Libraries Live Journal - Journal - Page 1
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Meet the artist - Community ‘getting
to know you time’ with artists before
any activity takes place creates space
for trust, helps the artist create a
responsive way of working thanks to
local knowledge, and reduces fear of
engagement in something new.
Remember to create events, share
posts to other local pages, groups
and influencers and seek permission
to share any images of people and
their work.
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Be flexible – Explore outreach
opportunities off site and widen
availability of opening times to
best engage with the community
you want to work with. Scheduling
delivery of activity can be tricky,
however, empowering your artist to
operate as an agent for your library
enables them to work with groups on
their terms and this may fall outside
of your library hours.
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Exhibitions – displaying work is
an important part of valuing the
contributions of participants and
creating a sense of belonging and
ownership over the space. We know
that space is limited in libraries so get
creative – use the tops of bookshelves,
create your own creative community
books that sit on the shelves amongst
the loanable books.
‘On reflection, a longer lead in time
that allowed for the artist to ‘get to
know’ library volunteers, the wider
community and vice versa, would have
benefitted those involved. A longer
programme would have allowed for a
deeper connection and understanding to
flourish with community members.’
Tracie Meredith, Arts Officer, Staffordshire
Libraries
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Variety is key - Create different levels
of engagement and offer different
types of activities to appeal to a
diverse range of people.
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Getting social – Using social media
can really benefit the profile and
presence of your project. Publicly
sharing the activities and impact
can increase real life engagement.