Libraries Transforming Communities: Facilitation Skills for Small and Rural Libraries
Specially designed for the needs of small and rural libraries, Libraries Transforming Communities: Facilitation Skills for Small and Rural Libraries, a new learning series from the American Library Association (ALA), helps library workers develop facilitation skills to engage with their communities.
Free Resources to Help You Lead Conversations
These materials are designed to help you, as a library worker in a small or rural community, gain the skills you need to not only prepare for and lead discussions, but also to overcome common challenges that arise when people gather to speak in groups.
Topics include the roles and responsibilities of a facilitator, how to ask the right questions, tips for keeping a conversation constructive, and best practices for defusing tension.
Get started below!
- Get the guide, "Leading Conversations in Small and Rural Libraries" >>>>
(Your professional opinion is important to us! Help us improve this resources by responding to three short questions in this survey.) - Watch the e-course
Get Financial Help to Attend a Workshop
In February 2020, ALA distributed dozens of travel stipends to help library workers in small and rural communities attend a Libraries Transforming Communities training at the 2020 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago. In addition to the one-day workshop, these individuals will receive coaching support to help them use their facilitation skills in their communities.
Do you want to practice these skills in person? Join other small and rural library workers at a Libraries Transforming Communities workshop!
- View the list of spring 2020 travel stipend recipients (coming soon)
- Read the travel stipend guidelines
- Sign up for our newsletter to be notified about future travel stipend opportunities in 2020-2021
Questions? Contact ALA's Public Programs Office at publicprograms@ala.org.
Libraries Transforming Communities: Facilitation Skills for Small and Rural Libraries was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services grant RE-17-19-0041-19.