The public library association will partner with the national center for families learning to develop new tools and training models to support authentic engagement of spanish-speaking families

This two-year project will train public library staff from california, georgia, and massachusetts on best practices for collaborating with culturally diverse community members, and on using principles of CO-design to improve library services for underserved communities. Project activities include: 1) training for staff at up to nine public libraries on best practices for reflecting on personal bias, effectively collaborating with culturally diverse community members, and using principles of CO-design to improve library services for underserved communities; 2) creating and sharing resources to bolster understanding of family engagement, why IT is important, and how to incorporate IT when working with culturally diverse groups; 3) developing an evaluation framework to assess outcomes; and 4) disseminating all project-developed tools and information. This project will benefit public libraries and the communities they serve by providing fresh approaches to practicing more inclusive family engagement.