A New Chapter, Continued: Teaching Civic Skills in the Everyday Spaces of Public Libraries
In my last post, I highlighted the recently published Experiential Civic Learning for American Democracy, a project of The Task Force on the Value of Experiential Civic Learning. That post briefly explored the first three sections of the paper, which offer a working definition of experiential civic learning and its overarching goals. Today, I want to turn to section four, which focuses on specific teaching practices.
What follows is a reflection shaped in part by my time at the American Democracy Project (ADP) Summit—a two-day gathering that explored, among other things, what everyday democracy looks like on campus and in communities, how civic engagement can be embedded in relational and generative ways, and the ongoing challenges of leading democracy work in contentious times.
At the Summit, I heard faculty and student leaders describe programs that brought together conservative and progressive students—not to reach agreement, but to build confidence, curiosity, and nuance. One speaker shared how pairing a student from Utah with one from Detroit didn’t just produce polite disagreement—it produced a deeper understanding of the lived experiences that shape our worldviews.
All of this underscores and really leans into section four of Experiential Civic Learning for American Democracy, highlighting that teaching civic skills isn’t just about preparing students for debates or elections. The paper identifies several forms of experiential civic learning, including:
Structured Discussion: These practices emphasize critical thinking and respectful dialogue around complex, real-world issues. Approaches like Paideia Seminars encourage students to explore multiple perspectives and apply their learning collaboratively within a well-facilitated environment.
Citizen Awareness Campaigns: Through blogs, videos, or letters to peers and community members, students learn how to use their voices on issues of public concern. They practice ethical communication, consider diverse audiences, and engage in persuasive civic storytelling.
Project-Based Learning: In this long-term, hands-on approach, students research and address authentic community problems. From interviewing stakeholders and engaging elected officials to designing and presenting solutions, they develop a deep understanding of civic problem-solving—while reflecting on their role in it.
Throughout the ADP Summit, a quiet but persistent truth kept surfacing: civic skill-building doesn’t only happen in political science departments or student government halls. It’s unfolding in residence halls, student life centers, campus quads—and yes, even in college libraries. One speaker described embedding civic dialogue into dorm life, where rural and urban students tackled micro-level problem solving—not about national headlines, but about roommate tensions. Another speaker described a classroom where students didn’t just read op-eds; they were asked to argue viewpoints they disagreed with, building empathy through contrarian thinking. Then there was the Civic Gym (https://www.unifyamerica.org/civic-gym), where over 30,000 students across 43 states have participated in dialogue with someone ideologically different—often leaving surprised not by disagreements, but by the common hopes uncovered beneath them.
This work is about equipping people with the everyday tools of democratic life—listening without rushing to win, evaluating competing narratives, and making space for the full humanity of those on the “other side.”
And yet, as powerful as these campus experiments are, they often live in silos—reliant on a single passionate faculty member or a strong cohort of students. Initiatives like American Democracy Project, Campus Compact, and the Association of Research Libraries’ upcoming Executive Institute are working to strengthen and scale this work. These conversations are critical. College classrooms may serve as rehearsal spaces for pluralism and campuses the stage—but they cannot do it alone. Just as K-12 systems can’t shoulder this work by themselves, campuses need partners. One of the most vital partners in this broader civic learning ecosystem? Public libraries.
As I continue to have conversations around civic learning, I’m frequently asked whether libraries should even be involved in this work. As I’ve said on many occasions: they already are.
Public libraries model a different kind of civic classroom: no grades, no tuition, no gatekeeping. Just open space, trusted adults, and an open invitation to participate.
Walk into a library on any given weekday or weekend afternoon and you might find teens:
Taking on leadership roles by designing surveys to better understand what their peers care about—and using the results to create new programs that bring more teens into the library;
Presenting the findings of a neighborhood “walking audit” to local elected officials in an effort to foster safer, more equitable streets;
Participating in a zine fest designed to spark meaningful conversations about racial justice.
These aren’t hypothetical examples. These programs are already happening in libraries across the country—and they are all powerful examples of experiential civic learning.
And while many of these programs focus on young people, the practices they cultivate—critical thinking, active listening, public expression, and collaboration across differences—are foundational skills for civic life at any age. Furthermore, versions of these programs are also happening for adult lifelong learners as well. I believe this is vitally important as many individuals never get a quality civics education in school and may opt-out of going to college - or may be unable to attend - for various reasons.
When it comes to civic learning, and community-driven programs more broadly, public libraries operate along a spectrum shaped by local context. One way to understand this is by considering the range of activities that can take place depending on factors like staffing, funding, space, hours, and staff expertise.
In some libraries, the focus may be on providing quiet, dependable access to collections and skilled reference support. These spaces might have fewer programs, but they still play a vital civic role—curating trusted information on elections, supporting local research, and offering a safe place for inquiry and reflection.
In others, you’ll find a mix of traditional services alongside programs like digital skills workshops, oral-history projects, or mock town halls. These are often made possible by adaptable staff, flexible rooms, and local partnerships—inviting patrons to move beyond information access and into deeper forms of engagement and dialogue.
Still other libraries operate with broader civic infrastructure in place. They may host citizenship clinics, support youth-led design challenges, or house dedicated staff who collaborate closely with government agencies, schools, or nonprofits. In these spaces, the library becomes a full partner in the work of civic connection, lifelong learning, and local problem-solving.
Importantly, all of these libraries are community hubs. What differs is not their commitment to community, but the ways that commitment takes shape. Across the spectrum, public libraries remain one of the few places where civic learning is free, accessible, and responsive to the diverse needs of the people they serve.
Wherever a library falls on this spectrum, it combines unique resources, public trust, and a deep understanding of local needs to offer something rare and vital: a launchpad for experiential civic learning at every stage of life. And this is why public libraries play a vital role in the civic fabric of our communities.
-Shamichael