Assignment X: (Un)Quiet Riot: Embracing Participation and (Organized) Chaos in the Library

I found myself thinking about the question, “Who is the library for?” as I finished the Module 3 and 4 readings. This question has been floating in my mind for some time. It first arose last Spring when I was visiting a public library in the Texas Panhandle. The library was quiet, almost sterile, with one or two patrons reading at tables. My friend, I, and her tornado of a toddler entered looking for books to read. We were shushed multiple times in the course of ten minutes because the toddler was excitedly searching for books and speaking loudly. I didn’t feel like we were welcomed there, even though we were in the kids’ section. My friend also noted that there are regular patrons at this library who frown at noise and children.

 This library experience reminds me of “The User is Not Broken.” I don’t want to besmirch the whole library based on a short visit, but I felt like we were broken. We didn’t fit the mold that the community expected. This one experience sparked my thoughts on who the library is for.  After reading Modules 3 and 4, I can confidently say that the library is for everyone, even the tornado toddlers and those who shush them. 

 One way to make the library for everyone is to shift to a hyperlinked library using participatory culture. The experience I had was reflective of the path to the hyperlinked library. Everything should be connected with the needs of the user, with the user being at the forefront. Change has to occur, even though it may scare some. Leaders in the profession need to shift to “a broader view of what’s possible in a community-based space focused on helping people” (Stephens, 2016).  There can be time for quiet, but also time for participation, play, and learning. 

To move forward, libraries should focus on “building connections and seeking ways to engage the public and promote curiosity, challenge us all” (Stephens, 2016). One of my favorite examples of libraries changing  and meeting the user where they are at is when the Linda Lindas played at the Los Angeles Public Library. It was during the pandemic, so there weren’t any patrons. But the idea of a punk concert at a library embodies the hyperlinked library: a little chaos available to anyone with a computer. It allowed viewers to see the evolution of the library from a quiet, passive space to one that can open itself up to loud things and new ideas. The hyperlinked library gives its users places to connect. 

In a survey, 63% of library users shared that it’s important for “public libraries to provide free events and activities, such as classes and cultural events, for people of all ages” (O’Brien, 2019). Some libraries are following suit, there are libraries in Southern California also hosting concerts, albeit not punk ones. Cultural events in my area include a Sew It Goes workshop where you can make your own luchador plushie as well as adult storytime in Spanish.  As I enter the final semesters of the MLIS program, I am looking at ways to bring the community together in the library, and even outside of it. 

 The quote below, from the blog The Free Range Librarian, really embodies what I would like the future of libraries to look like: 

“We have wonderful third spaces that offer our users a place where they can think and dream and experience information. Is your library a place where people can dream?”

Take a look at the Linda Linda’s performance at the Los Angeles Public Library:

Sources

Brown, A. (2021, May 24). L.A. girl punks the Linda Lindas on going massively viral – Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2021-05-23/linda-lindas-racist-sexist-boy-library-punks

Epitaph Records. (2021, May 21). The Linda Lindas – “Racist, Sexist Boy” (Live at LA Public Library) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5AhU5Q7vH0

O’Brien, C. (2019, June 24). How San Francisco’s public libraries are embracing their changing role. Shareable. https://www.shareable.net/how-san-francisco-public-libraries-are-embracing-their-changing-role/

The User Is Not Broken: A meme masquerading as a manifesto. (2006, June 3). Free Range Librarian. https://freerangelibrarian.com/2006/06/03/the-user-is-not-broken-a-meme-masquerading-as-a-manifesto/

Stephens, M. (2016b). The heart of librarianship: Attentive, Positive, and Purposeful Change. American Library Association.