[Libs-Or] [Fwd: [alacro-l] Kettering Foundation Names ALA as Center for Public Life]

[Suzanne Sager]

FYI,

Suzanne L. Sager
Oregon ALA Chapter Councilor

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	[alacro-l] Kettering Foundation Names ALA as Center for Public 
Life
Date: 	Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:13:01 -0500
From: 	Don Wood <dwood at ala.org>
To: 	<alacro-l at ala.org>



Contact: Mary Ghikas
American Library Association
312-280-2518
mghikas at ala.org <mailto:mghikas at ala.org>

NEWS
For Immediate Release
March 10, 2010


  Kettering Foundation Names ALA as Center for Public Life

The American Library Association (ALA) and the Kettering Foundation have 
signed a research agreement to establish a Center for Public Life.  The 
Center will train librarians from different types of libraries to 
convene and moderate deliberative forums and frame issues of local and 
national concern, using National Issues Forums materials and processes.  

During the first year, ALA will form an advisory committee and begin 
training moderators to convene and conduct local deliberative forums.  
Initially, the new Centers will tap into the experience of libraries 
already convening deliberative forums.  They will form the hub of a 
network of active mentors capable of strengthening and expanding their 
work locally, statewide and nationally and connecting it with other 
forum conveners throughout the country. 

Unlike other such Centers, ALA will provide training to members of a 
single profession---librarianship, in different locations around the 
country.  The ALA Center will document the growing involvement of 
libraries with deliberation and the challenges and opportunities they 
face in conducting a nation-wide program that supports local public 
institutions such as libraries. 

Since the founding of the Kettering Foundation's National Issues Forums 
in the 1980's, libraries have hosted and some have even convened these 
and other types of forums like Study Circles, Choices and Conversation 
Cafés.  For many years, ALA has worked with libraries to encourage 
public deliberation, hosting moderator training sessions and other 
programs related to community building and engagement.  A recent survey 
of librarians for the Kettering Foundation found strong interest in 
convening deliberative forums.  But two-thirds of respondents said they 
needed training in order to participate, with most indicating that they 
were likely to participate in an ALA sponsored training 
program---particularly if it was affordable, nearby and/or electronic.

ALA's proposal was developed by past president Nancy Kranich, with the 
assistance of Taylor Willingham and Mary Ghikas.  Kranich and Willingham 
founded the ALA Libraries Foster Civic Engagement Membership Initiative 
Group (MIG) in 2004 to advance dialogue and deliberation through 
libraries.  Over the past few years, the MIG has worked with the 
Intellectual Freedom Roundtable to frame the issue of privacy.  That 
framing will be part of the Office of Intellectual Freedom Privacy 
Revolution that will launch in the spring of 2010.  The new PPI will 
teach librarians how to moderate deliberative forums about privacy in 
local communities. 

For more information, contact Mary Ghikas (mghikas at ala.org 
<mailto:mghikas at ala.org>) at ALA or Nancy Kranich, 
nancy.kranich at rutgers.edu <mailto:nancy.kranich at rutgers.edu>

 

 

 

 

 

.==================================

Nancy Kranich

Special Projects Librarian

Rutgers University Libraries

228 Alexander Library

New Brunswick, NJ  08901

732-932-7129 x153

Lecturer

Rutgers University School of Communication and Information

 

Past President, American Library Association

Civic Librarian

 

Contact Information:

136 N. 7th Avenue

Highland Park, NJ  08904-2932

nancy.kranich at rutgers.edu <mailto:nancy.kranich at rutgers.edu>

nancy.kranich at nyu.edu <mailto:nancy.kranich at nyu.edu>

732-932-7129, x 153; 732-985-1599; 

732-306-3535 (c), 917-386-2515 (f)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joan C. Durrance, PhD

Margaret Mann Collegiate Professor of Information

School of Information

University of Michigan

1085 South University-3084 West Hall 

Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1107

PHONE 734-763-1569. FAX 734-764-2475 

http://durrance.people.si.umich.edu/



 

 

 

 


-- 
Portland State University logo

Suzanne L. Sager
Library East, Cataloging
Portland State University

503-725-8169
503-725-5799
sagers at pdx.edu

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/libs-or/attachments/20100311/b7161b8e/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: psu_signature165x35.gif
Type: image/gif
Size: 1469 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/libs-or/attachments/20100311/b7161b8e/attachment.gif>