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REMARKS
Brooklyn Public Library's response on civic engagement programs and Books Unbanned initiative
1:00:08
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Linda E. Johnson, President and CEO of Brooklyn Public Library, responds to questions about civic engagement programming. She explains that these programs are integrated across all library services and locations, not limited to specific areas.
- Highlights the Books Unbanned program as an example of civic engagement work
- Describes how the program trains Brooklyn teens to advocate for themselves and others
- Mentions additional programs like debates for older adults and teens on civic engagement topics
Linda E. Johnson
1:00:08
The civic engagement programming that we do is infused in not just one location or in one particular category of programs, it's across all of the work that we do.
1:00:22
So the best example which will also address the second question would be our Books Unbanned program which is designed to provide banned books as well as access to the entire Brooklyn digital collection to teens across the country who are not able to find the books they're looking for on the shelves of their local or their school libraries.
1:00:47
That program, while it appears at first blush to provide services to teens across the country, it also gave us the opportunity to do some very robust civic engagement work with Brooklyn Teens.
1:01:03
We have intellectual teen councils that are essentially in the business of helping their peers across the country learn how to advocate for themselves.
1:01:16
And so they are being trained to be civically engaged and to advocate for themselves so that they in turn can spread that work across the country to teens who are living in communities where their rights are being severely infringed.
1:01:32
Right.
1:01:32
And that's just one example.
1:01:34
You know we are trying to infuse civic engagement work in everything we do.
1:01:40
We have program for older adults and teens as well in debates.
1:01:47
And the topics that are being debated are often around conversations or are based on conversations about civic engagement and advocacy.
1:01:57
So this is work that we believe so deeply and that it's actually happening in every branch across the system as well as programs that extend beyond the borough.
1:02:09
Thank you.