Reflection Blog 5- Infinite Learning

Although public, academic, and school libraries are considered information grounds, information is shared and created everywhere. Therefore, information professionals must understand how information-seeking behaviors differ and the role libraries play in supporting them. By connecting patrons from where they gain and explore information, the library in effect becomes a classroom. This blog post will explore this idea more in-depth.

Learning happens in libraries constantly, and it is sometimes not even recognized by the patrons themselves. To be a classroom, the library’s programming, collections, and services must be as advanced as possible and relevant to the diverse interests of patrons. One way that libraries do this is by making libraries and learning fun. This is done through hands-on and immersive programming. For children, this could be the use of lights and sound to involve them in storytimes, the creation of a maker’s space, or the use of a library’s surrounding environment (Bookey, 2015).

As an aspiring children’s librarian, I found this week’s module fascinating. Since many children come to the library to gain new skills and knowledge during an important time in their development, the use of fun and beneficial programs is necessary. My library attempts to make our children’s services as immersive as possible, but after reading these articles, more work must be done. Children require a connection between play and learning to better form a relationship with skill-building and learning, and treating the library as a classroom is the perfect way to do this.

References

Bookey, J. L. (2015). 8 Awesome Ways Libraries Are Making Learning Fun. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/8-awesome-ways-libraries_b_7157462