Week 6 Post

For my week six assignent with the Indian Prairie Public Library, I worked a film viewing and discussion. The film was "Origin" which is a bio-pic following Isabel Wilkerson as she writes her book "Caste: the Origins of our Discontents."  I won't spoil the book or the film too much here, other than to say that WOW that woman had to endure a lot, and that I recommend both peices of media. Highly enjoyable yet heartbreaking and eye-opening. 

While the event itself did not have an overly large number of attendees, the ones that did come were exactly the sort that you would hope would.  They had all read at least MOST of the book, were familiar with the terms and concepts presented, and were able to partake in civil and stimulating discussion after viewing the film.  Several different races were represented, which given the subject matter of the film, makes a lot of sense.  None of the participants knew each other before that evening, but they left the event with an understanding of each other that went beyond pleasantries. Force 3 of The PLA Leadership Model is about community, specifically building relationships, and understanding and communicating from the community member's perspective.  I believe that this works best and most completely when it benefits not only how the library functions but how the community itself develops as well.  If the library itself can function as a venue for civil discourse and the exchange of ideas, then we as a society can ensure that there is always a place to expore concepts and learn more about our world, that does not have a barrier to entry. After all, isn't that what libraries are all about? Even if the disccusion is about a movie, not a book.