Title: From Barriers to Belonging: Designing a Community Hub That Centers the Needs of Marginalized Patrons
Date / Time: Thursday, March 12th at 10am – 11am PST on Zoom
Register Today!Description: Is your library ready to take its community development goals to the next level? Explore the evolving role of libraries in fostering connection and responding to the increasing needs of marginalized patrons. While libraries have long been seen as community spaces, the concept of a Community Hub goes beyond traditional library programming to foster a flexible, community-led and inclusive space that centers the needs of those who face barriers to accessing food, housing, health supports etc.
This session provides a framework for implementing a Community Hub at your own library based on over 3 years of experience running the Open Door Community Hub program at the North Vancouver City Library. We will speak to the successes and challenges we are experiencing as well as provide a roadmap for libraries that are interested in hosting a Community Hub at their own library.
In this session, we’ll answer key questions surrounding the development and management of a Community Hub including:
- What is a Community Hub, and how is it different from traditional library programming? We’ll examine how a community hub program can be designed to meet the diverse needs of your community, supporting everything from social service information navigation to directly supporting patrons access to basic needs such as food, hygiene and survival supplies.
- Why should you create a Community Hub at your library? Learn how this model helps foster deeper community ties, empowers marginalized patrons, combats social-isolation, and promotes intergenerational and cultural connections—helping libraries become central to their neighborhoods in new and exciting ways.
- How do you design and manage a successful Community Hub that centres the needs of systemically targeted patrons? We’ll explore best practices for designing and organizing this new style of programming within your library. You’ll leave with a roadmap for building inclusive, responsive hubs that thrive.
- What challenges should you expect, and what level of complexity will you need to navigate? From balancing resource allocation to ensuring equitable access, we’ll discuss the practical hurdles you might face and how to overcome them—while ensuring that your hub remains flexible and community-led.
Join us for a hands-on session that will provide you with practical tools, insights, and inspiration for building a Community Hub program at your library that is a vibrant, multifaceted, and responsive. Leave with actionable ideas to build deeper connections, foster inclusivity, and position your library as an essential community anchor for the future.
Who should attend: All library workers, anyone interested in inclusive spaces
Presenter Bio: McKelle Hansen (she/they) is a settler of Danish and Scottish ancestry living and working on the stolen lands of the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. McKelle is a Library Access Specialist Librarian at the North Vancouver City Library (NVCL), where they are dedicated to ensuring unhoused patrons are supported with dignity and respect. She attributes her knowledge of community building to her 4 years of experience working alongside organizers and community members in the Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood of Vancouver. They coordinate the North Vancouver City Library Open Door Community Hub, a highly successful twice weekly program that centres the needs of unhoused and precariously housed individuals. Through mutual aid, information access, and fostering social connections, they create a welcoming space where patrons can find support, empowerment, and community.