Community Development, Technology, and Libraries: Why the Modern Library is a Catalyst for Change

The important yet often overlooked role of libraries as vehicles for community development initiatives anchored the latest forum in IREX’s Technology Serving Civil Society Speakers Series, held on June 11 at the West End Library in Washington, DC. Leaders of the Global Libraries programs in Romania and Ukraine joined Interim Director of Library Services at the Public Library in the District of Columbia Nancy Davenport to share local experiences and discuss common challenges to strengthening technology resources and fostering community engagement in modern libraries.

 Deputy Director IREX’s Global Libraries program Biblionet in Romania Scott Andersen focused on the initiative that librarians can take in identifying and serving community needs. Andersen recounted success stories of cooperation between the Global Libraries program and its local Romanian partners, such as an interactive lecture series exploring online resources for visitors to access candidate biographies and review electoral law changes in libraries in Salaj county, and a website run through the Dumbovita library to develop a local brand and encourage international partnerships in ecotourism in the Carpathian region.  Andersen also highlighted the potential for library technologies to serve marginalized groups in Romania, including a youth-targeted career and education counseling center in Galati that combined IT resources with visits from public and private sector experts, and a children’s digital photography contest in Foscani that embraced participation from the Roma community.

Program Director Colin Guard of IREX’s Global Libraries program in Ukraine addressed institutional and cultural challenges of transforming libraries into an active community spaces.  For example, the Young Guard library in Kiev increased visits through an innovative urban advertising campaign, while the local library in Mikolaev provided wi-fi access and English languages clubs for the community and developed tech-based tools such as audio books to serve the visually-impaired.  Integral to the success and sustainability of community involvement of libraries, Guard noted, was a powerful supporter in local government and the enthusiasm and creativity of library staff.

Nancy Davenport brought the lessons from the Global Libraries programs in Romania and Ukraine into a domestic context, echoing many of the same challenges and achievements in the role the modern library plays in serving the surrounding community. The public library system in the District of Columbia works to bridge the geographic, cultural, and educational divides of the city, Davenport said.  As a free space and common ground, libraries can provide a platform for community engagement through technology.  The DC Public Library’s Teens of Distinction program, for example, pairs teenagers with elementary school students, seniors, and marginalized groups in the District through reading programs and digital video photography projects.

All three speakers highlighted the difficulties of advocacy and finding a unified voice to support the modern library’s new role, as well the unique opportunities for library technologies to engage and serve the local community in even the most challenging environments.