In many American communities, public libraries are the most prominent and accessible venues for people to come together across social and political divides, to benefit from a public institution, and to build trust and pride in their communities. But libraries also face unprecedented threats—to funding, public trust, and their longstanding bipartisan appeal. 

To help libraries navigate these turbulent times, and retain and capitalize on their unique power to cultivate community trust and connection, IREX, the Urban Libraries Council, and OCLC’s WebJunction program are building, informing, and empowering a national coalition of urban, rural, and tribal public libraries to share best practices and collaborate on trust-building efforts. 

This work builds off of findings and recommendations from a 2023 landscape analysis that IREX conducted to assess existing U.S. library-based bridgebuilding interventions, identify the most effective approaches and areas where libraries needed more support, and inform future interventions. 

• Library professionals will own their role as trust-builders in their communities and will gain skills and tools to foster positive intergroup contact through library activities.
• Library professionals will gain a strong peer network committed to building trust through libraries, sharing stories, methods, tools, and insights that strengthen and support one another’s work.
• Libraries will strengthen their ability to measure trust-building progress, enabling them to use evidence to improve their work.

• Community of Practice: A free and growing national network of over 220 librarians from 40 states and the District of Columbia—representing urban, rural, and tribal communities—who are testing, sharing, and scaling strategies for building trust. This network empowers public libraries to strengthen social cohesion, bridge divides, and demonstrate the enduring civic value of public institutions.
• Implementation Research: IREX is supporting select library partners to pilot innovative trust-building initiatives. These libraries receive in-depth training in IREX’s Research to Change (R2C), a user-centered implementation research methodology that helps practitioners learn from their work, adapt in real time, and improve programming.
• Measurement Tools: IREX is partnering with libraries to develop and test practical measurement tools to help libraries evaluate the impact of their trust-building efforts over time, track progress, and communicate results. This work contributes to a growing body of evidence on what strengthens trust and social cohesion and how those strategies can be scaled effectively.
• Online Resources: IREX and WebJunction’s free Bridgebuilding Resource Hub offers curated, tested resources—such as case studies, facilitation guides, and measurement tools—to help libraries integrate trust-building into existing programs. One of WebJunction’s most visited resources since its 2023 launch, the hub is now being expanded to include additional tools, training materials, and interactive content.

Contact information: Phoebe Bierly (pbierly@irex.org)