Madeleine Charney
This month’s MLS Community Engagement Blog interview features Madeleine Charney from the W.E.B. DuBois Library at the University of Massachusetts Amherst sharing her experience presenting Climate Change Conversations workshops.
Tell us about your Climate Change Conversations workshops.
Madeleine Charney: This past spring, while on sabbatical from the UMass Amherst Libraries, I offered a five-hour training, “Facing the Future: Facilitating Climate Change Conversations in Your Library” in each New England state. There was a mix of public and academic librarians in attendance with a few trustees, Friends of the Library and non-profit staff members (from Cornerstones of Science) sprinkled in. In all, I engaged with 106 trainees. My goal was to empower librarians (and their allies) to invite patrons to explore the “wicked problem” of climate change on a heart level and in a non-threatening environment. Modeling a World Café format, we gathered in small groups to answer questions such as “What gives you hope regarding climate change?”, “To whom would you turn in your local community in the event of a climate change crisis?” “What tools (inner and/or outer) would you activate in the event of a climate change crisis — to support yourself and others in your community?” and “What do you fear re: climate change?” Continue reading
