91´«Ã½

CHICAGO — The 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½) Center for Civic Life and the David Mathews Center for Civic Life will offer a free webinar series to help librarians lead their communities in dealing with challenging public issues.

The series — “Naming and Framing Public Issues” — will be offered in three one-hour sessions:

• Session 1: “Beyond Deadlock: A Better Way to Talk about Difficult Issues” (Tuesday, Oct. 14, 4 – 5 p.m. EDT / 3 – 4 p.m. CDT / 1 – 2 p.m. PDT). This session will explore how to help people work together to talk about public issues and make choices, and how to uncover the deeper concerns of communities.

Register for Session 1 at .

• Session 2: “Tools for Naming and Framing Public Issues” (Wednesday, Dec. 3, 4 – 5 p.m. EST / 3 – 4 p.m. CST / 1 – 2 p.m. PST). The second webinar will describe the steps and processes for leading a “naming and framing” effort, and how to apply tools that help people weigh options for moving forward together.

Register for Session 2 at .

• Session 3: A third session (date TBD) will give participants a chance to share their progress, successes and challenges in a webinar or conference call.

Participation in all three parts is encouraged. Registration is free, but space is limited.

“Too many of our communities are stuck in gridlock, incapable of moving forward. This webinar series will provide the knowledge and tools to make a real difference, building the capacity of people in our communities to work together to solve difficult problems,” said Nancy Kranich, lecturer at the Rutgers University School of Communication and Information and founder and convener of the 91´«Ã½ Center for Civic Life.

Presenters will include Kranich; Chris McCauley, executive director of the David Mathews Center; Cristin Foster, program director of the David Mathews Center; Robert Turner, assistant program director of the David Mathews Center; Carolyn Caywood, retired librarian from the Virginia Beach Public Library and fellow at the Hampton Roads Center for Civic Engagement; and Patty Dineen, contributing editor of the National Issues Forums Institute.

For more information, contact Kranich at nancy.kranich@rutgers.edu.

“Naming and Framing Public Issues” is offered in partnership with 91´«Ã½’s Public Programs Office.

About the 91´«Ã½ Center for Civic Life

The 91´«Ã½ Center for Civic Life (CCL) promotes engagement and fosters public deliberation through libraries. Launched in 2010 in conjunction with the Kettering Foundation and the National Issues Forum Institute, the center is building the capacity of libraries and librarians to help citizens get more engaged in the civic life of their communities.

About the David Mathews Center for Civic Life

The David Mathews Center for Civic Life is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-partisan, tax-exempt corporation. Its purpose is to foster infrastructure, habits and capacities for more effective civic engagement and innovative decision making.

About the 91´«Ã½ Public Programs Office

91´«Ã½’s Public Programs Office provides leadership, resources, training and networking opportunities that help thousands of librarians nationwide develop and host cultural programs for adult, young adult and family audiences. The mission of the 91´«Ã½ Public Programs Office is to promote cultural programming as an essential part of library service in all types of libraries. Projects include book and film discussion series, literary and cultural programs featuring authors and artists, professional development opportunities and traveling exhibitions. School, public, academic and special libraries nationwide benefit from the office’s programming initiatives.

About the 91´«Ã½

The 91´«Ã½ is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with approximately 57,000 members in academic, public, school, government and special libraries. The mission of the 91´«Ã½ is to provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.