NEFLIN Outreach Interest Group: Online (04/24/14) 

Outreach Interest Group - new member are always welcome!

The Outreach Interest Group will review existing policies and programs that academic and public libraries have implemented to promote their services to those who are underserved in their communities.  Our goal is to look for commonalities and approaches that can be used in our libraries.

The long-term project objective of the Outreach Interest Group is to encourage our libraries to make our services more accessible and practical for those who need them most: young families, children, seniors, and the economically disadvantaged. With the shift of government agencies – federal, state, and local – from print and towards online documents, we are called upon to offer new ways for our patrons to access these services. Self-help and do-it-yourself make sense in today’s economically tight times, but there are many who lack the skills to avail themselves of opportunities. To pick one example, if someone has a high-tech hand-held device for surfing the internet, but cannot figure out how to deal with a technical glitch they encounter, then their ability to use online services is severely hampered.

Each member of the Outreach team will be asked to provide an example of a policy or program to another library has in place or is considering. Then we will look for common approaches and ways we can build on these ideas. We will be able to take away for further consideration some tangible methods for reaching out to our communities, by finding common ground with others who face similar challenges – community organizations, businesses, and government agencies.

This is only a start. We have a long way to go. Let’s build on what works and look for ways to make change happen in our communities.

Interest Group Leader: Ted Hornoi-Centerwall, University of North Florida
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To access the online meeting:

http://joingotomeeting.com
Use Meeting ID: 289-146-041
GoToMeeting Support is 800-263-6317

Cost: NEFLIN Interest Groups are free of charge and are open to NEFLIN members. Registration is required for all meetings.

Cancellation Deadline is 9 am on April 22. 
Otherwise, no show fees may apply. See all NEFLIN CE policies at http://www.neflin.org/cepolicies.