Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Jeff Dawson's Presentation at the Global Libraries Initiative


Jeff Dawson/Lester Library: Lester Public Library showcased at national event. (Manitowoc Herald-Times-Reporter, 10/5/2011)

ExcerptMy panel's presentation, titled "Community Needs Assessment and Engagement," was led by Michael Porter, president and CEO, Library Renewal, with Tiffini Travis, director of information Literacy & Outreach Services, California State University. I shared with PLM participants, via photos, how immersion into our community, with a camera in hand, has transcended technology to create an emotional bond between our library and the community it serves.

When viewing the photographs on our flickr account of library and community events, from Kite Fest to Ethnic Fest to Hmong New Year, the technology begins to fade away. We are left with images that are representative of what is possible, both at Lester Public Library and in our community. Conference participants immediately connected with the idea of sharing community images and delighted in the potential cultural and heritage preservation benefits.

As a library we are connecting with the very heart of the area we are proud to call home. We have digitally captured the contemporary culture of Two Rivers, and via a variety of social networks are sharing that experience back to the community we serve and the world at large. And so it was Two Rivers/Manitowoc County that was the star of the show in Seattle, and it was with pride that I shared our collective story
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