Career Development

News You Can Use: Humanities for One and All: Making Humanities Programs Inclusive and Relevant

Sunday, June 26, 2022

1:00pm – 2:00pm

Location: Washington Convention Center, 151A

The world needs the humanities now more than ever before—they help us understand other languages, histories, and cultures while fostering social justice and equity. Engaging audiences via humanities programming can seem daunting, but it is possible by starting with intention. How do you connect with community partners to gather feedback on what would be relevant for their audiences? What steps do you take to welcome new people to the library through dynamic events that also encourage reflection and community-building?

At this session, you will learn from staff at Princeton Public Library about how they have spent the last 10 years using their library’s role as a community hub to elevate the humanities and serve varied audiences. In addition, project directors from The Black Metropolis Research Consortium (BMRC) and Glen Ellyn Public Library, two of the institutions that were awarded funding via the American Rescue Plan: Humanities Grants for Libraries, will share their experiences in providing inclusive and relevant humanities programs to their communities. Attend this session to find out how your library can engage and excite your community with the humanities.

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion, participants will be able to engage and excite their community and become a hub for the humanities.
Upon completion, participants will know how to connect with community partners to gather feedback on what would be relevant for their audiences.
Upon completion, participants will know the steps to take to welcome new people to the library through dynamic events that also encourage reflection and community-building

Speaker(s)

Janie L. Hermann

Public Programming Librarian
Princeton Public Library
TK

Tanya King

Outreach Librarian
Glen Ellyn Public Library
MR

Madeleine Rosenberg

Public Humanities Specialist
Princeton Public Library
MW

Marsha Walker-McWilliams

Executive Director
Black Metropolis Research Consortium University of Chicago Library

Point of Contact(s)

HA

Hannah Arata

Communications Specialist
ALA