Libraries

libraries, public spaces

NWEI courses have been offered in libraries throughout North America as part of seasonal programming for both library and wider community members.

If you are interested in offering the course through your local library, follow these steps:

Reserve a meeting room at the Library for a weeknight for four to ten weeks, depending on the chosen NWEI course offering.
Advertise and promote the course offering; Conduct an introductory or informational presentation at the Library. Encourage pre-registration.
Help the attendees form one or more classes depending on number of participants (ideal groups have 8-12 members).

You may also download the Librarian Checklist for further assistance in your planning.

Library Courses: What people are saying

"Our discussion groups meet at the public library in a conference room. We post our scheduled classes on a community bulletin board at the library, including date, time, location, and a list of session titles. We also advertise by posting flyers around town and publishing in the Community Briefs in the local weekly newspaper. We find that friendships form quickly. It is true that these courses do not need a trained facilitator and people are most comfortable talking about habits they want to change when there is no “expert”. We have also formed three groups through the community college. Celebrations have ranged from simple to complex, including a restaurant meal, home potlucks, and an all-day field trip. The field trip included an organic farm, a community trust farm, and sustainable architect with a bank and church he designed, and a recycling, reuse and trash art center. It was fantastic."

--Judith Culver, Seaside, Oregon Library System

"We have had success offering the Northwest Earth Institute courses at the Boise Public Library. We tend to do this about twice a year, once in the early Fall and once fairly soon after New Years. We have had very good success with the Library groups bonding well and taking follow-up courses, despite most participants not having known each other before the first class. It has turned out to be a good way to form groups to take classes and has been quite successful for us."

-Dan Walters/Idaho Earth Institute Volunteer

"The Salt Lake County Library System has 18 branches serving a population of 900,000. I have offered several NWEI discussion courses as a program of the Salt Lake County Library System over the past six years. The one we have offered most frequently, and had the greatest response to, has been Voluntary Simplicity. We have also offered Choices for Sustainable Living, Discovering a Sense of Place, and Exploring Deep Ecology. The courses have been offered at three or four libraries. Participation has ranged from 8 to 20 members. Participants can either check one of the books out of the library, if available, or purchase them through the Great Basin Earth Institute (partner organization to NWEI). When we advertise the programs, we request advance registration. We then set people up with books and have them complete the first readings prior to the opening discussion. Most of the groups—all comprised of people who have not known each other previously---have bonded fairly well, some extremely well. Several groups continued on to complete other discussion courses. The celebrations have generally been held at the home of one of the group members. While the courses impact people differently, they have caused some participants to reconsider lifestyle choices, for instance, downsizing to a smaller home or choosing an alternative commute method. In at least one instance it caused a participant to reevaluate and change their career choice. The courses have also allowed people to connect with others who are considering and debating similar issues, sometimes forming lasting friendships."

-Lora Koehler, Librarian, Salt Lake County Library System

Read the article on Voluntary Simplicity and Public Libraries