March 8, 2023

By Crosby Kemper, IMLS Director

The National Archives and iCivics hosted the first Civic Learning Week conducted March 7 at the Archives on Constitution Avenue (so appropriate). Danielle Allen, whose Democracy Knowledge Project in Massachusetts for civic education in libraries and high schools, has been funded in the past by IMLS, moderated two important conversations about our “plural yet shared nation”. Dan Vallone of More in Common pointed to surveys showing that we are wrong in thinking we are completely divided; there are huge “perception gaps” in our knowledge of each other, as he and Ben Klutsey from George Mason both pointed out we are not as polarized on the basic issues as social media makes us seem.

Danielle’s conversation followed with Gov. Chris Sununu who pointed to the great relations Governors of different parties and ideological persuasions have. In both conversations Danielle and her panelists were looking for “common ground” in civil discussion where our complex humanity is shared through each other’s life stories. Congress has supported the work of IMLS in precisely this kind of civic engagement work we fund for libraries and museums. They are increasingly active in helping communities bring people together to share stories that are part of the whole community’s story. Danielle’s work is informing our work for both America250 commemorating the Declaration of Independence, and our Information Literacy Taskforce aimed at understanding and strengthening local civic dialogue and information.

In another panel, Yuval Levin suggested the problem in our polarized country is the illusion of knowledge and the difficulty of knowing whom to trust. Here I think is why libraries and museums can be so important in this engagement: they have civic trust.

About the Author
Crosby Kemper is the sixth director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. He was commissioned by the White House on January 24, 2020, following his confirmation by the United States Senate.