Community Involvement
Increasingly public services are being encouraged to involve local people in making decisions about the kinds of services they want. The recent Local Government White Paper – Strong and Prosperous Communities – makes clear that the need for effective community engagement is going to remain high on the political agenda for some time to come.
With the Big Lottery’s Community Libraries Programme focusing on positive community engagement, there has never been a better time for public libraries to involve local communities. The Love Libraries experience has shown that local people, even those who don’t currently use the library, want to give their views on what they expect from their local library.
Community involvement making it happenLibraries are lucky as they offer the potential for local communities to take a proactive role, not just in giving their views but in taking an active role in co-creating the service they want. Local people can, for example, choose the books; arrange promotional reading events; input ideas into plans for refurbishments and new buildings and put forward ideas for new or more innovative library services. That’s a whole lot more than many other public services can realistically offer in the way of involvement!
As a core part of the library offer, books and reading offer significant scope for involving local people. Reading groups and book discussions can help local communities to discuss and debate social issues of the day in a safe environment. TRA’s recent Banipal promotion, for example, enabled six local communities across England to explore and discuss Arab literature and this resulted in discussion of many global issues. In Sandwell, Rageh Omah’s recent appearance in the library attracted unprecedented numbers of the local Muslim community into the library for a lively discussion.
And it’s not just adult members of communities who can get involved in shaping library services. Evidence from over 1,000 young people gathered through TRA’s Fulfilling their Potential programme shows that young people too are keen to get involved. Most young people say they welcome the chance to work as volunteers in libraries, especially if they can gain some form of accreditation for their contribution. They would also like to run their own reading groups and other activities within the library. It’s a good time for libraries to be working with young people in this way as the Government is keen that young people’s voices are heard, as demonstrated within the Youth Matters green paper.
Links / Downloads
Look at TRA’s Community Engagement Through Reading briefing sheet for more ideas on how TRA’s national programmes can enable you to build your skills and confidence with community engagement.
The Reading AgencyBig Lottery Community Libraries programme
Local Government White Paper – Strong and Prosperous Communities
MLA Community engagement toolkit
Involving and consulting young people module on TRF
