Library Foundation, commissioned researchers in the Asset- Based Community Development Institute at Northwestern University to see how Chicago Public Library branches help build community. The report, The Engaged Library: Chicago Stories of Community Building, uncovers "webs of connections and successful strategies for building social networks. Libraries have a wealth of assets, the report observes: free community space, technology resources, connections to the local economy, a sense of ownership by the community and, above all, a level of community trust. To become community catalysts, library staffers must leave their buildings and take an active role in civic life, find local leaders, support local businesses and institutions, and encourage staff to pay attention to community issues, among other things