Disaster Resilience Library Workshop: A Public Education Model

About the Program

Category: Libraries (Best in Category)

Year: 2020

Over the years, emergency preparedness organizations have over-relied on sharing passive safety information, presuming that residents will understand its importance and take action to protect families and communities. In reality, a one-size-fits-all solution has repeatedly failed to produce the desired results. Therefore, the Los Angeles (LA) County has looked for new tools and motivating strategies that embrace the diversity of our population and help them undertake disaster preparedness actions. The LA County Public Library and the LA County Chief Executive Office/Office of Emergency Management’s new Disaster Resilience Library Workshop program is a low cost and replicable model of inter-departmental collaboration that aims to improve preparedness outcomes. The model is rooted in the fact that our libraries are community hubs and serve a wide range of LA County residents. Our shared goal was to consistently promote disaster resilience in a non-threatening environment that supports dialogue, exploration and empowerment. Our efforts culminated in the development of the Disaster Resilience Library Workshop program, a customizable instructional curriculum that is flexible, hands-on and engaging. Offered in English and Spanish during evenings and weekends since 2018, our program has received strong reviews from library patrons who participated in the 28 workshop sessions offered to date.