ABCD as foundation in Community Inquiry Labs at the public library

Katie Reineke
Katie Reineke
@katie-reineke
6 years ago
2 posts

Public Librarian here!

I work for Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library in Evansville, Indiana as Community Inquiry Librarian of Practice responsible for creating the first Community Inquiry Lab in a public library... no pressure there! I have read so much about ABCD and I think this is the perfect tool for the work we hope to achieve and community capital we hope to gain through the labs. I am initially piloting some techniques internally with fellow staff before offering it out to the public. My current project is using the Question Formulation Technique, established by the Right Question Institute, to help staff gain a deeper understanding of our  organization's new mission statement, and use the knowledge gained through their questioning to build their own departmental mission statements. Where does ABCD fit in? My hope is that the assets (passions, skills, etc...) the staff members discover in themselves and collectively are used as the building blocks for their statements. I have seen amazing results thus far in terms of staff's meta-cognitive thinking and curiosity, but I have a long way to go! Please share any opinions, questions, advice you may have and I am excited to be part of this community of practice!

Emily Regan Wills
Emily Regan Wills
@emily-regan-wills
6 years ago
1 posts

What a cool project! I did a little searching just now on the Community Inquiry Lab model, and it seems very interesting.

I wonder if using a Power Shield would be a good way to get your group visualizing the resources they have available for the inquiry process? Attached is the PDF version we used in a recent training, but there a dozens of ways to use this exercise. 

I did a quick search, and it seems like there are two universities in Evansville? I feel like sometimes universities aren't very good at reaching out to community institutions, but often individual professors are interested in building those bridges if they know stuff is going on.  So perhaps having some faculty who have interests in areas you'll be exploring in your lab, or who can be resources as you develop directions, might be a good asset to mobilize! 

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@dee-brooks
6 years ago
0 posts

I have added this discussion and link to the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/429625007423984/

Katie Reineke
Katie Reineke
@katie-reineke
6 years ago
2 posts

Emily, thank you for the resource and good advice! Yes, we have two universities in Evansville and from what I know, several of our staff have good relationships with and are even on some of the boards at university...I'm the one they don't know! So, thank you for suggesting that potentially great asset. I will also share Power Shield with my fellow Librarians of Practice. I think it could be advantageous for us to do this exercise as a group.

Thank you again!

John Hamerlinck
John Hamerlinck
@john-hamerlinck
6 years ago
50 posts

Hi Katie,

I always think that the best way to see how ABCD complements an approach a group is taking, is to see if participants are gaining a better understanding of local, formal and informal associations. It is important to see people as networks, and not just groups.

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