Libraries as Community Catalysts
Libraries as Community Catalysts is an OCLC research and programming initiative that seeks to support libraries and cultural institutions as catalysts for positive change. This work understands libraries as crucial community hubs with dynamic spaces for learning, collaboration, and community engagement.
OCLC Research partners with libraries and cultural institutions to offer the resources needed to meet changing community needs. This approach emphasizes the evolving and expanding role of libraries as essential contributors to a community's well-being and development.
Publications
Public Libraries: Marketing and Communications Landscape
20 June 2018
OCLC
In this report, OCLC shares results from a survey of US public libraries on how they communicate and actively engage with their community. Survey questions covered library marketing concerns and barriers, communication channels, and how libraries use email marketing and social media to increase community library awareness.
Leveraging Wikipedia: Connecting Communities of Knowledge
26 April 2018
Merrilee Proffitt
This book encourages collaboration among academia, archives, libraries, and the volunteer Wikipedia community to connect communities of knowledge. It shows how libraries can partner with Wikipedia to improve content quality and make library services and collections more visible on the open web.
From Awareness to Funding: Voter Perceptions and Support of Public Libraries in 2018
21 March 2018
OCLC, ALA
In 2018, OCLC, ALA, and PLA conducted research of US voter support of libraries to examine the awareness, attitudes, and underlying motivations among US voters for supporting library funding. This report outlines findings and compares it to a similar survey conducted in 2008.