Settlement Schools were initiated at the turn of the 20th century to address extreme isolation and poverty of school aged children and their families. Attention focused on Appalachia where communities were identified which would benefit from the establishment of an educational outreach program. A Settlement Institution was then defined as a non-profit, private, rural organization in Appalachia designed to promote and provide programs, services, and development for the immediate community and the nearby surrounding area. The purpose was not intended to proselytize, restrict, or remove traditional customs and manners, but rather to enhance and capitalize on the already rich culture propagated in this region.
One hundred years later, in the true tradition of the Settlement Institution ideal, so it is with the concept of the Settlement Library Project™. As an evolving educational outreach library system intiative - with a focus on native and traditional Appalachian culture, customs, and resources - a Settlement Library can be intiated in an already existing small rural library available to local residents. For those communities separated from larger metropolitan areas which offer traditional library services and the benefits thereof, a Settlement Library offers an opportunity to establish non-traditional - less than full-service - information centers designed to promote and provide programs, services, and educational development while striving toward the retention of the historical quality of the community. A Settlement Library is a local link for rural residents to greater and larger resources.
The objective of a Settlement Library is to empower local residents through educational pursuits, opportunities, linked services, and skills provided by private and public agencies and various organizations working cooperatively: addressing the present educational and informational needs of the community, and securing a link with local historical customs and culture.
Not every rural community requires a full-service library. For those communities separated by distance or economic difficulties supplementing library services for the obtainment of appropriate and adequate information access promotes a sense of community identity, individual intellectual freedom, and Constitutional democratic ideals leading to an informed and educated citizenry.
Libraries build communities; however, it is the history and culture of the community which give the library its soul and its character. Through capitalizing on opportunities for broader impact, the Settlement Library Project™ develops innovative ways to provide access to resources and services.
After all, a library's business is people.
More about Settlement Schools is available at this link:
http://www.ket.org/settlement/index.html
This image available at: http://www.eerc.ra.utk.edu/sightline/VegetationV2N1.html
