Lead the Way: Libraries at the Heart of Community Engagement

Are you a radical librarian? Does your work in libraries advance systemic change centered on social and racial equity, leverage and enhance collective action and community power, and support community building and public participation? Join in a discussion about what radical librarianship is and how it is activated across the state of Wisconsin. 
 
Appleton Public Library and Racine Public Library were both selected to participate in UCLA California Rare Book School’s 2023 Radical Librarianship Institute. The program included a week-long intensive institute at UCLA and a $10,000 grant to each library to create a community-rooted project. Presenters will share the concepts taught at the institute and the corresponding applications in their community projects.
 
Program attendees will create their own plans for engaging in radical librarianship at their libraries. The plans will include strategies for creating a compelling vision that inspires granting agencies to provide financial support and tools for how to meaningfully engage potential stakeholders, especially those who historically have not been very engaged by the library.