“Never stop learning” is a familiar advice my parents would tell me. “If you stop learning, you’ll stop growing.” I still believe in the ideals of learning and discovering and telling new stories—but who is to say if this can hold out for the rest of my life? How do you promote infinite learning to a world of so many unknowns?
While going through the module, it occurred to me that there is a link between librarians and the core values of the library. In order to advocate for lifelong learning, librarians must be able to benefit from lifelong learning themselves. They must be active participants of the programs, duties, and values their organization promotes. They must believe in the good potential of equipping others with new information and things to learn and discover (Stephens, 2014). In this sense, librarians become teachers but not of the traditional schooling kind. They teach others how to teach themselves.
And that just works for the nature of the library, doesn’t it? In school, much of your learning is mandatory—even though you’re being shaped and inspired by instructors, the purpose of “compulsory education” is still what makes you prioritize it. Only as you get older and progress to university level are you then encouraged to cultivate your own learning and seek out the specialties you’ll do the best in. But not everyone might be equipped with the skills for self-learning by the time they’re expected to…
Thus the case for libraries, and information professionals, to model the ideal outcomes they wish to see in their community. To create a culture of lifelong learning, librarians must also be lifelong learners who are seeking more ways to grow. In their own way, they will be motivated to teach others the things they have learned—because there is worth in helping others find what they need to help themselves.
References:
Stephens, M. (2014). YLibrary: …Infinite learning.