Community Building

Blocks…Now What? Take

it to the Streets

Tim Gleisner, Grand Rapids Public Library

Juliane Morian, Clinton-Macomb Public Library

Jill Porter, Traverse Area District Library

Asset

Based

Community

Development

PLA Leadership Academy

4-day intensive training

Mentorship, small-group work, field trips, and lectures

Strong focus on the leadership skill set and community stakeholders

Commitment to develop a project between the library and community

PROBLEM-FINDING Start with your municipality’s strategic

plan

Start with an assumption

Start with a sobering fact

Start with a question

Start with a spark

PROBLEM-FINDING

Distill your community’s story (using the Pixar approach)

Once upon a time there was (blank). Every day, (blank). One day (blank). Because of that, (blank). And because of that, (blank). Until finally (blank).

“Pixar story rules (one version)”, Pixar Touch Blog, May 15, 2011, available at http://www.pixartouchbook.com/blog/2011/5/15/pixar-story-rules-one-version.html

HOPES AND DREAMS OF YOUR COMMUNITY

“Empathy is the difference between knowledge and understanding. The library can bridge the difference between knowledge and understanding.” -- R.D. Lankes at the PLA Virtual

Spring Symposium, March 30, 2011

FRAME THE PROBLEM

Strive for clarity

Double-vision problems

Do we agree on where we are now?

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6 TYPES OF ASSETS TO CONNECT

Talents and skills of our people Associations and network of relationships Institutions and professional entities Physical Assets: land, property, buildings,

equipment Economic Assets: productive work of

individuals, consumer spending power, local business assets

Community heritage, stories, identity

Asset-Based Community Development Institute (ABCD), Jody Kretzman and Brian McKnight

SUSTAINABLE ABCD1 - Find the assets

2 - Connect the assets

3 - Help establish a vision

LEADERSHIP

Individuals need not be well rounded but teams should be.

Leadership & Team Strength• Context• Deliberative• Developer• Discipline• Empathy• Focus• Futuristic• Harmony• Ideation• Includer• Individualizatio

n

• Input• Intellection• Learner• Maximizer• Positivity• Relator• Responsibility• Restorative• Self-Assurance• Significance• Strategic• Woo

• Achiever• Activator• Adaptability• Analytical• Arranger• Belief• Command• Communicatio

n• Competition• Connectednes

s• Consistency

Student Success Center @ CMPL

Idea born out of statistics

Gained steam from example at Cuyahoga County Public Library

Student Success – Pre-planning

•Invited staff “ready to move”•Pre-meeting questions•Free-form & safe discussion

Student Success – Divide the Work

Student Success - Implementation

STUDENT SUCCESS - EVALUATION

Connecting Special Collections to the City

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Asset-Based Community Development Institute (ABCD), Jody Kretzmann and Brian McKnight

Neighborhood Needs Map

Asset-Based Community Development Institute (ABCD), Jody Kretzmann and Brian McKnight

Assets Map

Six Types of Assets to Connect 1. Talents and skills of our people2. Associations and our network of

relationships3. Institutional and professional entities4. Physical assets: land, property, buildings,

equipment5. Economic assets: productive work of

individuals, consumer spending power, local business assets

6. Community heritage, stories, identity20Asset-Based Community Development Institute (ABCD), Jody Kretzmann and

Brian McKnight

Institutional Assets Facilities Materials Employment Capacity Employees Political Clout Good Connections Equipment Purchasing Power Training and Development Capacity Financial Resources

21Asset-Based Community Development Institute (ABCD), Jody Kretzmann and Brian McKnight

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Second largest collection of Local History and Michigan related

materials in a public library in the state of Michigan

Department has been collecting materials on Grand Rapids and

Michigan since 1904

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Capturing Local Relationships

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Asset-Based Community Development Institute (ABCD), Jody Kretzmann and Brian McKnight

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Over 32 distinct neighborhoods in Grand Rapids!

Courtesy of the Community Research Institute

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Strong Neighborhood Asset

“Grandville Avenue Arts & Humanities operates the Cook Arts Center and the Cook Library Center. Our mission is to enrich the lives of neighborhood youth through diverse and engaging programs at the Cook Arts Center and the Cook Library Center.”

29Asset-Based Community Development Institute (ABCD), Jody Kretzmann and Brian McKnight

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Where to go from here? Library Scholars program

Students will collect contemporary history of

their neighborhood

Grand Valley State University will train students on how to conduct oral histories

Library will direct the collecting and will house the finished product

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From Flat to FlourishingTurning TADL’s Talking Book Library Around

Jill Porter, Assistant Director for Public ServiceTraverse Area District Library

October 2011• TADL board and director start looking closing TADL’s Library

for the Blind and Physically Handicapped

• State aid covered about 40% of needed revenue• Were responsible for serving over 800 patrons in 16 counties• Only 22% of the LBPH patrons lived in TADL District• Much of staff time spent packaging and shipping items

2012• February• TADL Board discusses closure at its

monthly board meeting

2012• February• TADL Board discusses closure at its

monthly board meeting• March• Community Open forum• Lansing BTBL offers option of TADL

LBPH becoming an AOC

2012• February• TADL Board discusses closure at its

monthly board meeting• March• Community Open forum• Lansing BTBL offers option of TADL

LBPH becoming an AOC• April• TADL Board Meeting at IPL – AOC

presentation by BTBL

2012• May• Formal AOC proposal given to TADL

board• LBPH librarian retires

2012• May• Formal AOC proposal given to TADL

board• LBPH librarian retires

• June• More formal AOC proposal given to

TADL. Key points:• State Aid would remain the same• Service area reduced to 8 counties

from 16

2012• May• Formal AOC proposal given to TADL

board• LBPH librarian retires

• June• More formal AOC proposal given to

TADL. Key points:• State Aid would remain the same• Service area reduced to 8 counties

from 16• July• AOC Application filed• Negative editorial• AOC model approved by Board…at

KBL

October 2012

Our Focus

TBL Open House

World Vision Day

Community Art Exhibit

Results so far…• Monthly outreach targets met• Patron counts higher• Circulation steady• Good BARD adoption rate• Great response to biennial patron survey • Stronger and new relationships with community organizations• More interaction between TBL, the rest of the district and the

libraries in areas we serve outside the district

Lessons learned

Utilize Community Building Principles and Action Steps

• Participation and Inclusion• Focus on Assets• Civic Responsibility• Collaboration and Partnership• Comprehensive (cut across boundaries)• Embrace Diversity• Learn • Focus on Results

From Dan Duncan’s ABCD Toolkitabcdinstitute.org

Jill Porterjporter@tadl.org

www.linkedin.com/in/porterjill