Town Hall Meetings: In Search of Common Ground

“This could become a habit, a great one!” so says one of the more than 100 participants in last week’s town hall sessions sponsored by IPLA. “What energy!”

Indeed, several of the eleven sites reporting from around the state agreed that organizing a series of regular IPLA town hall meetings should be a top 2010 priority.

Last week, ten groups linked via an audio-visual network – and one new Skype group – conducted structured discussions around the IPLA plan draft posted on Sept 4. The final plan draft will be presented to IPLA members at their October annual meeting in Ft. Wayne.

At the end of the discussions, all groups reported key themes and points of consensus around three basic questions concerning: guiding principles, priorities for the coming year, and leadership.

“Our immediate quest is finding common ground on which to build a strong, relevant, and representative public library association,” says Ginny Nilles, IPLA Planning Chair and President-elect. 

The groups appeared to be doing just that – zeroing in a few areas in a way which will greatly inform the priorities of a newly expanded IPLA Board when it is officially elected later this year.

A copy of the town hall agenda and a synthesis of that feedback are posted for your review.