Mapping Community Needs with Foresight, Empathy, and Data
Join DLD staff in person at the Middletown Library Service Center, and participate in exercises designed for a powerful community needs assessment. Integrating foresight into this process helps organizations and stakeholders better understand what resources, services, or programs are lacking, as well as what empathy-focused challenges and opportunities are most important to address. The session is designed to empower grant-seeking library staff to effectively understand the specific community and target audience that they will work with to co-create programs, services, or projects. Participants will learn exercises built from EXCITE Transformation for Libraries workshops including how to do empathy mapping and how to facilitate community conversations to reveal the true needs and wants of the group. The goal is for participants to leave better prepared to describe the community needs within a grant application. All library staff involved in writing grant applications are encouraged to attend.
Presenters:
- Dawn La Valle, Barbara Ghilardi, and Gail Hurley
- Please plan to attend this program as scheduled as it will not be recorded and slides will not be shared.
Who Should Come?
Perfect for all library staff involved in writing grant applications, to effectively understand the specific community and target audience that they will work with to co-create programs, services, or projects.
Accessibility
- If you require an access service to participate fully, please use the Accommodation Request Form at least 14 days prior to the event.
- Date:
- Thursday, April 16, 2026
- Time:
- 10:00am - 11:30am
- Location:
- Middletown Library Service Center, 786 South Main St., Middletown
- Categories:
- DLD Workshop
Event Accessibility for Guests with Disabilities
We want to provide what you need to participate!
If you require access services to participate fully, please use the Accommodation Request Form at least 7 days prior to the event.
If you have any questions about accessibility, please contact Gail Hurley at gail.hurley@ct.gov or (860) 704-2223.
You can also see our Library and Accessibility LibGuide for more information.
Registration Eligibility
To register for a DLD workshop or webinar, you must be one of the following:
- current library staff member
- undergraduate or graduate library student
- Friend or Board Member/Trustee*
- retired or unemployed library staff
Please contact Gail Hurley at gail.hurley@ct.gov or (860) 704-2223 with registration questions.
*Unless otherwise specified that a Friend or Board Member/Trustee is not eligible for a training or workshop.
Note: paid consultants are not eligible to attend DLD workshops or webinars.
Cancellation Policy
If you cannot attend a workshop you have registered for, please remember to cancel at least 3 days in advance so we can give your spot to someone else. You can cancel via the link in your confirmation email, or by contacting Gail Hurley gail.hurley@ct.gov | (860) 704-2222.
Those who miss (without cancelling) 3 events within a 6-month period will be placed on the waiting list when registering for future events. Be sure to sign in when you arrive for any workshop.
Inclement Weather Policy
For all in-person workshops offered by the CT State Library, Division of Library Development:
If the public schools in the town where the workshop is to be held close due to weather, the workshop will be canceled. If the schools have a delay, the workshop will go on as scheduled.
For the most up-to-date information, call us at 860-704-2200.
Continuing Education workshops and the professional development collection are funded in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered by the Connecticut State Library.