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Solving Community Problems PDF

The document discusses how libraries can identify and help solve problems in their communities by analyzing demographic and socioeconomic trends, gathering input from community members and groups, and partnering with other organizations that address issues like poverty, education, health, and social services. It provides examples of common community problems and stresses that analyzing the root causes and identifying potential partners is crucial for developing effective solutions.

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Vette Angelikka Dela Cruz
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116 views21 pages

Solving Community Problems PDF

The document discusses how libraries can identify and help solve problems in their communities by analyzing demographic and socioeconomic trends, gathering input from community members and groups, and partnering with other organizations that address issues like poverty, education, health, and social services. It provides examples of common community problems and stresses that analyzing the root causes and identifying potential partners is crucial for developing effective solutions.

Uploaded by

Vette Angelikka Dela Cruz
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Solving Community

Problems With
Community Partners
Or, How to be a Lean Mean Community-Building Library Machine
Our Communities Have Many Facets
“It is unwise to think that you, your staff, and your board know all that there is
to know about the community and the role the library can play in helping the
community achieve its potential.”

-Community Needs Assessment: An Overview in Collection Development Training for Arizona Libraries
How do I know what my
community’s problems are?
Community Analysis
Population Trends Industries
Strengths Age Demographics Median Family Income
Weaknesses Single Parent Households School Information
Opportunities Languages Medical Organizations

Threats Ethnic Groups Social Services Providers


Employers Service Groups or
Organizations
• How is your community changing?
• What organizations/programs can you partner with that fit your
library’s mission as well?
• What are your community’s expectations?
• How can you meet those expectations while remaining realistic
about your responsibilities to the library?
Additional Community
Information Sources
• Public records
• Library statistics
• Group/individual conversations
• Community forums
• Surveys
Analyzing Community
Problems
Elements of this section were created by the Community Tool Box, a service of the
Work Group for Community Health and Development at the University of Kansas,
and is shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike
3.0 United States License
Examples of Community Problems
Arson Health Sexism
Child abuse Housing Teenage pregnancy
Crime Hunger Domestic violence
Transportation Inequality Vandalism
Drugs Jobs Graffiti
Noise Safety
Elder care
Overwork Emergency services
Racism
Poverty Schools
Ethnic conflict
Ask Yourself and Your Community Members

• When you think about the community, what keeps you up at night?
Criteria for defining a community problem:
• Frequency
• Duration
• Scope or range
• Severity
• Legality
• Perception
Why analyze a community problem?
• To identify the problem or issue
• To understand what’s at the heart of a problem
• To determine barriers and resources associated with addressing
the problem
• To develop the best action steps for addressing the problem
• To determine potential community partners that can help, or
may already be helping, address the problem
How much good can we actually do?
• Analyzing community problems can be hard work
• Real community problems can be complex and hard
to solve
• When you look for reasons and underlying causes for
significant problems, you’re likely to find more than
one
• The problem may not only have more than one
reason, it may have more than one solution, too
Creating a Path to
Solve the Problem
Why should you try to solve
community problems?
Passion for Your Library

People’s support for libraries is related to the passion


they perceive librarians feel for their library.
What organizations/programs can be
partners with library in solving problems?
Potential Partners…
• Chamber of Commerce • Community Coalitions
• Social Service Groups • Colleges
• Scouts/4-H/Youth • Senior Housing Centers
organizations • Schools
Partnerships Work!
How do we decide how to solve the problem?
• Cost • Side consequences, or
• Time spin-offs, or
unanticipated effects
• People
• Community preference
• Obstacles
• The likelihood of
• Impact success
What problems are you
solving in your community?

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