Building Common Ground  

Building Common Ground: Discussions of Community, Civility and Compassion is a collaboration between the American Library Association and the Fetzer Institute. The library programs associated with Building Common Ground are funded by a grant from the Fetzer Institute to the American Library Association.

The goal of the Building Common Ground: Discussions of Community, Civility and Compassion project is to engage the public in contemplation and discussion of the importance of community, civility and compassion in their daily lives. By bringing adult audiences together for programs and events that include reading, viewing, reflection, discussion and civic engagement initiatives, public libraries will enhance the quality of life and learning in their communities.

The Ephrata Public Library is one of 30 libraries in the country to receive the grant. We have partnered with the Ephrata Area Chamber of Commerce to bring innovative adult programs to the Ephrata Area.

Opening Event with Dr. G. Terry Madonna
Thursday, May 17, 7:30 p.m.
Location: Eden Resorts & Suites
Click here for a free ticket!
Join us to celebrate the launch of Building Common Ground and the 90th anniversary of the Ephrata Area Chamber of Commerce. Free tickets are available on the library’s website and in-person at the Ephrata Public Library and the Ephrata Area Chamber of Commerce.

Dr. G. Terry Madonna is the Director of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs, Professor of Public Affairs and the Director of the Franklin and Marshall College Poll. He holds a Ph.D. in political history from the University of Delaware. Madonna founded the Keystone Poll in 1992, the oldest survey produced exclusively in Pennsylvania. In 2008, the Keystone Poll was renamed the Franklin and Marshall College Poll. Madonna is also the host of Pennsylvania Newsmakers, a weekly statewide news and commentary program. He is a regular analyst for WGAL-TV and a regular panelist on WPVT’s commentary program Inside Story. A frequent analyst and public affair’s commentator, Madonna has provided analysis to The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, U.S.A. Today, Philadelphia Inquirer, the Christian Science Monitor, National Public Radio, CNN, ABC News and CBS News.

Public Forum: Preparing Today’s Kids for Tomorrow’s Jobs: 
What Should Our Community Do?
Thursday, June 7, 7 p.m.
Ephrata Public Library, Ephrata, PA
A rising chorus of complaints from the nation's employers is a troublesome sign that too many of today's high school graduates are ill prepared for the jobs they seek.  What and how should young people be taught to best equip them for tomorrow's workplace and help strenghten the economy of the communities they live in?  What community resources, including but not limited to schools, can be brought to bear on the problem?

Building Common Ground Book Discussion
“The Wayfinders: Why Ancient Wisdom Matters in the Modern World” by Wade Davis
Thursday, July 5, 6:30 p.m.
Ephrata Public Library, Ephrata, PA
 

Every culture is a unique answer to a fundamental question: What does it mean to be human and alive? Anthropologist and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Wade Davis leads us on a thrilling journey to celebrate the wisdom of the world’s indigenous cultures.
 

In Polynesia we set sail with navigators whose ancestors settled the Pacific ten centuries before Christ. In the Amazon we meet the descendants of a true Lost Civilization, the people of the Anaconda. In the Andes we discover that the Earth really is alive, while in the far reaches of Australia we experience Dreamtime, the all-embracing philosophy of the first humans to walk out of Africa. We then travel to Nepal, where we encounter a wisdom hero, a Bodhisattva, who emerges from forty-five years of Buddhist retreat and solitude. And finally we settle in Borneo, where the last rainforest nomads struggle to survive.
 

Understanding the lessons of this journey will be our mission for the next century. For at risk is the human legacy — a vast archive of knowledge and expertise, a catalogue of the imagination. Rediscovering a new appreciation for the diversity of the human spirit, as expressed by culture, is among the central challenges of our time.

Building Common Ground Book Discussion
“Reverence: Renewing a Forgotten Virtue” by Paul Woodruff
Thursday, September 6, 6:30 p.m.
Ephrata Public Library, Ephrata, PA
    

Reverence is an ancient virtue dating back thousands of years. It survives among us in half-forgotten patterns of behavior and in the vestiges of old ceremonies. Yet, Paul Woodruff says, we have lost sight of reverence. This short, elegiac volume makes an impassioned case for the fundamental importance of the forgotten virtue of reverence, and how awe for things greater than oneself can--indeed must--be a touchstone for other virtues like respect, humility, and charity.
 

Ranging widely over diverse cultural terrain--from Philip Larkin to ancient Greek poetry, from modern politics to Chinese philosophy--Woodruff shows how absolutely essential reverence is to a well-functioning society. He tackles some thorny questions: How does reverence allow not only for leaders but for followers? What role does reverence play in religion? Do some religions misuse reverence? Must reverence be humorless? In the process, Woodruff shows convincingly how reverence plays an unseen part in virtually every human relationship.
 

Elegantly written, thoughtful yet urgent, Reverence is sure to reach out to a wide variety of people interested in the moral health of Western culture, showing how our own intellectual and spiritual legacy can guide us more than we realize.

Screening and Discussion of “Forgiveness: A Time to Love and A Time to Hate”
Part 1: Monday, September 24, 6 p.m.
Part 2: Monday, October 1, 6 p.m.
Ephrata Public Library, Ephrata, PA
    

From Oscar®-nominated director Helen Whitney, this powerful film explores the act of forgiveness through a wide range of stories, from personal to national, illuminating its power, its limitations and, in some cases, its dangers.
   

“Forgiveness” explores the act of forgiveness through a wide range of stories, from adultery and personal betrayal to the post-genocidal reconciliation of nations. In focusing on specific instances of affliction one family torn apart by abandonment, the post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation hearings in South Africa or the memories of 60s radicals coping with their violent acts of protest FORGIVENESS studies the psychological impetus and impacts of this crucial sentiment, illuminating its power, its limitations and, in some cases, its dangers.
   

Giving voice to the stories of nations and individuals who have suffered and struggled to forgive, “Forgiveness” provides a moving and much-needed chronicle of reconciliation.
   

Led by Dr. Christina Bucher, a Carl Ziegler Professor of Biblical Studies at Elizabethtown College. She received her B.A. from Elizabethtown College, her M.A. from Bethany Theological Seminary and her Ph.D. from Claremont School. She is the past dean of faculty and Religious Studies Department Chair. The former editor and a board member for the Church of the Brethren’s Brethren Life and Thought, she has been active in the Society of Biblical Literature and is former chair of the society's "Study of Peace in Scripture" research group. She is the author of The Prophecy of Amos and Hosea and many journal and professional articles.

The Ephrata Community Memory Project
September 1 through October 31

Oral historian J. Phillip Eiseman will be interviewing community members to capture the many diverse voices that make up the Ephrata Area. The individual stories of compassion, civility and community will be shared online and will be made available on DVD at the library and Historical Society of the Cocalico Valley. Visit the library’s website for more information about how you can become involved.

Apply to be part of the Community Memory Project

The Human Library Project
September 1 through October 31
Ephrata Public Library, Ephrata, PA

Visit the library and check out a human! Government officials, business owners, executives and local celebrities will make themselves available for one-on-one discussion. Library patrons can request a particular “human book” and schedule a time for dialogue. Looking for a job? Check out a business owner and get personalized help with your interview skills. Need resume help? Perhaps a local executive can give you some insight. This project will give community members the opportunity to get to know a variety of people. For more information on registering to be a “human book” or to get a list of all our humans, visit the library’s website.

Preparing for the New Job Market:Workshops for Job Seekers

Resume Writing Workshop
Monday, September 10, 6:30 p.m.
Ephrata Public Library, Ephrata, PA
Refresh your resume and make a great impression! This workshop will help you put together and impressive resume. Basic computer skills required.

Online Job Seeking
Monday, September 17, 6:30 p.m.
Ephrata Public Library, Ephrata, PA
There are many great job seeking websites on the internet. Learn how they work and how to search for job opportunities that fit your skills. Basic computer skills required.

Screening and Discussion of the Documentary “Waging a Living”
Tuesday, October 16, 6 p.m.
Ephrata Public Library, Ephrata, PA

The term "working poor" should be an oxymoron.If you work full time, you should not be poor, but more than 30 million Americans — one in four workers — are stuck in jobs that do not pay the basics for a decent life. Waging a Living chronicles the day-to-day battles of four low-wage earners fighting to lift their families out of poverty. Shot over a three-year period in the northeast and California, this observational documentary captures the dreams, frustrations, and accomplishments of a diverse group of people who struggle to live from paycheck to paycheck. By presenting an unvarnished look at the barriers that these workers must overcome to lift their families out of poverty, Waging a Living offers a sobering view of the elusive American Dream.