Public Engagement and the University Library:

Library Services and Land-Grant Mission

at the University of Illinois at Urbana-

Champaign

What is Public Engagement?

Public engagement “is faculty members, staff and students collaborating with

communities, agencies, organizations, business and government to address critical societal issues and to share the University's

intellectual and cultural assets.”

http://www.oc.uiuc.edu/engagement/

Campus Commitment The University of Illinois Strategic Plan

• Initiative 3: Prepare Students for Leadership in a Global Environment (pp.50-51)– GOAL: Create opportunities for civic engagement

and/or community-based learning within 50% of academic units

• Initiative 5: Build Partnerships within the C-U Community (public schools) (pp.58-59)– GOAL: Assist the College of Education leadership

in focusing on collaborating with local community schools to strengthen and model effective University-community partnerships

Library Commitment The University Library Strategic

Plan • "The Library takes seriously its

obligations to extend its resources and services to the community; we view ourselves as an integral part of UIUC’s land grant mission.”– Goal 2e. "Improve our partnerships,

collaborations, and outreach activities to enhance services to Library users on and off campus.”

• Action Item: "Develop a set of robust services for members of the local community."

Commitment in Action: Public Engagement @ Your Library

o Central Circulationo Community Borrower Program

o Central Referenceo Alumni Serviceso Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

o Office of Information Literacy and Instructiono K-12 Programs

o Sousa Archives and Center for American Musico American Music Month Celebrationo America String Festival

Campus Connection: Cultural Engagement Council

Heirlooms, Artifacts, & Family Treasures: A Preservation Emporium

“Have you ever wondered how to preserve that old film of family memories or take care of Grandma’s quilt? Meet and talk with preservation experts at this informational event. Visitors are welcome to

bring in small, hand-held items or images of larger items in order to discuss specific preservation questions with the specialists. Experts will be

available in a variety of specialized areas ranging from antiquities to modern digital media.”

http://www.oc.uiuc.edu/engagement/arts_and_cultural/

Campus Connection: The Osher Lifelong Learning Instituteo Grant-funded membership organizationo 101 Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes on

campuses in 46 states (and the District of Columbia).

o Academic non-credit programso UIUC faculty recruited to teach classes:

o All That Jazzo Dangerous Detectives and Deadly Dameso The Tempest

http://www.olli.uiuc.edu/

OLLI and the University Library: Access, Orientation, and More

• Library tours• Workshops utilizing online resources, information

seeking skills, and original artifacts and documents focusing on the acquisition and preservation of and access to vital material culture held in UIUC libraries, archives, and museums

• “The Things We Keep: Capturing and Preserving Our Cultural Heritage” - a six-week course to be taught Fall 2007 that includes sessions in the following departments: Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University Archives, Illinois History and Lincoln Collection and the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

http://www.library.uiuc.edu/learn/osher/

An Engaging Future: Community Outreach Planning Group

SUBGROUP OF THE USER EDUCATION COMMITTEE• Stephanie Atkins, Chair

Action Plan:1. Develop a three-year plan for

outreach activities 2. Develop measurable goals to assess

the impact of the outreach activities.3. Identify potential tools and methods

to assess progress and impact.

Questions?

For More Information

• Scott Walter swalter@uiuc.edu

• Merinda Hensley mhensle1@uiuc.edu

• Stephanie Atkins ssatkins@uiuc.edu

• Lisa Hinchliffe ljanicke@uiuc.edu

• Scott Schwartz schwrtzs@uiuc.edu