What the new year shall bring - Detroit-based work

The winter/holiday break that academics and students receive is much needed, but the itch to get back to work is just as important.  As such, 2012 is shaping up to be a fantastic year.

One of the initiatives on which I'm most excited to work is at the Detroit Center.  There are many connections to make, many collaborations to develop, and many people to meet.  The UM Library is just starting work there to connect librarians to the projects at the Detroit Center.  Many of the projects are health-based, social work and leadership based, connected with urban planning, engineering, and much more.  There are many ways that librarians can assist this work; as UM is a research institution, the projects it supports need to be research-based.  UM librarians can work with the project coordinators to inform their work so that it can benefit the UM community, Detroit community, and citizens worldwide.

The University of Michigan is dedicated to working in Detroit.  Just today, as I was searching for UM-based Detroit work, I came across a very interesting website from The Office of the Vice President for Communications at UM entitled The University of Michigan and Detroit: A Parternship for Progress.  The website details UM's commitment to work in Detroit and discusses the "base of operations" (the Detroit Center) and lists projects associated with UM's work in Detroit.

The Detroit Center is the base of operations for many of U–M’s Detroit–focused programs. Established in 2005, the 10,500 square–foot facility provides space for offices, classes, meetings, exhibitions, lectures, and collaborative work while serving as a home base for students and faculty working on projects in the city. The U–M Detroit Admissions Office is also located here.

• ARTS & CULTURE

• COMMUNITY ACTION & SERVICE

• ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

• GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY

• HEALTH & SAFETY

• INSTRUCTIONAL SERVICES & OUTREACH

• LEGAL RESOURCES

• PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SERVICES

• SUSTAINABILITY & THE ENVIRONMENT

(Source: http://vpcomm.umich.edu/issues/detroit.html) 

UM's work in Detroit also relates to UM President Mary Sue Coleman's Third Century Initiative which I learned about through Arts of Citizenship's Associate Director, Elizabeth Werbe.  The Third Century Initiative aims to, "use $50 million in existing funds during the next five years to develop innovative, multidisciplinary teaching and scholarship approaches to such topics as climate change, poverty and malnutrition, energy storage, affordable health care and social justice challenges. It will encompass teaching, research and service efforts" (http://www.ur.umich.edu/update/archives/111005/thirdcent).

The Partnership for Progress and the Third Century Initiative are just two of the many reasons that the Library should forge forth with creating a partnership with the Detroit Center.  The possibilities for collaborations are abundant, and it will be exciting to see and be a part of what's to come.