said “showed the potential of creative approaches in sparking civic dialogue”. In Woolwich this was done through a part- nership with SET Space in Woolwich – which housed over 800 artists – and the co-creation of a mobile exhibition.” SET has since closed but he adds: “We plan to replicate this model with colleagues in Bromley and Wandsworth, funding permitting.”
These community links can be fruitful on many levels: “Art often opens funding doors, but schools, authors, businesses, and health professionals could all help us address voter engagement in different ways,” Patrick said, while adding: “Investment is valuable, as seen in our mobile exhibition project. However, partnerships and local knowledge can be even more important. Working with organisations such as the Woolwich Service Users Project enabled us to reach our target audience more effectively than marketing alone. Ideally, investment and collaboration go hand in hand.”
Gateway communities
The events provided an arena for promoting voter registra- tion services available at the library (
https://wsupwoolwich.org/ democracy-drive-whats-it-all-about). These services were developed in partnership with Greenwich Council’s electoral depart- ment. Patrick said: “They trained staff to sign up residents and provide photo ID where required. We kept a camera on site and produced promotional materials so people knew what was needed to register. In addition, we made political party manifestos available in our libraries and organised reading groups around them. We also launched a newslet- ter, which now has over 4,000 subscribers. Through it, we promoted our “Our Freedom” event (funded by Future Art Centres), which featured an art exhibition and discussions on the meaning of freedom since 1945. Tickets sold out within two hours, and we intend to use the newsletter to further encourage democratic engagement.”
He believes this blueprint is scalable, saying: “While every service highlights the unique makeup of its community, diversity is a constant across the country. Specific demo- graphics – such as renters and non-graduates – will need to be targeted differently in each area, but the overall blueprint is transferable. Some variation is inevitable, but the overar- ching issue – voter decline – is a national one.”
Disagreement
To some, this may look like tinkering with voting system technicalities, when polarisation is so rampant in commu- nities that the bonds required for democracy are at risk. This is what has happened in the US. Shamichael Hallman’s argument is that a sense of belonging needs to be recreated before tackling something as specific as voting. But Patrick doesn’t think this is the case here yet: “I believe libraries already achieve this to a large extent. Our trusted status and welcoming spaces mean residents feel a sense of belonging, which creates fertile ground for promoting voter engagement.”
His view may be local to Woolwich, but the sense that UK communities aren’t broken as badly as their US counterparts is borne out by the Scottish Book Trust findings. The author of that report notes how enormous the gap is between the low-levels of democratic activity in libraries compared to the very positive responses to other measures of ‘active citizenship’ like having a strongly diversified audience, providing equal access to information and safe spaces. With these foundations the issues that divide communities and the technical impediments to voting are surmountable. Patrick said: “I believe libraries must allow the free exploration of ideas, even when polarising. Bernard Crick’s defence of ‘messy politics’ resonates with me: disagreement
Winter 2025 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL 43
within the same space is healthy and should not be avoided. We must be prepared for disagreement but not deterred. Debate is healthy, and polarisation should not prevent libraries from facilitat- ing constructive engagement… Some libraries shy away from it, but I believe it is vital where space allows. Civic renewal comes when people disagree respectfully in shared spaces. However, debates should not obstruct the core functions of browsing and study.” IP
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