Hello, Friends!

Last week, the Knight Foundation hosted their annual Library Leaders and Media Forum meetings in Miami. Library CEO Marcellus Turner and I attended with our foundation and library peers, and advocates from around the country and Canada. In our time together, we discussed AI literacy, archiving and preservation of our communities’ stories, and the importance of strengthening public/private partnerships. 

Martha Yesowitch, the Library’s Community Partnerships Manager attended the Media Forum, which brought together 1,000+ civic leaders, philanthropic funders, journalists, scholars, industry experts, and government officials to explore how communities can thrive through strengthened local connections.

At the Library Foundation, we deeply value the role that libraries play in safeguarding knowledge and ensuring that our community has spaces to convene and collaborate. Martha had this to say about her experience:

Knight Foundation Media Forum provided the perfect opportunity to explore innovative models for connecting Charlotteans with information about the topics that matter most to them. Many conversations I had with attendees from across the country resonated with the same themes we value here at Charlotte Mecklenburg Library: listening to our community and building trust, meeting people where they are, understanding their needs firsthand, and partnering with other organizations to build a stronger community. 

Two powerful sessions emphasized the importance of building community and creating spaces for people to gather. Dr. Vivek Murthy spoke about the value of connection to combat the crisis of isolation faced by many, and librarian Shamichael Hallman discussed the power of public places in creating civic infrastructure and uniting people around important ideas.

I am eager to read Hallman’s book Meet Me at the Library: A Place to Foster Social Connection and Promote Democracy as it promises to inspire conversations about how New Main Library can serve as a vital and dynamic convening space for Charlotte and Mecklenburg County.

We are deeply grateful for Charles Thomas, Knight Foundation’s Charlotte Director, who also serves as the Chair of Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Trustees. He invited us along with 30 other Charlotte leaders to participate in this attitude-shifting event. We left inspired, rejuvenated, and ready to build an even better Library for you.

Jenni Gaisbauer, CFRE
Executive Director

Jenni Gaisbauer (second from right) seen here in picture posted by Monique Moore Pryor (right), Executive Director of The Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation