Four Stages of Harwood

These stages are based on The Public Innovator Lab Guide, The 18-Month Practice Arc, and ALA’s “Turning Outward Resources for Libraries”

This page is organized into four sections, corresponding with each stage of the Harwood process.

Each section includes relevant resources for that particular stage. The Harwood Tools page contains additional resources to help you implement the Harwood practice.

Contents

Timeline

Stage 1: Get Started

  • Begin to talk to your library team about their hopes and goals
  • Put in place the thought processes that will lead to long-term change
  • This stage introduces the concepts of turning outward, aspirations, and intentionality.

Stage 2: Know Your Community

  • Begin facilitating conversations with your community
  • Discover what kind of community people want
  • What challenges does the community face?
  • And what changes are needed to overcome those challenges?

Stage 3: Strategies

  • Share knowledge with your team and stakeholders
  • Evaluate your team’s progress
  • Regularly bring members of your team together to focus on what you’re learning and reconsider library practices as you go forward.

Stage 4: Strengthen Your Culture

  • Turn insights into action
  • Base planning on community situation and stages
  • Gain a nuanced understanding of your community’s “rhythms” and “sweet spots”
  • Assess how you are integrating the turning outward approach into your ongoing work.

Stage One: Get Started

Begin to talk to your library team about their hopes and goals. Put in place the thought processes that will lead to long-term change. This stage introduces the concepts of turning outward, aspirations, and intentionality.

Videos

PDFs

Websites

Stage Two: Know Your Community

Begin facilitating conversations with your community. Discover what kind of community people want. What challenges does the community face? And what changes are needed to overcome those challenges?

Videos

PDFs

Stage Three: Create Stronger Programs & Strategies

Share knowledge with your team and stakeholders. Evaluate your team’s progress. Regularly bring members of your team together to focus on what you’re learning and reconsider library practices as you go forward.

Videos

PDFs

Stage Four: Strengthen Your Culture

Turn insights into action. Base planning on community situation and stages. Gain a nuanced understanding of your community’s “rhythms” and “sweet spots”. Assess how you are integrating the turning outward approach into your ongoing work.

Videos

PDFs