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It Takes a Library to Raise a Community: Glossary of Community Development Terms

OLA Super Conference 2007

Community / Can be defined in many ways, the most frequently used definition focuses on geographic location such as the community itself or a community neighbourhood.
Community of Interest / Defines a community by common cultural heritage, language, beliefs or shared interests, age, and so on. Relationships, shared interests, and land may define a community for each individual.[i] People may belong to several communities at any one time.
Community Capacity / Strengthens or supports the community’s ability to provide sustainable services. Capacity is developed through a mix of people skills and community resources.
Community Development / Seeks to build local skills and the capacity to plan, design, control, manage, and evaluate initiatives aimed at community revitalization.[ii] Community development creates long-term solutions and focuses more on development and less on growth.
Community Development Resources / Frank and Smith, in The Community Development Handbook, describe community development resources as including the natural, human, financial, and infrastructure resources available in a community. If the goal of community development is a sustainable community, then the natural resources must be considered along with other aspects of a community.[iii]
Digital Divide / The digital divide refers to the gap in access to use new information and communication tools such as computers, the Internet, and other related technologies, and refers to impacts on educational, social, financial, and political opportunities. It also refers to the skills and abilities to use the technologies. “The digital divide can exist between those living in rural areas and those living in urban areas, between the educated and uneducated, between economic classes, and on a global scale between more and less industrially developed nations.”[iv] On a provincial level, this can also refer to the gap between more and less developed communities or communities with and without internet access. It may also refer to gaps between groups due to gender, minority status, and age.[v]
Human Capital / Knowledge, skills, abilities, and gifts of people
Library Capacity Building / Any service or activity that strengthens or supports the ability of libraries to provide high quality, accessible, and sustainable services to their community. [vi]
Mapping Community Capacity / Or asset mapping, community resource mapping is an important tool for building community, understanding community strengths and assets, and sustaining economic viability. Please refer to the following resources for more information about this topic:
Asset Mapping: A Handbook / Canadian Rural Partnership
URL: http://www.rural.gc.ca/conference/documents/mapping_e.phtml
This handbook introduces community asset mapping as a useful tool in rural community development.
Building Communities from the Inside Out / Kretzmann, John P. and John L. McKnight
Chicago, IL: ACTA Publications, c1993
Chapter One: Releasing Individual Capacities offers a detailed explanation of individual capacities and explains why it is better to focus on capacities than needs when building community. A detailed capacity inventory is included.
Capacity Building for Libraries / Noah, Carolyn and Alan Brickman
Public Libraries, March/April 2004, 102-107
This article introduces capacity building for libraries. Includes examples and action steps for librarians who wish to develop and implement a plan.
The Engaged Library: Chicago Stories of Community Building / Urban Libraries Council
URL: http://www.urbanlibraries.org/theconnectedlibrary.html
Included in this report is the Engaged Library Toolkit which provides a sample community asset map as well as a template for librarians to develop their own community asset map (pp. 38-39). This template has been adapted for use in this tool kit with the permission of the Urban Libraries Council and Northwestern University’s Institute for Asset Building and Community Development.
Mapping the assets of your community: A key component for building local capacity / Beaulieu, Lionel J.
URL: http://srdc.msstate.edu/publications/227/227_asset_mapping.pdf
This article extends the work of Kretzmann and McKnight by presenting a strategy for identifying individuals with leadership potential in the community, and by discussing the role of asset mapping in engaging local people in community enhancement efforts.
Sustaining Community-Based Initiatives Module 3: Community & Economic Development Chapter 2: Mapping Community Capacity / W. K. Kellogg Foundation.
URL: http://www.wkkf.org/default.aspx?tabid=101&CID=287&CatID=287&ItemID=10658&NID=20&LanguageID=0
The purpose of this module is to introduce community mapping as an important tool for building community, understanding community strengths and assets, and sustaining economic viability.
Social Capital / Is the glue that holds a community together. It is a collection of human capital invested in the common life of a community.”[vii] It includes people skills and abilities, institutions, and networks of trusting relationships.[viii] It refers to organizations and networks that unite members into communities of mutual respect and shared responsibility.[ix]
Social Exclusion / Refers to barriers that prevent people from participating fully in society. These include low income, racism, racial profiling; barriers to employment and access to affordable housing; and barriers that prevent people from participating in the civic and political life of society.[x]
Social Inclusion / Means that all citizens participate meaningfully in the community, and are provided with equal opportunities and basic levels of well being.
Sustainability / Early research on sustainable development focused on economic and environmental sustainability. More current research has introduced the concept of a sustainable community, “a community which has a strong sense of place, and supportive networks receptive to the diversity of local needs” and considers the dimension of social well-being.[xi]

Ontario Library Service-North

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[i] Frank, Flo and Anne Smith. The Community Development Handbook: A tool to build community capacity. Human Resources Development Canada, 1999, 7

[ii] Algoma University College, Community Economic and Social Development, Retrieved July 12, 2005 from http://www.auc.ca/view.php?page=ap_programDetails&id=28

[iii] Frank and Smith, 8

[iv] Digital Divide. Definition retrieved July 11, 2005 from http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/D/digital_divide.html

[v] Beisser, Sally R., Stuart W. Shulman, and Teresa B. Larson, Closing the Digital Divide with Service-Learning. Retrieved July 11, 2005 from http://rapidintellect.com/AEQweb/5jul2698w5.htm

[vi] Noah, Carolyn and Alan Brickman, Capacity Building for Libraries. Public Libraries, March/April 2004, 102-107

[vii] Asset-based Community Building: Creating Social Capital to Build Neighbourhood as Better Places to Live. Retrieved July 11, 2005 from www.luc.edu/curl/projects/past/passport/docs/Unit10CommunityBuilding.pdf

[viii] The World Bank Group, Social Capital. Retrieved July 12, 2005 from http://www1.worldbank.org/prem/poverty/scapital/index.htm

[ix] Asset-based Community Building: Creating Social Capital to Build Neighbourhood as Better Places to Live

[x] APG, Social Inclusion and the City: Considerations for Social Planning. April 2003. Retrieved July 12, 2005 from http://www.cassa.on.ca/APG/

[xi] Sustaining Communities: Retrieved July 11, 2005 from Measuring the Value of Public Libraries. A report prepared by Jennifer Berryman for the State Library of New South Wales, October 2005, 19. Retrieved October 16, 2006 from http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/pln/projects/sustainingcommunities.pdf