HPL Civic Engagement Initiative Update

As I shared in the brief one-to-one meetings this month, below is a synopsis of the Community Civic Engagement effort that every library has been charged with responsibility. It may not impact every staff member directly, but staff awareness is vital. Should customers approach staff with questions we should respond with awareness and please refer them to me. I am the contact person for this location, and I will keep staff in the information loop. 

The initial meeting of community members for HEI has been scheduled for Wednesday, September 3rd, 7:00PM in the meeting room. Larry Payne, the HPL Coordinator of this Community Civic Engagement effort, works directly with Dr. Lawson and will attending that meeting. This is a 12 month campaign, so lots of news will be flowing soon. Stay tuned...

 Copied from NL Leader's Blog:

The aim of these Civic Engagement Initiative meetings is to connect local community organizations and leaders with one another, so that they can work together to address and resolve local challenges and network with one another.  The library is happy to participate in these efforts by serving as a meeting place and providing any support and help that the library is able to do.  A series of citywide Civic Engagement meetings will be held, starting September 23, which will give local leaders the opportunity to network with leaders from other local communities across Houston.

In addition, here is my interpretation of the Civic Engagement series throughout the year:

• September 23rd Meeting:  Set up and introduce the ideas of Civic Engagement in Houston
• January Meetings (Civic Engagement Week):  Drill down to what each community would like to do to address and resolve local challenges.
• May Meeting:  Bring together the various people that communities need to work with to accomplish their goal.  For example, representatives from Parks, Solid Waste, Public Works, HISD, etc would be on hand to discuss the issues one-on-one with the local community members in an agency fair type setting.
• September 2015 Meeting:  Celebrate the accomplishments of all of the local communities and to look at where they go from here.