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CHICAGO - LLAMA Presents “Competing in the Information Marketplace II: Strategic PR partnerships — Journalists and Libraries,” from 8 a.m. - 10 a.m. June 25 at the Morial Convention Center Room 383-385. This program is part of the 91´«Ã½'s (91´«Ã½) annual conference In New Orleans.

Three experts will share their views for effective partnerships between libraries and journalists that create opportunities for local news and civic engagement. Two renowned journalists join the founder and leader of 91´«Ã½'s Center for Public Life and 91´«Ã½’s civic engagement membership initiative for a lively discussion of the possibilities created when libraries and journalists work together to encourage community conversations.

Fresh from the first-ever conference bringing together libraries and journalists, Bill Densmore and Nancy Kranich will share highlights of April’s gathering Beyond Books: News, Literacy, and Democracy for America’s Libraries hosted by Journalism that Matters and the M.I.T. Center for New Civic Media.

Fancher will discuss a white paper he has written for the Aspen Institute that is scheduled to be released on June 23. Among other topics, it discusses how journalists and librarians might collaborate to promote civic engagement.

Join in the conversation and help shape the future of libraries and journalism!

For more information contact Program Chair Marsha Iverson miverson@kcls.org

Panelist Bios:

Bill Densmore, career journalist, is also a publisher, entrepreneur and director of the Media Giraffe Project, New England News Forum, and a collaborator on . During the 2008-2009 academic year, he worked on the at the at the Missouri School of Journalism. He is a vice president, director and co-founder of CircLabs Inc.

Mike Fancher is the 2011-2012 Donald W. Reynolds Chair in the Ethics of Entrepreneurial and Innovative Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno. Fancher retired from The Seattle Times in 2008 after 20 years as executive editor. During his tenure as executive editor The Times won four Pulitzer Prizes and was a Pulitzer finalist 13 other times. Fancher served as a 2008-2009 Donald W. Reynolds Fellow in the Missouri School of Journalism. He is vice president of the Washington Coalition for Open Government and serves on an advisory committee to the Fordham University Graduate School of Business. In 2009, he was a consultant to the Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy and to the Aspen Institute’s Forum on Communications and Society.

Nancy Kranich is a tireless champion for the public’s right to know and to participate in a 21^st century democracy. While serving as president of the 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½) in 2000-2001, she focused on enhancing the role of libraries in the civic life of their communities. Since that time, Nancy has remained a steadfast advocate for libraries fostering public engagement as the founder and leader of 91´«Ã½'s Center for Public Life (a Kettering Foundation affiliate) and 91´«Ã½’s civic engagement membership initiative, moderator of public forums, trainer of conveners and moderators of deliberative forums and board member of the National Issues Forum Institute (NIFI). This spring, she helped frame the conversation at the BiblioNews symposium, where journalists, librarians and civic activists came together to find common purpose. Currently, she teaches at the Rutgers University School of Communication and Information and works on engagement projects with the Rutgers University Libraries. Among her recent articles/books on civic engagement are: “Promoting Adult Learning Through Civil Discourse in the Public Library,” in New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, (Fall 2010); “,” Journal of Public Deliberation, (2010); (2005); “The Civic Mission of School Libraries,” Knowledge Quest, (March/April 2006); and "" (Chicago: 91´«Ã½, 2001).

Marsha Iverson, chair for this LLAMA program and an organizer for Beyond Books, is the public relations specialist for the King County Library System