Library Make'n'Shake — Shift Collective

Library Make’n’Shake

Creating a fun and dynamic space to bring together national and local community initiatives during the American Library Association’s 2018 summer convention

The Challenge

The ALA Summer Meeting brings over 30,000 librarians to the host city, yet there are seldom opportunities to highlight local community initiatives within the convention format, nor is there much opportunity to affordably highlight non-profit/library collaborations.

Our Approach

Produce a unique, location-based, hands-on experience that connects community engagement organizations and library professionals. The event, hosted at a unique venue adjacent to the convention center, was free and open to the public.

Case Study: Video

Why are Non-Profit partnerships with libraries so valuable? Community engagement events like the Library Make’n’Shake bring broader audiences into cultural experiences that respect local communities. The Library Make’n’Shake showcased organisations with community engagement resources and programming. The one day event took place Saturday, June 23rd at the Howlin’ Wolf a bar and music venue near the site of the ALA convention.The event ran from 10am-7pm, and was a blend of educational and entertainment activities. Workshops, lightning talks, and an exhibit space showed visitors the breadth of different conversations on library community partnerships. Snowballs, lunch, and The Stooges brass band brought New Orleans one story closer. Shift Design is a non-profit organisation who develops products for social change across US an UK offices. Our team of community organisers, product managers, technologists, social scientists, and service designers research and design solutions for social and community issues.

Stats and Impact

Throughout the day over 200 librarians registered, many more attended.
Surveyed participants ranged in age from 29 - 62, representing a full range of library staff positions.
Peak periods were lunch and happy hour (free lunch featured New Orleans creole cuisine and a cash bar was open all day, with the Stooges Brass Band playing during happy hour)
The vast majority of participants found the event not only fun, but helpful to their work
- 83% said it provided info on community engagement resources
- 62% said it modeled an equitable exchange for local organizations
- 70% said it created a point of reflection from the main conference
- 63% said it put them in contact with ideas that can positively impact their organization