What Is
Community Engagement?
Find It At The Library
The Library is a place where people gather
to explore, interact, and imagine. New
mothers connect at baby story times;
school-age students and teenagers meet
after school in Library spaces; adults
and seniors attend events and make new
friends. With a wide array of programs
including readings, lectures, exhibitions,
contests, and demonstrations, the
Library is a center for intellectual and
social engagement.
More than just books and banks of
computers, the Library is a vital resource
for learning. The Technology Trainer in
the Computer Center not only teaches
a series of helpful workshops, but also
offers Ask the Tech Trainer “office hours,”
when residents can drop in and get
computer questions answered and help
with their mobile devices.
Coffee and Conversation brings friends
and neighbors together from 10-11:30
am the first and third Thursdays of every
month at Main Library for coffee, sweets,
and informal discussions on areas of
mutual interest. Library Associate Caitlin
FitzGordon hosts these events, welcoming
neighbors and ideas for interesting topics.
Residents who wish to share their interests,
passions, and hobbies should contact her at
the Main Library.
22 WINTER 2019 | WWW.SHAKER.LIFE
The Library strives to connect with its youngest community members at an early
age. In addition to offering a variety of preschool story times within the Library, Early
Literacy Specialist Wendy Simon takes stories and a collection of books on the road to
area preschools and day care facilities. This year, she added Le Chaperon Rouge to her
rotation and designed special classes for youngsters at the Monarch School for Autism.
Engaging the community requires listening. When Shaker Heights High School
PTO parent Lisa Vahey approached Community Engagement Librarian Maggie Killman
about bringing Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely, authors of All American Boys, to
Shaker Heights, Maggie listened. Together with the Middle School, Shaker Heights
High School PTO, Shaker Schools Foundation, Hathaway Brown School, and University
School they organized the successful tour. Sharing the costs they were able to reach a
broader audience. “Collaborating is a win-win for everybody,” said Maggie. “Hearing
what people want and working with them to make it happen is one of the most
satisfying aspects of my job.”
The Library also listened to the community’s comments on social media regarding
panhandling. Unfortunately, these discussions often lacked civility.
“When I reviewed the social media feed I realized there was a lot of misinformation
out there and the lack of civility was probably due to a lack of information,” says
Community Engagement Librarian Gabriel Venditti. So he organized a panel discussion
on the issue of panhandling. The program was such a success, he used the same model
to present differences in dialogue on immigration, which was in response to the City’s
Human Relations Task Force and the sanctuary city debate. These discussions met the
Library’s mission to inform and engage the community in meaningful discourse.
When Shaker resident and Imagine (The Danielle M. Boone Institute Against Teen
Violence) founder Monica Boone approached Adult Services Manager Cindy Maxey
about staging a dramatic reading and discussion on the topic of teen domestic violence,
Shaker
Library
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