Community Co-Design: How to Collaborate with Your Community to Build Programs and Services

Revolutionize your approach to user-centered services by implementing co-design practices in your library. 

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Course Overview

Guest speaker sessions via Zoom:
Wednesdays, Feb. 21, 28, and Mar. 6, from 2:00-3:45 pm ET (recordings available)

Workshop:
Asynchronous, facilitator-led workshop over 3 weeks

Co-design, also known as participatory design or co-creation, is a process that brings together designers and end-users to collaboratively develop solutions, products, or services. Co-design is crucial for library programs and outreach because it places the patrons and community at the center of development and decision making, ensuring that their perspectives, experiences, and needs inform the final outcome. In this 3-week, interactive online course, you will gain the knowledge and practical skills needed to engage with patrons, stakeholders, and community members to rebalance power dynamics and collaboratively shape your library’s services, programs, and outreach.

Join us and learn how co-design – based in empathy, iteration, and multidisciplinary collaboration – can help you create programs and outreach strategies that have tangible impacts in the communities you’re intending to serve.

The live sessions run on Wednesdays, February 21, 28, and March 6, from 2:00-3:45 pm ET (recordings available) with an ongoing facilitator-led workshop over 3 weeks. Don’t miss this opportunity!

 

When you sign up early, you’ll have immediate access to our Early Access On Demand Resources—a series of webinars from Library Journal and School Library Journal contributors along with rich, supporting materials in the form of readings, activities, and videos—to explore at your own pace.

Who should take this course

This course is for program and outreach librarians and other stakeholders involved in creating library programs and services.

Live sessions are also available on demand for six months

Can’t make a live session? All guest speaker sessions are recorded and available on demand for six months following the initial broadcast. 

Certificate of completion provided

15 professional development credits are available

For support with online courses, please contact libraryjournal@edmaker.co

Accessibility

All guest speaker sessions feature live captioning and are made available on demand after the initial broadcast. Please email libraryjournal@edmaker.co upon registration if you require any special accommodations and we will make our best efforts to facilitate them.

 

 

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Group Rates

Have a team attend and increase your impact!

Discounted registration fees are available for groups of 3 or more. When you register your team for our online courses, they will be placed in the same small workshop group, where discussions and project-based assignments receive feedback from an experienced librarian.

Send us a request for a quote.

If your group prefers to work separately, just let us know.

 

By registering for this event you confirm that you have read and agree to our Code of Conduct.

For support with online courses, please contact libraryjournal@edmaker.co.

 

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Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Session 1 | 2:00-2:45 pm ET

Co-Design 101: The What and Why of Community Co-Design

What is co-design, and why might it help you create more inclusive and equitable programs and services? This introductory session will lay the foundation for the theory and methods of co-design and explain practical ways co-design can enhance your library work.

Speaker:

To be announced 

 

 

Workshop Q&A | 2:45-3:00 pm ET

An introduction to this week’s assignment and an overview of what to expect from the online workshop in this course

 

Session 2 | 3:00-3:45 pm ET

Inclusive Co-Design: How to Identify and Work Through Implicit Bias

Why is identifying implicit bias - both personally and institutionally - crucial to effective co-design work? This session will include anti-bias training and showcase how you can embrace co-design as a mindset in order to transform how you approach community-based programs and services.

Speaker:

To be announced 

 

 

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Session 1 | 2:00-2:45 pm ET

Co-Design Part One: Knowing Your Role and Your Community

How do you get started with co-design? This session will discuss practical strategies for researching and connecting with your community. You will also learn ways to establish an iterative, reflective process for yourself and your team so that you stay on track with your goals.

Speaker:

To be announced 

 

 

Workshop Q&A | 2:45-3:00 pm ET

An introduction to this week’s assignment and an overview of what to expect from the online workshop in this course

 

Session 2 | 3:00-3:45 pm ET

Co-Design Part Two: Gathering Community Involvement and Input

How do you gather community interest, support, and input? This session will discuss methods for outreach and data collection, as well as how to ensure you gather diverse perspectives that fully represent your community.

Speaker:

To be announced 

 

 

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Session 1 | 2:00-2:45 pm ET

Co-Design Part Three: Brainstorming and Refining Based on Feedback

So you have community input - now what? This session will discuss how to synthesize and analyze feedback in a way that aligns with a co-design framework and philosophy. You will also learn how to iterate and refine the idea as part of the co-design cycle.
Speaker:

To be announced 

 

 

Workshop Q&A | 2:45-3:00 pm ET

An introduction to this week’s assignment and an overview of what to expect from the online workshop in this course

 

Session 2 | 3:00-3:45 pm ET

Co-Design Part Four: Moving Toward Action and Evaluating Success

What are strategies for moving forward to implementing your idea or program? How do you know if what you created is working? And more broadly, how do you know if your co-design process was successful? This closing session will discuss ways to bring your idea or program to fruition and how to establish effective metrics for evaluating success. 

Speaker:

To be announced 

 

 

 

 

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For support with online courses, please contact libraryjournal@edmaker.co.

 

 

REGISTER

 

Online Course Preview

A preview of how we build your library skills and bring inspiration to your projects with our online learning experience.

Course Format

One-Week Timeline (Course Runs 3+ Weeks)

DAYS 1-2

On Demand

DAY 3

2.5 hours

DAYS 4-7

1-2 hours (optional)

 
   

PRE-LIVE SESSION

- Resources

- Discussions

- Bonus Content

LIVE SESSIONS

- Guest speakers via webcast

- Q&A via chat

- Recordings available on demand

ASYNCHRONOUS WORKSHOP

- Project-based homework, applied to your job

- Personalized feedback from a facilitator

- Group discussion in an asynchronous workshop setting via discussion forum

3-WEEK WORKSHOP

- Facilitator-led feedback

WEEK 1

Set goals and priorities

WEEK 2

Research and gather data

WEEK 3

Create your blueprint

       

 

 

Inspiring Live Guest Speakers + Facilitated Group Workshop for Project-Based Learning

 

 

Live session with Andrea Blackman and Tasneem Ansariyah Grace

Live Guest Speakers Each Week

  • Engage with presenters via live video stream, visual presentations, and chats
  • Map out your own equity initiatives with guidance from an expert advisor
  • Leave with refined, robust strategies designed to make a lasting impact on your community
  • Workshop tangible antiracist approaches to your work with input from peer groups

 

Online Course Features

 

Recordings of guest speakers

Recordings Available After The Live Session

  • Real-time guest speakers and conversation via live video stream (with recordings available afterward)
  • Instructor-led online course features personalized interaction over 3+ weeks

 

Facilitator-led workshop

Online Classroom Organizes All Materials

  • Workshop assignments to help you make progress on your goals
  • Individualized attention from course facilitators who work with you in a coaching environment in the workshop to help sort out challenges
  • Ongoing group conversation via discussion forums

 

Early Access On Demand Resources

Early Access and Ongoing Resources To Support Learning

  • Supporting resources (articles, videos, worksheets) in the online classroom to provide a foundation for your work
  • Access all course content for six months after the course ends
  • Bonus: Register early and get immediate access to archival video recordings from related courses and other bonus content

 

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