Aspen Institute Launches Dialogue On Public Libraries

The Aspen Institute announces working group to shape vision for public libraries.

WASHINGTON, June 27, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Aspen Institute announced today a new multi-year initiative to explore, develop and champion new ways of thinking about U.S. public libraries.

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The Aspen Institute Dialogue on Public Libraries, with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will begin with a working group gathering in August 2013 convening leaders from the library field, executives from businesses and officials from various levels of government, community development visionaries and education experts to create a common vision for public libraries.

Public libraries in the U.S. are at a crossroads. As trusted institutions, libraries serve their communities by improving digital skills, helping people access online information in new ways, providing a space for learning at every age, and connecting people to jobs, educational opportunities and critical community services. Yet, despite these benefits, libraries face ongoing challenges with budget cuts and the need to adapt in an increasingly digital society.

"Libraries have always been a great equalizer in American society, serving as gateways to knowledge that have helped form the building blocks of our democracy," said Charles Firestone, executive director of the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program. "We look forward to working with leaders in the field to ensure that public libraries remain relevant to the needs of our current and future generations as they have throughout our history." 

Following the Aspen Institute model, the Dialogue will gather a diverse group of leaders for an invitation-only meeting in August where they will consider solutions to ensure public libraries are at the forefront of serving communities for years to come.

Leaders from both large and small library systems, the American Library Association, and other key library institutions are important voices in the working group to ensure the vision includes the latest thinking from the field.

The working group includes:

• Akhtar Badshah, senior director, Global Community Affairs, Microsoft
• Susan Benton, president, Urban Libraries Council
• John Seely Brown, co-chair, Deloitte Center for the Edge
• Jonathan Chambers, acting chief, Office of Strategic Planning & Policy, Federal Communications Commission
• Dan Cohen, executive director, Digital Public Library of America
• Karl Dean, mayor, City of Nashville, Tennessee
• Jessica Dorr, deputy director, Global Libraries Program, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
• David Ferriero, Archivist of the United States
• Charles Firestone, executive director, Communications and Society Program, The Aspen Institute
• Amy Garmer, director of the Aspen Institute Dialogue on Public Libraries, Communications and Society Program, The Aspen Institute
• Tessie Guillermo, president and chief executive officer, Zero Divide
• Tomeka Hart, commissioner, Memphis City Schools, Tennessee, and vice president, African American Community Partnerships, Teach for America
• Susan Hildreth, director, Institute of Museum and Library Services
• Renee Hobbs, professor and founding director, Harrington School of Communication and Media, University of Rhode Island
• Reed Hundt, principal, REH Advisors
• Norman Jacknis, director, IBSG Public Sector Group, Cisco
• Deborah Jacobs, director, Global Libraries Program, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
• Beth Jefferson, co-founder and chief executive officer, BiblioCommons
• Joshua Kauffman, designer and consultant
• Anthony Marx, president and chief executive officer, New York Public Library
• Madeline McIntosh, chief operating officer, Random House
• Bret Perkins, vice president, External & Government Affairs, Comcast Corporation
• Lee Rainie, director, Internet & American Life Project, Pew Research Center
• Graham Richard, chief executive officer, Advanced Energy Economy
• Gloria Rubio-Cortes, president, National Civic League
• AnnaLee Saxenian, dean, School of Information, University of California, Berkeley
• John Szabo, city librarian, Los Angeles Public Library
• Pam Sandlian Smith, library director, Anythink Libraries, Colorado
• Maureen Sullivan, president, American Library Association
• Susana Vasquez, executive director, LISC Chicago
• Amy Webb, chief executive officer, Webbmedia Group

The working group is just one of many ways that people can offer input and ideas into the vision. Over the next year, the Aspen Institute and select working group members will attend meetings and conferences and host online feedback sessions to ensure the vision includes diverse perspectives from across the library field and beyond. The conversations held throughout this year will result in a report that outlines the common vision for public libraries and makes recommendations that will spark ongoing conversations in the coming years. 

Learn more about the Dialogue on Public Libraries at http://www.aspeninstitute.org/policy-work/communications-society/our-work/dialogue-public-libraries.

The Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program, www.aspeninstitute.org/c&s, addresses the societal impact of communications and information technologies, and provides a multi-disciplinary venue for considered judgment on communications policy issues.

The Aspen Institute is an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, DC. Its mission is to foster leadership based on enduring values and to provide a nonpartisan venue for dealing with critical issues. The Institute is based in Washington, DC; Aspen, Colorado; and on the Wye River on Maryland's Eastern Shore. It also has offices in New York City and an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.

SOURCE The Aspen Institute