Fostering Creative Community Connections
The Public Library Association (PLA) has wrapped up its initiative funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation: Fostering creative community connections with public libraries and the Short Story Dispenser. PLA partnered with French startup Short Edition to support four libraries in Knight Foundation communities to bring more than 80,000 stories to unexpected places via the Short Story Dispenser and encourage diverse writers to share their work via its content creation platform. The libraries selected to participate were announced in March 2018.
Read the success stories and case histories of the participating libraries:
- Free Library of Philadelphia
- Richland Library
- Akron-Summit County Public Library
- Wichita Public Library
This initiative built on a strong tradition among U.S. public libraries of implementing programs and services related to community engagement and literacy. Public libraries have long been at the forefront of promoting and supporting literacy, literature, and the joy of reading. Library staff understand that literacy and reading are foundational to civic participation, educational advancement and economic opportunity. More recently, public libraries have expanded programs and services that encourage and empower people to create and share their creativity through new ways of engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic. This project contributed to increasing the range and creativity of programming and community engagement activities—including by reaching beyond a library’s physical location to deliver services in innovative and impactful ways.
If you have any questions about the Fostering Creative Community Connections initiative, please contact pla@ala.org.
