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CALENDAR - Book groups, organzations, and reading communities announce events open to the public.
CREATE – do some creative thinking about reading.
CONNECT - do some creative conversation and writing about reading for our Readers’ Blog. Add names to our Readers’ Roster.
COLLABORATE – launch new Living Libraries; secure space and management for thematic collections—70,000 books to supplement public libraries.
IDEAS – a place to bank ideas as they emerge in reflection and conversation.
QUOTES & EXCERPTS – submit your favorites about reading.
LINKS – articles and sites for further exploration.
FAQ – submit your questions to add to this page.
HISTORY – become a participant in our story.
WAYS TO HELP – a crucial page!
JOIN OUR TEAM – reader leaders who serve our communities in Portage County.
Any group of people who share a value, purpose and goal can be a living library who lend what they know for the benefit of others. Thus we weave a reading culture.
Passing on the good stuff
Passing on the good stuff
When we read on paper or device we bear a responsibility to think twice before passing it on. Why was this worth reading? How can others benefit?
Living Libraries can focus on a particular topic and create ways to weave the good stuff into the life of the community. We can help each other grow in various life literacies.
"All meaningful knowledge is for the sake of action, and all meaningful action for the sake of friendship." -- John Macmurray (1891-1976)
"All meaningful knowledge is for the sake of action, and all meaningful action for the sake of friendship." -- John Macmurray (1891-1976)
A new Living Library can start when three or more readers agree on an initial public meeting to draft a mission statement and a meeting schedule.
A group may wish to specify its interest with a Dewey Decimal number (100 divisions, and 1,000 sections) -- see full list here, and offer to tutor others in a life literacy...
Various literacies can be identified in the Dewey framework to transpose meaningful knowledge to life skills and action: • basic • information • digital • media • film • financial • health • medications • cultural • religious • visual • technological • audio • musical • numeracy/mathematical • civic • legal • environmental • emotional/empathetic • physical • logical • arts • critical thinking • scientific • social science • linguistic • spatial • family • workplace • writing • reading • collaboration • creativity • history • psychology • philosophy • language • food • poetry • ...
000 Computer science, information and general works; 100 Philosophy and psychology; 200 Religion; 300 Social sciences, sociology, and anthropology; 400 Language; 500 Natural sciences and mathematics; 600 Technology (Applied sciences); 700 The Arts and recreation; 800 Literature, rhetoric and criticism; 900 History and geography; 921–928 Biographies. Other: Fiction; Children; Young adults; Reference
It's easy to request or start a new group...
...submit your contact information and topical interests.
Truck books from rental units to a sorting site.
Sort into distinct collections.
Find a sponsor for each collection.
Enter titles in an online catalog.
Promote activities that sponsors plan on a regular basis.
Many hands make light work. Volunteer today!
What topic do you think is most important to weave into our daily life? Sponsor a collection!
What topic do you think is most important to weave into our daily life? Sponsor a collection!
Hidden Treasures
Hidden Treasures
In addition to public libraries we have in Portage County private collections--whose owners want to offer 65,000 books to new "book keepers" -- Living Libraries will make thematic collections available to the public.
Colossal collaboration is needed to bring these hidden treasures out of storage into the hands of readers who share a love for a particular focus. Each collection that Living Libraries sponsor will have its own online catalog and directions how to borrow 1 to 100 resources at a time.
Sample online catalogs of collections you can search by title or author (CLICK): | Earth Care | Spirituality | Peace | Philosophy | Religions | Leadership | Poetry | Elders | Science | and others
Searchable database of 65,000+ titles to be hand sorted into distinct collections: Inventory
Connect
Connect
Readers find others who share their priorities, (identified by a Dewey Decimal number) and form a Living Library.
Collaborate
Collaborate
A Living Library finds space to make available a focused collection of resources, including themselves as tutors in life literacies.
Create
Create
Each Living Library creates events in all parts of the County to share resources and help readers connect.
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