Deliberative exercises in libraries

Problems in implementation and marketing

What are “deliberative exercises”? That term might make us think of:

CharettesVisioning exercisesCaucuses like the Iowa CaucusNew England town hall meeting

A “deliberative exercise”is something different

Here we’re using the term “deliberative exercise” to mean something specific

The kind of exercise advocated by organizations like the National Issues Forum (1989) and the National Coalition for Deliberation and Dialogue (2002)

Their goal: to promote democracy by promoting dialogue about important issues

What is a deliberative exercise?

One that elicits opinion and direction from ordinary people – not politicians, policy analysts or administrators

One that brings people together face-to-face for dialogue in small groups

One in which everyone’s opinion is elicited One in which reiteration shapes the dialogue One that is facilitated One that emphasizes individual reflection

What it is not It is not a planning exercise It does explicitly lead to any action or

decision-making It may or may not lead to consensus Reiteration and “reporting out” is

important The end of the exercise is not the point

Another way of thinking about it I think that term implies to some:

Making decisions Taking some kind of action

Instead, these exercises don’t have a point at the end

The point of the exercise to speak and listen to others – to be part of a dialogue that may lead to a greater or more subtle understanding of the issue

The role of moderator

To keep only a few voices from dominating the discussion

To elicit contributions from everyone

Why are deliberative exercises important?

“At the heart of deliberative democracy is the belief that citizens can seek out solutions and common ground on complex issues that affect their everyday lives.”--- Nancy Kranich

What about you?

Does anyone here have any experience with any kind of deliberative exercise?

Does anyone have an existing interest in this topic?

National Issues Forums

What are National Issues Forums exactly?

National Issues Forums bring people together to talk about important issues. They range from small study circles held in peoples’ homes to large community gatherings modeled on New England town meetings. Each forum focuses on a specific issue such as illegal drugs, Social Security, or juvenile crime.

The forums help people of diverse views find common ground for action on issues that concern them deeply. NIF forums are structured deliberative discussions, led by trained moderators. Using nonpartisan issue books, participants weigh possible ways to address a problem. They analyze each approach and the arguments for and against. From the National Issues Forums web site

National Issues Forums

Just one technique This example is focused on issues

that are national in nature May be less controversial than

tackling local issues Issue books may make exercise

easier

National Issues Forums

Their definition of the purpose of deliberative exercises:

provides citizens the opportunity to consider a broad range of choices

weigh the pros and cons of those choices, and

meet with each other in a public dialogue to identify the concerns they hold in common

Tom Moran’s experience at the Austin Public LibraryHe discussed a National Issues Forums

exercise in detail: Issue booklets help provide context, prevent

polarization of viewpoints Booklets are inexpensive Exercise may or may not lead to consensus Important thing is that people consider other

ways of viewing issues Optimal size: 5-20 participants (other exercises have been larger) Length: one to two hours

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Tom Moran’s experience

He moderated a session on “Examining Health Care”

Most participants were retired, on Medicare The NIF outline helped them to look at issue

in different ways: Fragmentation of the health system Involvement of patients in their own care Equity of any systematic solution

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Tom Moran’s experience

Texas Forums provides an optional post-forum questionnaire:

Participants are asked if they changed their mind after participating in the forum

It asks how participants now feel about the issues discussed in the forum

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Why do deliberative exercises?

Why do we need to do deliberative exercises? “For the first two-thirds of the twentieth century,

a powerful tide bore Americans into ever deeper engagement in the life of their communities, but a few decades ago– silently, without warning—that tide reversed and we were overtaken by a treacherous rip current. Without at first noticing, we have been pulled apart from one another and from our communities over the last third of the century.” Robert Putnam in Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community

That is, such exercise can promote community engagement and may lead to citizens banding together to work on a project

Why do we need deliberative exercises? They can help address the growing isolation

of Americans They can help build individual capacity for

considering public policy issues They provide an opportunity for civil

discussion of issues Willingham argues they solve community

problems & “revitalize democratic practices”

What are some reasons to conduct deliberative discussions in libraries?

Extension of library’s traditional role of providing information to inform citizenship – Nancy Kranich

Libraries are well suited for this leadership role as one of the most trusted public institutions

--Taylor Willingham, in “Libraries as Civic Agents”

And ..

Libraries are already an authoritative source of information

Building civic capacity may be viewed as an extension of the library’s educational role

Libraries usually have meeting space and are a place people go to meet

Libraries are a “safe place”

What about providing input into political processes?

None of the literature I reviewed specifically stated that the public could affect public policy by participating in deliberative exercises

Tom Moran suggested that folks can form a group of their own after a forum to continue talking about an issue

What do you think? Is it a problem that deliberative

exercises don’t feed into political processes?

Would that be desirable? Is there a way to make deliberative

exercises feed into political processes?

What do you think their value is, if they don’t feed into political/governmental processes?

What are some barriers to conducting deliberative exercises in libraries?

In a recent survey I asked librarians to identify barriers to conducting deliberative exercises in their libraries: Need to maintain neutrality – 31.3% Lack of staff time – 81.3% Lack of staff expertise – 56.3% Lack of any compelling reason to do so – 25%

Other reasons cited:Focus on survival

Lack of understanding of deliberative exercises

What are some other barriers?-- more answers from librarians Board that does not see the bigger picture and

need for deliberative democracy - especially in the library. We do conduct many topics but were recently curtailed in presenting local political forums

The deliberative democracy process is designed to empower local units and transform existing institutions. It is the transformative aspect, and resistance to such transformation by existing institutions and heads of institutions that is the primary barrier.

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Some more barriers?

Funding to offer such programming Lack of interest in our community In my last library, we did a few

"National Issues Forums" and they were successful, but very time consuming and somewhat controversial. This library is much more 'political' and so the controversy issue might be greatly increased...

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What would have to occur for some libraries to undertake deliberative exercises?

Answers from some librarians:• an invitation• would have to know what a deliberative exercise was• It would have to fall within the bounds of activities permitted by

our policies and our board of trustees. • Strong demand for such exercises vocalized by our tax-paying base• Funding that would allow us to have sufficient and

appropriately qualified staff to plan, execute, evaluate and maintain the effort

• The right issue, being sure that it really is a community issue.• Having the resources, both in skill and funding, to bring

the community together in the library to do deliberative democracy exercises..

• Getting the word out on proposed events or legislature that would alter community viability, security or environment

Which circumstances would need to be present?• Community partners • An issue upon which I have a keen interest in order to

display a satisfactory level of expertise.• Buy-in so that there would be an expectation that

the process would lead to transformation rather than a report

• If there seemed to be more of an interest in such an activity in our community.

• Time to do so is a huge factor. Right now I would love to tackle some issues, but my time is split too many ways already. For example, with deep cuts in local schools, we are increasing our literacy efforts tremendously. We are in SE Michigan, and it's devastated. Survival is the topic of the day!

An alternative view

Survey responses showed: Some librarians don’t understand what

deliberative exercises are Librarians are afraid of political discourse

inside their libraries Smaller libraries have fewer options:

less programming money less staff time to devote to programming

More on alternative view

The potential of exercises as library programming is limited, as all programming is, by its cost and its appeal to the community

Efforts at community engagement are limited:by the desire to segregate oneself by how busy people are

From the point of view of marketing deliberative exercises Not much of a nexus between the arguments

made for deliberative exercises and any demonstrated result

Efforts to market “deliberative exercises” in the library community have not penetrated very deeply – librarians don’t know what it is

“Deliberative exercises” is a confusing term – it implies decision-making, and action-taking

Some librarians have a deep fear of anything that could be construed as political in the library

What about you?

Are you persuaded that deliberative exercises can help us improve the quality of our democracy?

Do you see any other obstacles to conducting deliberative exercises in libraries?

Do you see other ways to promote deliberative exercises in libraries?

What about you?

After hearing my remarks on deliberative exercises in libraries do you feel:OptimisticSkeptical

Why? Would you lead a deliberative

exercise in your library?

What do you think?

Do you see other reasons or advantages to holding deliberative exercises in the library?

How would you sell the idea of having a deliberative exercise in the library to your library director?

What about ..

Tom Moran’s argument: What about the idea that deliberative

exercises are another kind of programming?

A kind of programming that’s cheap or costs nothing, if you can get a volunteer coordinator or a staff member

What can be done to promote deliberative exercises in libraries?

Find a new term for deliberative exercises – people are confused by this term

Identify successful deliberative exercises and publicize them in library literature

Speak on deliberative exercises at library conferences

Offer to do it for them / or create community partners to do it for them

Nancy Kranich’s prescription

Provide communities with in-person and virtual forums

Provide librarians with the tools and materials necessary to present thoughtful programs about problems

Develop model programs for replication in libraries nationwide

Resources

National Issues ForumNifi.org

National Coalition for Dialogue and DeliberationThataway.orgThere is also a group for the NCDD on

LinkedIn