The Community Development Foundation has been contracted by Resource to
identify and promote good practice in libraries engaged in supporting
community cohesion and diversity.
This work will contribute to the action plan developed by Resource for
the Framework for the Future, and will identify barriers and progress,
lead to the establishment of good practice guidance, and establish
indicators. We have been asked to assist with this work.
To help identify relevant current activity within your local public
library authority, you are asked to reply to this email with the
name(s), telephone number(s) and email address(es) of someone (probably
within your public library service) who we could call to discuss what
you are doing.
If you have any written information, or web links that would lead our
researchers to relevant information, please reply by email with
documents or details attached.
Please find below some notes that explain the area of work that we are
interested in.
Thank you for your forbearance: we look forward to your early replies!
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Strategic objective 9: deliver an inclusive service that reflects and
helps build cohesive communities
http://www.resource.gov.uk/documents/fff_ap2003.doc
We are interested in such issues as:
* The nature and extent of partnership, consultation and community
involvement
* Key constituencies and stakeholder groups
* Business/service processes and practices such as action plans and
strategies, and evaluation of impact
* Sample activities intended to promote appreciation of cohesion and
diversity
* The perceived potential for systematic indicators to fit into the
kind of work being done, and whether or not people feel they would
need to be locally specific
* Barriers and problems experienced.
A broad working definition is that a cohesive community is one where:
* There is a common vision and a sense of belonging for all communities
* The diversity of people’s different backgrounds and circumstances
are appreciated and positively valued
* Those from different backgrounds have similar life opportunities
* Strong and positive relationships are being developed between
people from different backgrounds in the workplace, in schools and
within neighbourhoods.
Activities that support cohesion and diversity are those that can
contribute to the key factors of community and communities’ ownership,
involvement and continuity.
Community cohesion as an outcome is achieved by promoting equality and
mutual understanding within communities and through improving mainstream
services for people from minority sections of the population. A primary
goal must therefore be to promote respect for diversity (not just a
superficial tolerance of it), and ensure equality amongst people in
terms of their access to facilities, their choices over how they lead
their lives and their influence over decisions that affect them.
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Martin P Dudley
Research and Innovation Services
+44 (0)1904 706557
+44 (0)7950 414267
http://www.riservices.co.uk
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