I love library perks. I have spent time with some of the most amazing authors and leaders, hung out with RZA as he challenged students to chess, visited the Cleveland Museum of Art with Jerry Pinkney, and I’ve traveled across the country in the name of librarianship. That brings us to Common Ground. And though it was a bit more subtle, Common Ground proved to be a sweet opportunity to engage my community on a level.
All across the Cleveland area there were concurrent Common Ground sessions. These sessions were essentially select conversations that addressed the needs, concerns and highlights of the respective community where they took place. Well, we were at my library in Warrensville, OH, so that’s what we talked about. The main topic of discussion was centered around the stakeholder.
Many participants spoke of their worries about the public library. They asked about the mentally ill entering the library and is it possible to secure the branch. They asked about what can be done to assist with the youth in the library and about senior programming. Funny thing is, this is pretty much the same conversation that I had with another Cleveland community back in 2006 at the Union Branch for Cleveland Public Library. Twelve years later and we sound like a broken record.
Does the conversation about youth and seniors ever stop? Perhaps they aren’t meant to end. As the world rapidly changes, the trends are hard to follow. Handheld gadgets dominate the youth culture and people are living much longer, so who knows where this will go? A conversation to be continued in another post, for sure.
Here’s a little suggested reading to go along with the Common Ground theme… It’s a good and practical read.
