Start with the Big Issues

Communities face a variety of issues that require support through policies and funding to effectively meet the needs of the community.

Neither libraries, nor local government officials, can wholly, and independently solve many of these issues.  So many of the contributing factors are outside of the control of the library and local government officials.  

It's important to recognize what may be within your control, even if you only move the needle a little bit. That’s still progress. We forget that many of the greatest achievements made by people are taken one step at a time. Notice we said “people” not one person. People. 

It takes collaboration and working together to solve these issues and build better communities. That is something many Montana libraries excel at doing – working with others and developing partnerships. 

You can model that behavior for your local government officials. It can be reassuring to local officials that you don't expect them to solve these problems completely and that the local officials are not alone in trying to solve them. It can also be helpful to show local government officials how the library works with other entities to address community issues.

So...

• How do you strike up that first conversation?
• Where can those conversations happen?
• What topic can you start with?