Once upon a time in a land far away...
Do we really understand the power of stories in our community and culture? What if stories were not just for entertainment -what if they had a place in the formation and development of our communities and cultures as bearers of history and culture or as tools of healing? The first part of the paper will explore the relevance of stories and the power of narrative in contemporary society.
The Library is one of the centres of storý, free for anyone to access. We embrace story in all its myriad contexts and formats. This is one of our great strengths and may be a key to our future survival. We can provide and encourage an environment where stories in, and of, our entire community as well as of the ethnic, age-based and interest based micro communities, can be shared.
The paper then describes the journey of one library's progress in facilitating their community's narrative journey. 2007 saw a series of events at Kogarah Library (Sydney) that began to show us the possibilities of linking people through stories. In 2008, through a series of programs and events, the Library's Community and Cultural Services Team will be developing this theme, working across the different age groups, CALD groups and interest areas to provide an environment to help encourage and empower the stories in our community. It is planned that this will be foundational for a year of Stories in 2009.