laconicommunity2011mar

Building Community,Making Connections

in Skokie, Illinois

Frances E Roehmfroehm@skokielibrary.info847.324.31734 March 2011

Some Skokie Facts

• 2010 population: 64,784 • ca 39% of our residents were born in

other countries• > 50% speak a language other than

English at home• > 90 different languages spoken

other than English• ca 20% of residents are over 60 • Skokie is a village that works.

SkokieNet.org

• Meet our Great Community Building Tool!

• Features everything you would want to know about Skokie, Illinois

• From Demographics to the Arts to Health & Social Services

• Maintained by Skokie Library staff, community partners, Village residents, and volunteers from tweens to 92

• Anyone can post items on the SkokieNet Community Information Network

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Why Build a Community Info Center?

• Why not?• Librarians are information providers• Community information is often the

hardest to find and keep up to date• Finding the information helps

librarians stay in touch with the community

• Librarians don’t have an agenda. They are trusted to provide authoritative and non-biased information about the community

How Do We Stay Informed?

• Newspapers & media• Patrons & Colleagues• Folks we meet outside the library (clubs, grocery, barber

shop, places of worship, etc.)• Signs or posters around town• Chamber & other local agency

& institution newsletters and e-lists

• Community partners

Who Does the Work?• An octogenarian and a

nonagenarian make phone calls to update information

• Staff add content, update, and edit

An Ever Evolving Group of Teen Volunteers!

Our Teen Assistant & Volunteers:

• Take & edit pictures• Keep us informed• Get us connected• Plan events• Train other teens and adults• Volunteer for and record community events• Interview and record community residents• Create websites, podcasts, and videos• Submit stories, poems, and pictures to SkokieNet & TeenTalk

•

Interviewing State Senator Schoenberg at Holocaust Museum

Grand Opening

I-GO Carsharing Comes to Skokie

http://www.youtube.com/TeenCorner

We Support Area Organizations:

Attend Meetings & Events• Chamber of Commerce & fraternal or

business networking groups in the community (such as Rotary)

• Listen and learn; And think about ways the library can help.

• Always have information about one or two things the organization would find of interest about the library: business card signup, remote access, new services, etc.

• Carry a big supply of business cards

Libraries Add Value:• Program & meeting rooms, online

calendar and community network, exhibits of artwork

• Think about the potential for partnering to solve common problems – Safe places for teens to congregate

(online and in real time)– Economic development – Book-/weblists, services,

programming, etc.

Think of programs/services that could be brought into the library

• Our Congresswoman’s staff members assist with healthcare/federal agency questions

• Career counselor, Resume reviewer, Career Support Group

• Health screenings, Medicare assistance• Tax forms, Section 8 forms• Passports, other agency services • Community information & Comfy

spaces!

Working with the Office of Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky

• We first connected when I heard that she wanted to offer office hours in the Village lower level once a month

• I invited them to use the library, increased to twice a month, and have since developed a relationship

• When the Congresswoman was anticipating having a particularly testy health town hall, I volunteered to help

• In December, we’re partnering to offer assistance with Medicare Part D signups

Don’t overlook other staff & volunteers

They can be among your best advocates!• Meet folks where they are in the

community!• Our octogenarian volunteer received a

regional award for his advocacy• A teen volunteer’s invitation led to better

connections with one of our communities• Staff members and volunteers help

connect with other people, organizations, information

• Formal and informal community advisory groups and partnerships help make connections and build community

http://www.youtube.com/SkokieTalk

We are CommunityBuilding Together in Skokie, IL

froehm@skokielibrary.info ; 847.324.3173