Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and CivicCLP are pleased to offer another year of thought-provoking virtual and in-person speakers!
This year’s CivicCLP Speaker Series features a diverse group of speakers who will inspire, excite and challenge the community with fresh ideas and perspectives on the deliberative dialogue across differences, social infrastructure, transparency of archives/records and more. Our goal is for these unique presentations to help deepen discussions and inspire actionable steps on a local level for issues with a national relevance.
All of the events are free and open to the community. See below for registration details.
How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times
Wednesday, September 28 | 1:00-2:30 PM EST | Virtual
Partisanship is up, trust is down, and our social media feeds make us sure we’re right and everyone else is ignorant (or worse). But avoiding and attacking one another is breaking… everything. Join us as we learn from Mónica Guzmán, chief storyteller for the national cross partisan depolarization organization Braver Angels and author of I Never Thought of It That Way, as she takes you to the real front lines of a crisis that threatens to grind America to a halt—broken conversations among confounded people. This discussion will be moderated by John Sarrouf, Co-Executive Director and Director of Program Development for Essential Partners.
Preserving America’s Legacy:
A Conversation with David Ferriero, 10th Archivist of the United States
Sunday, October 23 | 2:00-3:30 PM EST | CLP-Main Lecture Hall & Virtual
Join Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and CivicCLP as we invite David Ferriero, the 10th Archivist of the United States (2009-2022), to the stage. Ed Galloway, the Associate University Librarian, Archives & Special Collections within the University of Pittsburgh Library System, sits down with Ferriero to talk about his adventures in leading the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). The conversation will touch on the importance of and challenges in transparency, accountability, retention, and access in archives and records management.
CLICK HERE to register for the in-person option.
CLICK HERE to register for the virtual option.
Palaces for the People:
How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life
Wednesday, November 16 | 6:00-7:00 PM EST
In this keynote based on Palaces for the People, Eric Klinenberg guides audiences through his deeply researched conception of social infrastructure, and how we can build it together. The future of democratic societies rests not simply on shared values but on shared spaces, he explains. The libraries, childcare centers, bookstores, places of worship, and parks are where crucial, sometimes life-saving connections, are formed. These places where people gather and linger, making friends across group lines, strengthen the entire community. When strong, neighborhoods flourish; when neglected, as it has been in recent years, families and individuals must fend for themselves. This talk offers a timely and empathetic blueprint for change, showing how social infrastructure is helping solve some of our most pressing challenges: Isolation, crime, education, addiction, political polarization, and even climate change.