Turning Outward Resources for Libraries
The tools below are designed to help libraries strengthen their role as community leaders and bring about positive change in their communities. [NOTE: Download all the tools below in "A Step-By-Step Guide to 'Turning Outward' to Your Community."]
"Turning outward" is a step-by-step process developed by The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation. It entails taking steps to better understand communities; changing processes and thinking to make conversations more community-focused; being proactive to community issues; and putting community aspirations first.
Taken together, these resources provide a 90-day plan to help your library "turn outward."
We hope you find these materials useful, and we welcome your feedback. For more information about how libraries nationwide are using the tools, visit our LTC blog. For complete "turning outward" training materials—including all the tools below—download the Public Innovators Lab Workbook.
Want to hear how libraries are using these tools? Visit the LTC blog and the "Libraries Transforming Communities: 'Turning Outward' Tools in Practice" YouTube videos.
THE TOOL | WHAT IS IT? | HOW CAN IT HELP? | GET THE TOOL | |
First 30 Days: Getting Started Begin to talk to your library team about their hopes and goals Put in place the thought processes that will lead to long-term change |
Turn Outward | A short quiz to help you and your team understand what it means to “turn outward” toward the community |
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Turn Outward |
Aspirations | A 60- to 90-minute conversation with an existing or newly formed group (i.e., staff task force, board committee, new community group) designed to help the group decide what they want to work on together |
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Aspirations | |
Intentionality Tests | A series of self-assessment questions to help you learn to make turned-outward decisions grounded in aspirations and the 3A’s of Public Life: Authority, Authenticity and Accountability |
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Intentionality | |
THE TOOL | WHAT IS IT? | HOW CAN IT HELP? | GET THE TOOL | |
30-60 Days: Going into the Community Begin facilitating conversations with your community |
Ask Exercise | Four simple questions you can ask people one-on-one—patrons, even folks on the street—to begin learning what kind of community people want |
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Ask Exercise |
Community Conversations | A series of 90- to 120-minute conversations with community members about what they want their community to be; what challenges they face in realizing these aspirations; and what changes are needed to overcome them |
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Community Conversation Workbook
Webinar: “Hosting and Leading Community Conversations” Theming and Using Public Knowledge Workbook |
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THE TOOL | WHAT IS IT? | HOW CAN IT HELP? | GET THE TOOL | |
60-90 Days: Sharing What You Learn Share knowledge and evaluate team progress |
Innovation Space | Regularly scheduled meetings (once every four weeks) to bring members of your team together to focus on what you’re learning and identify implications for your work going forward |
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Webinar: “Hosting and Using Innovation Spaces” Innovation Spaces: Behaviors to Watch For |
THE TOOL | WHAT IS IT? | HOW CAN IT HELP? | GET THE TOOL | |
90 Days and Beyond: Taking Action |
Community Conditions / Sweet Spot |
Questions and tools to help you assess your community's "stage"—its readiness for and receptivity to change—and use that knowledge to take action |
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Calibrating Community Conditions / Moving from Aspirations to Action: Step 1 Webinar: "Calibrating Community Conditions" Webinar: "Sweet Spot of Public Life" Moving From Aspirations to Action: Steps 1-4 |
Making It Stick with Staff | A conversation guide for your core group of staff/volunteers to assess how you are integrating the turning outward approach into your ongoing work |
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Making It Stick with Staff | |
Making Meaning of Data | A conversation guide to help your team make sense of data in the context of turning outward |
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Making Meaning of Data | |
Tracking Your Progress | A chart of the turning outward process to help your team visualize where it has been and where it is going next |
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Tracking Your Progress | |
*NEW (8/17)* Applying Public Knowledge to Library Programs |
A guide to working your newfound public knowledge into your library programs |
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Applying Public Knowledge to Library Programs | |
*NEW (8/17)* Building a Turned Outward Team Organizational Culture |
Four steps about how to build an organizational culture that draws on your Harwood work |
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Building a Turned Outward Team Organizational Culture | |
*NEW (8/17)* Turning Outward and Strategic Planning |
A guide to integrating your Turning Outward work into your library's strategic plan |
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Turning Outward and Strategic Planning |