Producer/Host: Ron Beard, University of Maine Cooperative Extension
Engineer: Amy Browne
Community concerns and opportunities: The evolving role of community libraries
Was there a “typical” view of the role of a community library when you started out?
What roles of a community library are staying the same, and what roles are evolving?
What are some of the “drivers” of the evolving role (demographics, technology, changing communities)? Is there a tension between historic and evolving roles?
What is the role of the Maine State Library, and is it changing as well? How does the state library support community libraries and foster collaborations… examples?
What challenges are you seeing, across the library landscape?
What is your vision for the future of community libraries?
Guests:
Amy Wisehart, Ellsworth Public Library
Ruth Eveland Jesup Memorial Library, Bar Harbor
Rich Boulet, Blue Hill Public Library
Jamie Ritter, Maine State Librarian