Building Programs with Your Community

AFTER COMPLETING THIS COURSE, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO:

• Explain what community co-design is and how it differs from planning programs for your community without their input.
• Use community data, feedback, and relationship-building strategies to better understand local needs, priorities, and interests.
• Identify ways to move beyond the same familiar attendees and create more inclusive opportunities for participation.
• Design programs and services with community members from the beginning, not just after plans are already in place.
• Build practical processes for gathering input, testing ideas, and shaping programs collaboratively.
• Strengthen community partnerships in ways that make library programming more relevant, responsive, and sustainable.

If you are someone who:

• Plans or coordinates library programs and wants a clearer way to align them with community priorities.
• Is responsible for outreach, engagement, or partnership work with local organizations and groups.
• Collects community feedback, survey responses, or usage data but wants better ways to turn that information into programming decisions.
• Is looking for structured approaches to involving community members earlier in the program design process.
• Wants practical methods for building stronger relationships with community members and partners.

This course was built for you.

This course is especially helpful for:

• Public library staff responsible for planning programs, events, or community initiatives.
• Outreach librarians and community engagement coordinators.
• Library staff working to reach new audiences or strengthen existing community relationships.
• Programming teams interested in more participatory approaches to library services.
• Library leaders looking to build more community-informed programming strategies.

If you want your programs to reflect your community instead of relying on assumptions, you will see yourself in this course.

THIS COURSE CONSISTS OF 4 SELF-PACED MODULES:

Module 1: Co-Design Foundations

What is co-design and in what contexts is it appropriate to use? How might co-design revolutionize your outreach processes? This introductory module will lay the foundations of and methods for community co-design.

Module 2: Understanding Co-Design and Implicit Bias

What is co-design, and why might it help you create more inclusive and equitable programs and services? Why is identifying implicit bias - both personally and institutionally - crucial to effective co-design work? This module will discuss how you can embrace co-design as a mindset in order to transform how you approach community-based programs and services. Leave with an understanding of the foundation for the theory and methods of co-design and practical ways co-design can enhance your library work.

Module 3: Knowing Your Community and Growing Their Involvement

What do you need to know about your community to get started with a co-design project? How do you gather community interest, support, and input? This module will discuss practical strategies for researching and connecting with your community. We will also discuss methods for outreach and data collection, survey design and response analysis, as well as how to ensure you gather diverse perspectives that fully represent your community.

Module 4: Implementing Co-Design: Tools and Methods

What are different ways you can enact co-design? And how do you know if your co-design process is successful? This closing module will showcase a model of co-design from beginning to end, focusing on adaptable and tangible tools you can use in the co-design process. We will discuss ways to iterate and refine the project, as well as how to establish effective metrics for evaluating progress.

COURSE INSTRUCTORS

Dr. Audrey Barbakoff, CEO, Co/lab Capacity

Dr. Audrey Barbakoff is the CEO of Co/lab Capacity, which provides community-centered consulting for libraries and social good organizations. She brings more than a decade of experience in public libraries, where she worked in inclusive community engagement and leadership. Her innovative work has been recognized by Library Journal Movers & Shakers, the Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal 40 Under 40, the Freedom to Read Foundation, and the Urban Libraries Council. In addition to her MLIS from the University of Washington, Dr. Barbakoff holds an EdD in organizational change and leadership from the University of Southern California. Her dissertation research focused on building organizational capacity for equity, diversity, and inclusion in public libraries through community-led programs. She is the author of Adults Just Wanna Have Fun: Programs for Emerging Adults and the forthcoming book Twelve Steps to a Community-Led Library. Find her at www.colabcapacity.com.

LaKesha Kimbrough, Owner, LK Consulting & Coaching and Senior Director, Seattle University Youth Initiative

LaKesha Kimbrough is the Owner of LK Consulting & Coaching and the Senior Director of the Seattle University Youth Initiative at Seattle University, where she leads efforts to build nourishing, holistic educational pathways for young scholars and their families. With more than 20 years of experience advancing education justice through healing-centered engagement, LaKesha partners with communities to co-design equitable youth development programs and supports. She is recognized for her commitment to empowering learners, caregivers, and educators to thrive in meaningful, culturally sustaining systems.

Scott Young, Associate Professor and UX & Assessment Librarian, Montana State University

Scott Young is an associate professor and UX & Assessment Librarian at Montana State University. As a researcher-practitioner, he develops theory and practice in the field of library assessment, weaving together three main strands: user experience, co-design, and professional ethics. Scott is the editor-in-chief of Weave: Journal of Library User Experience, and has been practicing co-design in libraries since 2016.

WHO SHOULD TAKE THIS COURSE

This course is designed for library staff responsible for programming, outreach, and community engagement who want stronger ways to involve their communities in shaping library services.

REGISTRATION AND PRICING

The registration deadline for this course is March 19, 2026. The standard registration price is $289.

GROUP OPTIONS

Training a team? Choose the setup that matches how you want to plan and pay:

Group course enrollment: Enroll 3+ staff in this course and save.

Bulk course credits: Prepay once, get the highest per-seat discount on every course, and assign seats later.

Unlimited annual licensing: System-wide access for a year with no per-course approvals.

Request Discounted Group Pricing

Questions? Email groupsales@libraryjournal.com.

COURSE FORMAT

This is a fully self-paced, asynchronous online course consisting of 4 modules. Each module includes video instruction, slides, readings, and reflective exercises designed to help you apply community co-design strategies directly to your programming work.

EXPECTED TIME COMMITMENT

Each module is designed to take approximately 4 hours to complete, for a total of 16 professional development hours. You may move through the course at your own pace and on your own schedule.

ALL THE DETAILS

Libraries are increasingly expected to build programs that reflect the real interests and needs of their communities. Yet many programming decisions still rely on assumptions, internal brainstorming, or repeating what worked in the past.

This course introduces community co-design as a practical approach to developing programs and services with your community rather than simply for them. You will explore strategies for gathering meaningful input, interpreting community data, and creating collaborative processes that bring patrons and partners into the design of library programming.

Through examples, guided exercises, and planning tools, you will learn how to move beyond traditional outreach and build programs that reflect community priorities, attract new participants, and strengthen relationships with local partners.

By the end of the course, you will have practical frameworks for gathering community insight, designing programs collaboratively, and creating programming strategies that are more responsive, inclusive, and sustainable.

COURSE ACCESS

You will have access to all course materials for six months from the material unlock date.

CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION

Complete all modules to earn 16 professional development credit hours and a Library Journal certificate of completion. Certificates are emailed upon completion.

ACCESSIBILITY

All video recordings feature auto-captioning. If you require accommodations, please email course-support@libraryjournal.com upon registration and we will make our best efforts to support your needs.

SUPPORT

For technical or course-related support, please contact course-support@libraryjournal.com.