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Additional LTC Accessible Conversation Resources
The Libraries Transforming Communities eCourse and Facilitation Guide will give you all the basics you need to plan and lead your conversation. If you wish to go deeper, these additional ALA resources will help!
There are many ways to structure a conversation with a group of people, and ALA has curated a list of resources that have proven popular with libraries. ALA and its partners at the National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation (NCDD) identified two of these approaches — Conversation Café and Future Search — that may be a good starting point for small or rural libraries because of their focus on small groups. You are welcome to explore any and all of these approaches to see what fits your needs; they all have different strengths.
ALA has curated some of these resources on its Libraries Transforming Communities website (ala.org/LTC), where you will find free webinar recordings, printable resources and guidance about:
- Conversation Café: Useful when you want participants to learn more about themselves, their community or an issue, and/or discover innovative solutions to problems.
- Essential Partners: Useful when you need to resolve conflicts, encourage community healing after a crisis or trauma, or improve relations among groups in your community.
- Everyday Democracy: Useful when you need to empower community members to solve complicated problems and take responsibility for the solutions.
- Future Search: Useful in uncertain, fast-changing situations when it is important that everyone have the same large picture in order to act responsibly.
- Harwood Institute for Public Innovation: Useful when you want to identify and learn more about your community’s needs and desires.
- National Issues Forums: Useful when you want to encourage exploration of tough public problems in increase public knowledge of the issue, and/or you wish to influence public decisions and policy.
- World Café: Useful when you want to encourage exploration of a topic, exploration of participants’ own views and experiences as well as the experiences of others, and/or to explore and develop innovative ideas and solutions.
Programming Librarian Resources
ALA’s Programming Librarian website includes articles, program ideas and resource recommendations on library programming topics.
Below is a selection of Programming Librarian content related to leading conversations, either live or in-person, written by library workers. You may find them helpful or interesting while planning your conversation. Stay up to date on future Programming Librarian articles by signing up for the free newsletter.
- "Inclusive Deaf Community Engagement at Your Library" (September 22, 2022)
- "Fighting for Accessibility in Small and Rural Libraries" (August 30, 2022)
- "Tele-Conferencing 101" (March 8, 2021)
- "Ground Rules: How to Set Successful Guidelines for Your Conversation Programs" (January 21, 2021)
- “7 Ways to Make Your Virtual Programs More Accessible to Patrons with Disabilities” (December 18, 2020)
- “Tips for Facilitating a Virtual Group Conversation” (September 29, 2020)
- “Wisconsin Deaf Storyslam: Q&A with the Libraries Transform Communities Engagement Grant Recipient” (June 24, 2020)
- “Reaching Out to People with Disabilities: Sacramento Public Library and the Harwood Institute” (May 17, 2019)
Additional Accessibility Resources
Below are additional resources you may find helpful when working to increase the accessibility of your library's facilities, programs, or services.
- Access to Libraries for Persons with Disabilities: Checklist (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions)
- Accessible Digital Marketying (Access Living)
- ADA Accessibility Guidelines (United States Access Board)
- Disability Language Style Guide (National Center on Disability Journalism)
- Remodeling and Expanding Carnegie-Era Library Buildings
- Creating Inclusive Library Environments: A Planning Guide for Serving Patrons with Disabilities by Michelle Kowalsky and John Woodruff
- Demystifying Disability by Emily Ladau
- Disabilities and the Library: Fostering Equity for Patrons and Staff with Differing Abilities Clayton A. Copeland, editor
- Disability Visibility: First Person Stories from the Twenty-first Century by Alice Wong
- Engaging Disability: Social Science Perspectives on Information and Inclusion, International Journal of Information, Diversity, & Inclusion
- Including Families of Children with Special Needs: A How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians, Revised Edition by Carrie Scott Banks, Sandra Feinberg, Barbara Jordan, Kathleen Deerr, and Michelle Langa
- Library Programming for Adults with Developmental Disabilities by Carrie Scott Banks and Barbara Klipper
- Library Programming for Autistic Children and Teens, Second Edition by Amelia Anderson
- Library Services for Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders by Lesley S. J. Farmer
- Library Signage and Wayfinding Design: Communicating Effectively with Your Users by Mark Aaron Polger
- Read This to Get Smarter by Blair Imani
- Reference and Instructional Services to Postsecondary Education Students with Intellectual Disabilities by Mirah Dow, Bobbie Sartin Long, and Brady D. Lund
- Serving Patrons with Disabilities: Perspectives and Insights from People with Disabilities by Kodi Laskin
- Supporting People to Live Well with Dementia: A Guide for Library Services by Sarah McNicol
- To Watch: Crip Camp
- Access and Equity Webinars, Web Junction
Below are resources you can use to increase the accessibility of various aspects of your library’s administration practices (e.g. policies, hiring, etc.).
- Job Accommodation Network Resource Page
- Library Accessibility: What You Need to Know, Reference & User Services Association
- Project Enable
- Special Needs Awareness, Association for Library Services to Children Blog
- Targeting Autism, Illinois State Library
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