KIDS COUNT State-Level Data Online: A Librarian at Every Table. No. 290

About KIDS COUNT State-Level Data Online.
This new database, launched in July 2005, contains more than 75 measures of child well-being, including the 10 measures used in our annual KIDS COUNT Data Book. It includes the most timely data available on Education, Employment and Income, Poverty, Health, Basic Demographics, and Youth Risk Factors for the U.S., all 50 states, and D.C. Depending on availability, three to five years of trend data is currently available for most indicators.This easy-to-use, powerful online database allows you to generate custom reports for a geographic area (Profiles) or to compare geographic areas on a topic (Ranking, Maps, and Line Graphs).

Engaging Communities: A Librarian at Every Table. No. 289.

International Conference on Engaging Communities.
The International Conference on Engaging Communities is an initiative of the United Nations and the Government of the State of Queensland, Australia. This unique event will explore all issues related to community engagement and address the experiences, challenges and research which affect all citizens, governments and organisations alike. The program is designed to interest representatives from community groups, academia, government agencies, corporations, associations and the like.
Around the world, greater engagement of citizens, clients, consumers and communities is becoming a feature of many governments and both public and private organisations. People are expecting to be able to be involved and to have a say in the business of government and in the decisions of organisations that affect their interests. Many are concerned about low levels of knowledge and the poor relations with communities that reduce the trust in public and private institutions. This in turn, impedes effective decision-making and the achievement of social and economic development and environmental sustainability outcomes. Accordingly, some governments and organisations are responding with a renewed commitment to effective engagement and some are using innovative methods of doing so to deliver better results for customers, citizens and communities.
Program includes Robert Putnam whose 2003 book, BETTER TOGETHER: Restoring the American Community, includes Chicago Public Library as an example.

Library of La Raza. A Librarian at Every Table. No. 288

There are over 200 documents available in the library at the National Council of La Raza.

• How Did Latinos Really Vote in 2004?

• Immigrant Access to Driver’s Licenses: A Tool Kit for Advocates

• Hispanic Perspectives - NCLR/Zogby Poll

The National Council of La Raza - the largest national constituency-based Hispanic organization and the leading voice in Washington, DC for the Hispanic community - is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan, tax-exempt organization established to reduce poverty and discrimination and improve life opportunities for Hispanic Americans. Four major functions provide essential focus to the organization’s work: capacity-building assistance; applied research, policy analysis, and advocacy; public information efforts; and special and international projects. These functions complement NCLR’s work in five key strategic priorities - education, assets/investment, economic mobility, health, and media/image/civil rights.

Santa Fe: first UNESCO City of Folk Art: A Librarian At Every Table. No. 287.

The city of Santa Fe, New Mexico has been appointed UNESCO City of Folk Art under the Global Alliance Creative Cities Network during a special ceremony that took place in Santa Fe, 13 July.

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Creative cities are vital to meeting community and national economic and social goals. By happy coincidence, the conditions that foster creative cities also foster economic innovation, social inclusion, democratic engagement and environmental sustainability. Four new papers from CPRN underline the key role of the arts and culture in that enterprise, especially in today’s knowledge economy.
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This is from the Canadian Policy Research Networks, a different kind of think tank that concentrates on the human side of the agenda. "CPRN, from the beginning, has helped to bridge social and economic choices."

On-Line Conference on Community Organizing and Development. A Librarian at Every Table. No. 286.

COMM-ORG is the On-Line Conference on Community Organizing and Development.

The COMM-ORG mission is to:

* help connect people who care about the craft of community organizing.
*find and provide information that organizers, scholars, and scholar-organizers can use to learn, teach, and do community organizing.
* involve all COMM-ORG members in meeting those goals.
*community organizers and academics can both benefit by exchanging information and resources. The COMM-ORG membership is composed of about half academics and half practitioners (including some government officials and funders).
COMM-ORG.

Supreme Court Guide for Activists: A Librarian at Every Table. No. 285.

On Friday, July 1 Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor announced that she would retire from the Supreme Court. Her vacancy provides President Bush with an opportunity to be a uniter, not a divider, by consulting with Senators from both political parties and by choosing a mainstream nominee.
President Bush will be announcing his nominee any day now so the time to help persuade him and the Senate to confirm a mainstream candidate is short. Please help protect the Supreme Court by taking one or more of the actions below. Help spread the word by sharing this activist guide with your friends and family.