Participants in Books@Work programs continue to wrestle with big ideas and build relationships with co-workers despite the record cold temperatures and snowfall that much of the country is experiencing. Indeed, for some readers the winter weather affords an opportunity to read more than they would otherwise as schools and offices close, and walking, train travel and driving become chores.
In the midst of all this, Books@Work continues to develop new models and approaches to lifelong learning. We are excited to report on three exciting developments that allow us to reach new audiences, deepen our engagement with the communities in which participants live, offer new ways for readers to reflect on texts and build relationships with one another, and build momentum toward transformational change across entire institutions:
Extending Books@Work’s reach in a company – Over the next several months we will launch multiple programs in a single company for the first time, reaching those who serve at different levels, perform different functions and even work at different sites. Through this initiative, we have an exciting opportunity to test different models for Books@Work seminars and to assess their impact not only on individuals but on the company as a whole. Can a series of Books@Work offerings simultaneously develop better thinkers, facilitate better employee engagement and offer a new way of transforming company culture? This partnership offers a way for us to test these ideas.
Taking Books@Work online – The in-person experience of Books@Work is invaluable as participants communicate directly with one another and the professor in real-time, without the mediation of technology. However, due to the hectic schedules and remote working arrangements in some companies, it is not always possible to have as many in-person sessions as might be desirable. Earlier this month we launched a hybrid program in which participants meet monthly for an extended session in-person, supplemented by communication over a private website between sessions. This online interface allows the professor to share additional material about the book and to raise questions about the text, while permitting participants to continue their conversations and to express themselves through writing.
Community partnerships – In the last few months Books@Work formalized a number of partnerships and relationships with cultural and community organizations in the Cleveland area, among them the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards, Facing History and Ourselves, the Cleveland Public Library and the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities at Case Western Reserve University. In some cases these relationships involved submitting joint applications for funding to support specific programs in the community. In other cases these partnerships are more organic, presenting opportunities for the exchange of ideas that will enhance our programming and ensure that we maintain an awareness of the larger communities in which we work. We look to these partnerships in Cleveland as models for what we might achieve in other locations where Books@Work offers programs.
As snow melts into spring – sooner rather than later, we hope! – we expect to realize even more opportunities to improve our programs, deepen our impact and collaborate with organizations and institutions committed to lifelong learning. Stay tuned for updates in The Notebook!
Image: Juan Gris, Still Life with Newspaper, 1916, The Phillips Collection, Washington DC, [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
