Monday, January 14, 2008

The library as a community center

I plan and promote library programs for a living. Well, there are some other requirements in my job description, but there's a lot of planning and promoting. To date I have scheduled 30 events for 2008, separate from the regularly scheduled youth, young adult and adult programming. A public library should certainly be a center of community life. The more that is happening at the library, the more it will be perceived as that center. We're trying to make the library relevant in the life of everyone in our community. We want them to find themselves on the shelves, to be entertained and educated by our programming, and to feel that the availability of the public library is essential to a quality life. Too grandiose? I don't think so. It's a process, and it won't be quick, but what a pleasure to try!

We at Manitowoc Public Library are especially pleased to offer the 2008 Great Decisions Discussion Series. We're co-sponsoring the series with these fine organizations:
  • The League of Women Voters of Manitowoc County
  • The Manitowoc Public Library Foundation
  • The Friends of Manitowoc Public Library
  • Manitowoc Noon Rotary
  • Manitowoc Sunrise Rotary
  • University of Wisconsin-Manitowoc
  • Silver Lake College
  • Lakeshore Peacemakers
  • Manitowoc County Diversity Circles
How's that for a roster. Almost as impressive as our topics and speakers:
  • Talking to Our Enemies with John E. Katzka, retired diplomat, Senior Foreign Service Officer
  • European Union at 50 with Wolfgang Schmidt, UW-Milwaukee, Institute of World Affairs
  • Iraq End-Game with Richard Flannery, UW-Manitowoc/Sheboygan, Political Science
  • Russia with Clarence Davis, retired professor, Marion College, History
  • U.S. Defense & Security Policy with Michael Tobin, Executive Director Milwaukee Fire & Police Commission
  • Latin America: Shift to the Left? with Sr. Carmen Marie Diaz, Silver Lake College, History & Social Sciences
  • U.S.-China Trade Policy with Prof. Martin Farrell, Ripon College, Political Science & Global Studies
  • Private Philanthropy with Mary Beth Growney Selene, past governor, District 6250, Rotary International
This exciting series begins Monday, February 11, 2008, at 6 p.m., and continues for the following 7 Mondays. More info? Log on to www.manitowoc.lib.wi.us.

So yes, I like living in Libraryland. Let me know what you think.

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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I used to share the same opinion too with my library users. Here one of the qoute ...

"... he finally ended off by cueing us in on how NTU is pushing the library in the direction of becoming a ‘community centre’. the library of the future will be one where people can work, play, rest and interact all within the same physical and online domain."

- http://ltntprnts.wordpress.com/2007/09/04/library-20-and-its-unlikely-heroes/

in a proper term, i think like could be an ... " Prof. Schubert shared that library can play the role of an info-concierge, where individual info object is a self sustaining, self containing node unit, can be content or service, in any format"

- http://www.pluitsolutions.com/2008/02/13/bookjetty-mentioned-in-vala-2008-conference/

Where, I would personally love to see a library become ... "Business Library creating a virtual presence to inspire to be a strategic info-concierge"

Info-concierge is a good word, right?

Regards,
Hazman Aziz

March 5, 2008 at 9:35 AM

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