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‘Far more than books alone’

The Warren Public Library wants to hear ideas

Photo submitted to Times Observer Warren Public Library staff “Turned Out” at the Warren County Fair.

The Warren Public Library wants to look outward.

And, it wants to find out what the community’s dreams and wishes are.

“‘What are your dreams and wishes for our community, Warren?’ This is the questions that a team from the Warren Public Library has been asking around the community for almost a year,” Reference and Documents Librarian Beverly Leonhardt said. “This team is participating in the Turning Outward initiative.”

Team members will receive training and guidance from the Harwood Institute thanks to a grant from the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, Leonhardt said.

“We are a community resource providing far more than books alone,” she said. “We are learning to become more outward-looking, where our community is the reference point for decision making, where we forge partnerships and relationships that make community a common enterprise, and assist in addressing local concerns.”

It’s not about what the library can do.

“Our goal is to gather information about what members of this community really want for the Warren area,” she said. “Our promise is that we want to hear and will listen to your answers.”

The library will share what it learns with “community leaders, decision makers, and interested parties who have abilities to make things happen,” Leonhardt said. “We hope to see good things resulting from our efforts.”

The library has a number of ways people in the community can share their answers.

“We have scheduled a series of conversations to take place at the library,” Leonhardt said.

The fourth of those meetings will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 25, in the Slater Room on the library’s third floor.

Further meetings will follow at the same time and location on Wednesday, Oct. 24, and Thursday, Nov. 29.

People with ideas to share or who would like to hear the ideas of others are invited to attend. Those who would like to may contact the team directly may do so at turningoutward@warrenlibrary.org.

Representatives of local organizations who would like to meet with the team are encouraged to reach out to set up a meeting.

“We invite you to share with us,” Leonhardt said.

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