This series was a success. This statement by a participant in the 1995 series captures the essence of the Choices for the 21st Library Program and suggests the parameters of the program's ultimate impact. Because the Choices program examines issues in depth, it is most effective and successful when carried out in small groups.
Numbers tell only a small part of the ultimate success story.
To provide this, we included a range of questions on the evaluation forms used by scholars, librarians, and participants. Very few encourage dialogue and decisionmaking based on a thorough examination of all angles of an issue, spending time considering the costs and trade-offs, and coming to considered judgments. The Choices program is an effort to redress this condition by providing a opportunity for citizen involvement in the development of national policy choices at a level that is far beyond the sound-bite exchanges of the TV or radio talk show. It's made me do some deeper thinking, and I sensed that other people were doing that too. This program showed me many different ways to view the things I hold as truths.