October 16, Nurturing the Public Voice: The Library's Role in Community Transformation 

Deborah Blackwell is a member of the Ocean County New Jersey's Library Management Team and currently serves as the library's Training Officer. Blackwell believes in the power of the public library to serve as a vital resource in being an "equalizer for all" community members. Blackwell is a licensed counselor and is passionate about living life from the inside out loud!

Abstract: 
A public voice takes shape when people in a community talk with each other about what they feel is at stake and then openly discuss how they can transform their communities accordingly. So why is it such a challenge to encourage this public voice to emerge when opportunities for it to develop are in everyday conversations? Libraries are often seen as the heart of a community and the natural place for those hard conversations to happen and by default, it falls to librarians to have the courage to cultivate this voice in their community. This presentation will explore how librarians can facilitate and nurture this voice in their communities by learning how to disagree without being disagreeable and how to be assertive while staying positive and empathetic. 

Time:
6:15 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. - Reception sponsored by RU Libraries
7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. 

Live Stream Link: https://livestream.com/accounts/7277267/events/8391083

Sponsored by:
Beta Phi Mu Honor Society-Omnicron Chapter, RU Libraries, SC&I Alumni Association, SC&I Department of Library and Information Science,
and The New Jersey Center for the Book

Location: 169 College Ave, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 - Scholarly Communication Center, Alexander Library