.png)
The American Library Association is committed to professional learning and supporting library workers in the field. The Libraries Transforming Communities Initiative has worked to build the capacity of library workers to deliver public programs and lead community conversations on issues of local and national importance.
Since 2020, Convergence has had the privilege of working with ALA to build a robust array of materials and experiences for professional learning and support for library workers.
We know that, as a body that serves libraries and library workers in every type of community across the country, ALA needs custom approaches to maximize engagement and sustainable learning.
Convergence began working with ALA and the National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation to build self-guided professional learning content for library workers in small and rural communities, focused on how to plan and facilitate community conversations. Because library workers in these contexts are often the only staff on site, it can be difficult for them to travel to access in-person professional development opportunities. We knew that what we made should be approachable and practical, so we focused on ways we could:
We did this through a special focus on producing video stories of other library workers who have done the same thing, as well as designing guided Conversation Planning Tools that enabled the learner to craft pieces of a community conversation event – from creating partnerships, to marketing, to facilitation – throughout the course of each learning module.
We designed a series of multimodal interactive online courses that armed these adult learners with a powerful new set of community engagement tools. We took a “project-based learning for adults” approach, producing video stories that featured the real, nuanced experiences of library workers in small and rural communities. The courses centered the voices of library workers speaking about their experiences navigating the complex world of community voices, varied needs, politics, and conflict transformation. We also built resources, interactives, and custom conversation planning tools in order to guide learners to create a concrete, usable plan for facilitating community conversations, from ideation and partnership-building through agenda and activities.
Convergence Design Lab is highly professional and flexible. Margaret, Mindy and team were fantastic about working with us and our project partners to develop an eCourse that is engaging and well-designed. The eCourse has gotten a great response from participants. We can’t recommend them highly enough.
- Samantha Oakley, Project Director, American Library Association Public Programs Office
Our flexible and client-centered approach ensures that the final outcome is perfectly tailored to meet your organization’s unique vision of success.
