Civic Engagement Month Books

This Civic Engagement Month, the South Carolina State Library invites you to explore the power of participation with a curated selection of books dedicated to the foundations of our democratic society, civic renewal, and community participation.

From stories of grassroots movements and calls to public service, this collection provides the knowledge and inspiration to become a more informed and active citizen in our state and beyond.

On the Shelves

Cover of Teaching History, Learning Citizenship: Tools for Civic Engagement

Teaching History, Learning Citizenship: Tools for Civic Engagement

Jeffrey D. Nokes

Teaching History, Learning Citizenship: Tools for Civic Engagement stands out from other books for several reasons. First, it provides ready-to-use lesson materials on important historical topics, already likely to be part of the history curriculum. Primary sources are modified for young readers, with graphic organizers and ideas for other instructional support. Lesson materials are presented in a way that allows teachers flexibility in the way lessons are designed"-- Provided by publisher.

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Cover of Does Local Government Matter?: How Urban Policies Shape Civic Engagement

Does Local Government Matter?: How Urban Policies Shape Civic Engagement

Elaine B. Sharpe

Introduction. Government programs matter: political learning, policy feedbacks, and the policy-centered approach -- The participatory impacts of county government means-tested and universal social programs -- City government and neighborhoods: intentional empowerment and reactionary mobilization -- Community policing: a reform policy for police responsiveness -- City government, economic development incentives, and business influence -- The impact of development incentive policy reform: a case study -- Policy-centered theory and urban programs: community effects in a global context.

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Cover of The American Legal System and Civic Engagement: Why We Should All Think Like Lawyers

The American Legal System and Civic Engagement: Why We Should All Think Like Lawyers

Kenneth A. Manaster

In recent years there has been a widely-recognized and serious lack of rational and civil public discussion about current issues. In The American Legal System and Civic Engagement, Manaster asserts that ordinary citizens can form their opinions on public issues more intelligently, confidently, and responsibly if they have some guidance on how to do it. Drawing from the tools and traditions of the American legal system, he offers guidance to aid citizens in understanding public issues and participating in the type of responsible public debate these challenging issues deserve. From analyzing the influence of the media in informing the public, to examining the role of the citizen as a juror, The American Legal System and Civic Engagement is a practical and informative guide to how Americans can better perform the civic duty that modern democracy requires.

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Cover of A Guidebook for Socially Responsible and Civically Engaged Youth

A Guidebook for Socially Responsible and Civically Engaged Youth

Lauren Grimes

This guidebook is designed to lead socially responsible and civically engaged youth through the process of utilizing a variety of methods to uplift their communities. While using this guidebook, youth will review case studies of youth in action, participate in interactive and engaging activities, and identify ways to elevate their voices and civic identities. --back cover.

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Cover of We are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For: The Promise of Civic Renewal in America

We are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For: The Promise of Civic Renewal in America

Peter Levine

In September 2011, two leading civic engagement advocacy organizations headed, respectively, by Robert Putnam and Peter Levine released a joint report showing that a region's level of civic engagement was a strong predictor of its ability to recover from the Great Recession. This finding confirms what advocates of civic engagement have long hypothesized: that strengthening the networks between government and civil society and increasing citizen participation results in better government and better community outcomes. However, citizens concerned about the economic crisis need more than just deliberation or community organizing alone to achieve these outcomes. What they need, according to Peter Levine, is a movement devoted to civic renewal. Deliberative democracy-the idea that true democratic legitimacy derives from open, inclusive discussion and dialogue rather than simple voting-has become an extremely influential concept in the last two decades. In We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For, Peter Levine contends that effective deliberative democracy depends upon effective community advocacy. Deliberation, he shows, is most valuable when talk and debate are integrated into a community's everyday life. To illustrate how it works, Levine draws lessons from both community organizing and developmental psychology, and uses examples of successful efforts from communities across America as welll as fledgling democracies in Africa and Eastern Europe. By engaging in this type of civic work, American citizens can meaningfully contribute to civic renewal, which, in turn, will address serious social problems that cannot be fixed in any other way.

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Cover of Public Libraries and Their Communities: An Introduction

Public Libraries and Their Communities: An Introduction

Kay Ann Cassell

This is the first public library text to look at the administration of the public library as essentially different from that of other library types. It also emphasizes the crucial nature of advocacy, promotion, and marketing and demonstrates how each public library can identify and meet the needs of its own particular community.

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Cover of Ask, Listen, Empower: Grounding Your Library Work in Community Engagement

Ask, Listen, Empower: Grounding Your Library Work in Community Engagement

Mary Davis Fournier

This important resource provides targeted guidance on how libraries can effectively engage with the public to address a range of issues for the betterment of their community, whether it is a city, neighborhood, campus, or something else.

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Cover of Recipe for Mindfulness in Your Library: Supporting Resilience and Community Engagement

Recipe for Mindfulness in Your Library: Supporting Resilience and Community Engagement

Madeleine Charney

This collection of stories --recipes, if you will -- explore a wide range of approaches in which librarians integrate mindfulness into their teaching, collections, services, programming, spaces, partnerships, and professional development.

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Cover of A Guidebook for Socially Responsible and Civically Engaged Youth

A Guidebook for Socially Responsible and Civically Engaged Youth

Lauren Grimes

This guidebook is designed to lead socially responsible and civically engaged youth through the process of utilizing a variety of methods to uplift their communities. While using this guidebook, youth will review case studies of youth in action, participate in interactive and engaging activities, and identify ways to elevate their voices and civic identities.

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Cover of Better Together: Restoring the American Community

Better Together: Restoring the American Community

Robert D. Putnam

Better Together examines how people across the country are inventing new forms of social activism and community renewal. An arts program in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, brings together shipyard workers and their gentrified neighbors; a deteriorating, crime-ridden neighborhood in Boston is transformed by a determined group of civic organizers; an online "virtual" community in San Francisco allows its members to connect with each other as well as the larger group; in Wisconsin schoolchildren learn how to participate in the political process to benefit their town. As our society grows increasingly diverse, say Putnam and Feldstein, it's more important than ever to grow "social capital," whether by traditional or more innovative means. The people profiled in Better Together are doing just that, and their stories illustrate the extraordinary power of social networks for enabling people to improve their lives and the lives of those around them.

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Cover of Growing Teen Engagement: Strategies to Captivate Secondary Learners

Growing Teen Engagement: Strategies to Captivate Secondary Learners

Jessica Fitzpatrick

Aligned with the American Association of School Librarians' (AASL) National School Library Standards for Learners, in this book, the author discusses different ways to create teen-centric spaces, including ideas for developmentally appropriate collaborative lessons, passive programs, active programs, and community outreach efforts that will keep learners interested in the school library.

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Upcoming Event

Robert Mills designed courthouse, Camden, SC.

From Colony to Community: Three Centuries of South Carolina Culture

October 16, 2025, 10:30 AM

This webinar provides an overview of South Carolina's cultural transformation through key historical moments. While not every significant event will be covered, we'll explore pivotal periods including the Revolutionary War, Civil War, federal tariffs, both World Wars, and the post-war era through today.

This Week