Dial 211: libraries get involved with a new social service initiative

摘要

In January, the Community Forum in Memphis, Tennessee--a group that works to foster civic discussion on important public issues--brought together the local public library, the United Way of the Mid-South, the Aging Commission of the Mid-South, and several other leading social service agencies. The forum wanted to gauge the local interest in an emerging national initiative that links people with community services and helps them navigate the complex and mushrooming maze of human service agencies and programs. Known simply as 211, the initiative involves the use of a nationally abbreviated dialing code for free access to health-and-human-services information and referral (I and R). Excitement brewed in Memphis and the group formed a steering committee, which chose the local agency that would lead the project. "Initially, there was concern that turf issues would make the decision difficult, but it didn't take the group long to reach a consensus," said Ron Reid, senior agency manager of the LINC Program at the Memphis-Shelby County Public Library and Information Center. "The group recognized that the public library should be the lead agency because it already has a wealth of experience as an I-and-R agency." As Bob McFalls, executive director of the Aging Commission of the Mid-South, explained, "Our public library is recognized in the community as a clearinghouse for community information and resources, and it has the professional personnel that can help the public get answers to questions on a myriad of topics." The public library was one of the first institutions in Memphis to provide health and human service information, added Brad Wanzer, senior vice president of the United Way of the Mid-South. "I believe that the public library has been doing itfor nearly two decades, so it's just building on what it has been doing for years," he explained.