F01: Imagining Libraries as Democratic Convenors
Session Description
Voices missing from public policy discussions frequently include, but are not limited to, recent immigrants, people without post-secondary education, parents with young children, and youth. Could public libraries play an enhanced role in helping such under-served communities connect with the democratic process and real world government decision-making, leveraging their existing trust relationships and expertise? Participants will explore models for civic participation from other jurisdictions in North America and will have the opportunity to contribute to a discussion about what would be necessary to make similar models successful in British Columbia. Hosted in partnership by the BC Libraries Co-Operative and Simon Fraser University’s Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue.
Session objectives will include:
• To provide examples of the democratic roles libraries are playing in other parts of North America
• To seek input into how BC libraries are currently supporting under-served communities to have a voice in democratic decision-making and to surface additional ideas.
• To better understand what would needed/helpful to launch a successfully pilot
Speakers
Robin Prest, SFU Centre for Dialogue
Biography
Robin Prest is the Program Director for SFU’s Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, where he strengthens the democratic process through dialogue-based engagement and collaborative decision-making. He regularly supports elected officials and senior decision-makers to improve the clarity and impact of public engagement initiatives, and to embed engagement within organizational cultures. At a recent dialogue conference, Robin was inspired to see potential connections between his field of practice and the evolving roles of public libraries.
Kevin Millsip, BC Libraries Cooperative
Biography
Kevin joined the BC Libraries Coop as Managing Director in March of 2018. He has spent over 20 years working in education with a focus on capacity building and advocacy work. He has co-founded two capacity building organizations and built Canada’s largest social change leadership training organization. He has served as a School Board Trustee in Vancouver, as the Board Chair of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives BC-Office, and on the board’s of The Centre for Civic Governance, The BC Civil Liberties Association and Theatre for Living. He is also an advisor with the Small Change Fund and Upstream.