What is Civic and Community Engagement

As smart technologies become more integrated with daily life, vital digital literacy skills are necessary for citizens to engage with and benefit from their cities, local government, and economy. Libraries play an important role in mitigating the growing wealth gap in our communities, especially as it relates to opportunities provided by emerging technologies. With the call for smart city proposals in Toronto, Ontario, what role will the city's LAMs have in collaborating with these future developments? The Toronto Public Library (TPL), a trusted public institution, has a stake in implementing various frameworks and collaborating with government agencies in addressing public concerns around technologies that collect personal information for various purposes and ensuring that vulnerable populations are not left behind. Following an examination of the role libraries play in mitigating consequences of the digital divide, this chapter will discuss the various ways in which TPL and similar community libraries have been involved with digital literacy and inclusion. It will also explore how TPL has been identified by government agencies as a vehicle for civic engagement and oversight in the former Sidewalk Toronto smart city plan.