I hate so much what’s happened to twitter these past couple of years. It used to be such a big source of happiness (fandom) and information for me. I hate that so many of us have felt the need to leave. : (

And I’m really struggling this semester, which makes me sad because this class and the other I’m taking were ones that I was very much looking forward to. It’s just really hard to focus. Thank you for the empathy, @michael .

Professor,

Thanks so much for the grace and understanding, as well as willingness to be so flexible. It is amazing and very appreciated.

Love the kilt! My family is of the Stewart lineage, with a couple of my great aunts lived in Orkney.

Take care,
Sara

These last few weeks have been a challenge for sure. I love the kilt it looks great. Thank you for your flexibility – it is appreciated.
Carlee

@michael Thank you for your kind words and for being such an amazing professor. This is my second class with you, and I just love the way you teach and how you care about all of your students. You embody the “librarian spirit” and inspire me to be a great librarian. Also, what an awesome picture – you look so majestic!!

@michael I second what Millicent said! Thank you Professor Stephens for being a light for us!

@michael thank you for sharing! I won’t have to tackle my e-Portfolio until next fall, but I’ve already thought about it with a little trepidation. It’s reassuring to read this in advance!

Thanks for this very measured take on a topic that provokes a lot of kneejerk reactions, in both directions. I tend to fall on the side of it being largely a negative tool for the humanities. Something that will reorient the ways we discuss and teach critical thinking.

Right now, there is a huge, overwhelming push away from the humanities as being an entirely impractical field. STEM rules the land. This is reflected in the quote above, where ChatGPT is framed a kind of calculator and the process of thinking through an idea as being tedious, already mastered steps. This is, of course, true in math, where equations must follow specific set patterns and rules. But if you’re writing an essay or working out a research question, it’s the personal struggle that gives the work its real value. The human element is what gives it its value. If you teach people to skip this difficult work, and to rely on what are essentially borrowed ideas coldly cobbled together from variety of unknown sources, you run the risk of seriously stunting their ability to develop any genuinely new or exciting ideas.

Hi @louis, thanks for your comment. I am right there with you. I have seen that same argument comparing ChatGPT to calculators, and the problem for me is that it’s not being used that way. I like the general idea behind Moriarty telling students “writing makes you smarter. ChatGPT makes you sound like everybody else.” That’s a great argument… but it’s falling on deaf ears. My students did not care about developing skills. They care about getting the assignment over with. And that’s not a dig at the students. In my personal experience, young students often must be taught to care, and the process of writing is one way to teach them that. In cases like that, ChatGPT builds a bridge from the start of the learning process to the end of it, allowing students to completely skip the actual learning.

Going back to the calculator example, we as educators allow students to use calculators in upper level coursework only, such as calculus and trig. I don’t know what constitutes that upper level coursework within the humanities– I don’t know who those students might be. But I know who they aren’t: highschoolers who are just getting the hang of writing.

@bklint I was actually wondering about this recently – how professors actually detect if a student used an AI tool or not. There are several students at the university I work at who have openly admitted to me that they use ChatGPT to write papers or to summarize projects all the time, and they never get caught. Regardless, when students do this they are only cheating themselves and will have a hard time in their careers trying to come up with original thoughts or ideas.

Hi Kyle,

Thanks for sharing your visit to the Salt Lake City Public Library, this place looks so cool and I appreciate you taking the time to delve into the various aspects of the library! I would love to totally visit one day.

@kylehanson This library looks so amazing! I’m glad you had some time to explore, and in turn share with us. I particularly love the local artist sticker machine – I have never seen anything like that and it is just too cool. The seed library is also super neat – I love when libraries incorporate gardening.

@claireburke I have never been to a human library, but it is now on my bucket list to find one that I can attend. The concept is just so cool. It is one thing to read about a culture, it is a whole other thing to actually meet someone that is a part of that culture and hear first-hand stories and experiences.

@inabookbind I love that you turned inward for this reflection! I agree that librarians who are happy and healthy will serve their communities better, so it’s mutually beneficial to grant staff time for self-care and peer connection. My library holds staff days with guest speakers, breakout sessions, and yummy treats, but it’s only once a year! It seems that the effects can wane over time, so I think it’s an important point to hold them more frequently in whatever capacity a library can manage.

Hi @inabookbind,
I really appreciate your post emphasizing on the importance of a fun and enjoyable staff learning experience that actually focuses on workers’ well-being (in particular their mental health) rather than exclusively focusing on patrons’ wants and needs. This is such an essential topic!

The examples you shared, like the Oak Park Public Library and the Cherry Hill Public Library’s staff day, look absolutely fantastic and really inspiring. I wish there were more libraries prioritizing their employees’ growth and wellness with more than just the annual staff development day. I think they should take place at least once a month, because investing in the staff not only improves workplace morale but actually leads to greater community service in the long haul. Aka, a win-win situation!!

Hi Carlee,

Great post, thank you for sharing! You brought up such good points regarding cultural competence and humility. There is no way we can directly relate all the various life experiences of everyone who steps into the library, but the least we can do is be equipped with the tools and be ready to help anyone with an open mind and heart!

@Michael Great Article! I love how it talks about how space itself is a service for users. It really is! Honestly, when I was in high school, I mainly went to my local library to cool down from the 100-degree weather. I didn’t go for the books or the computers (although checking my Myspace was a bonus); I just wanted to sit in a cool and safe place for a while. Space is a luxury and I’m glad libraries can provide that

I’m from Boston and the BPL was a huge part of my teen years.
I’m thankful for the librarians there and how they just let me and my weird friends exist.

A great article! And it plays nicely into my final paper for Collection Development!

@arthurkolat I so enjoyed the video. You brought all of the facets of the library as classroom to life. What wonderful feedback you received as well. And I must tell you I enjoyed the color of your crocs. 😀

Hi Kiana,
Thanks for your post. I thought your mention about sensory rooms being beneficial for folks with brain injuries or dementia in addition to neurodivergent folks was interesting. It always strikes me how accessibility for one group can turn out to benefit many others outside that group too. Thanks for your insight!

Kiana,

These sensory spaces look so cool, and they look different from other ones I’ve seen! I particularly like the use of light in a couple that you shared. They look stimulating and relaxing at the same time.

Kiana – I so appreciate all these amazing examples!