Lead the Way: Libraries at the Heart of Community Engagement

Kathy Barri is an enrolled member of Gaa-miskwaabikaang (Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa). Kathy has served as the Library Assistant for the Ginanda Gikendaasomin (We Seek To Learn) Tribal Library since 2018, seeing the library through major changes like a move to a new building in 2021 and joining the Northern Waters Library Network in 2022.

When Kathy originally started as the Library Assistant, her job duties were to “answer the phone, put books on the shelf, create a database, and hold four storytimes with elders.” However, Kathy quickly realized that just because the library was open, didn’t mean that people would come. To increase community interest in the library, Kathy partnered with the tribe’s Early Childhood Center to build a library culture and host storytimes with the young students. Since then, Kathy has become a self-described “collaborating fool,” partnering with tribal members, tribal departments, regional organizations, UW-Madison’s Tribal Libraries, Archives, and Museums program, and more to develop services and programs that promote Ojibwe teachings, language, and culture for the whole Red Cliff community.

Stephen Jackson is a motivational speaker, founder of Global CommUnity Associates, Co-Founder of the CornerStones of Restorative Healing, and former Director of Equity and Anti-Racism at Oak Park Public Library (IL). As someone who is justice impacted, Stephen understands through lived experience the collateral consequences the justice system is responsible for. He specializes in serving this population through CORH Counseling.

He values public service and contributing to people’s lives through utilizing both Restorative Justice and Restorative Practices to create positive and safe cultures for organizations and communities.

In 2016, Stephen participated in the inaugural work of the integration of social services in Oak Park Public Library, becoming just the 4th library in the nation to hire a social worker on staff. He has held a variety of roles, including Social Services Specialist, Teen Services Coordinator, Manager of Teen Services and in 2021 he became the libraries’ first Director of Equity