Libraries+Local News=Civic Engagement

Journalists can use their local media platforms to extend public discussions flowing from civic events sponsored at the local library.

Local news outlets can move from covering to participating in library-sponsored events to explore ways that local news organizations can better support civic engagement.

Local media should cover the civic relevance, not just the artistic relevance, of arts events and performances held at the local library.

Local news organizations can make library data available beyond the library’s own website.

These are a few of the ideas for fostering civic engagement through creative news-library partnerships offered by Amy Gahran in her post Partnering with libraries, “natural sites of media literacy” on the Knight Digital Media Center’s News Leadership 3.0 blog. In a series of blog posts, Gahran has been exploring practical steps for local news organizations and journalists to implement the recommendations of Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy.

With the provision of civic information at the core of their missions, libraries and news organizations share a lot in common, as Gahran’s post points out.  Furthermore, each may be well-positioned to support and engage with the work of the other. Read Gahran’s examples and innovative ideas for news-library partnerships here.