{"id":30,"date":"2026-06-28T05:28:48","date_gmt":"2026-06-28T05:28:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/bookmarked\/?p=30"},"modified":"2026-06-28T05:28:48","modified_gmt":"2026-06-28T05:28:48","slug":"reflection-blog-post-hyperlinked-communities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/bookmarked\/2026\/06\/28\/reflection-blog-post-hyperlinked-communities\/","title":{"rendered":"Reflection Blog Post: Hyperlinked Communities"},"content":{"rendered":"

I really enjoyed reading Ingle and Pewhairangi\u2019s Weve<\/em> publication. Though I do not currently work in a library, I found that much of what they wrote about struck a chord. In it, they write about how libraries can engage with their communities . In explaining how libraries must roll with the times, Pewhairangi (2014) writes, “The principal currency today is no longer information, products or services; it is human attention” (p. 8).<\/p>\n

With hyperlinked libraries, human connection and relationships are crucial. Pewhairangi makes a suggestion that librarians ask if they can shadow patrons for a day to gain a deeper understanding of them. What a scary and intriguing thought! But it is one I can see strengthening relationships and improving library service albeit in an unconventional way. It could help to answer some of the questions Pewhairangi poses in learning more about a library’s most valuable members.<\/p>\n

I have been a public-school teacher for over 20 years and in 2020, like other schools, we made the move to virtual classrooms when COVID-19 closed our campus. With all the stresses of being on lockdown, it was even more imperative\u00a0 to make connections with and support students. I got to know more about their personalities, families, interests, favorite games, collections and keepsakes in a different way, a different context than was possible in school, giving me a more nuanced understanding of them as people and not just as students.\u00a0So, while Pewhairangi probably wasn\u2019t suggesting librarians follow their patrons home, the conversations and experiences that can be had outside of the library can be incredibly enriching and help us learn more about our communities, who our customers are, and how we can better serve them.<\/p>\n

I really did find Weve<\/em> an informative read. As I learn more about hyperlinked libraries, my definitions are changing. Previously, I used words like user-centered <\/em>or user-based<\/em> synonymously with user-driven<\/em>. I like the explanation for customer-focused<\/em> versus customer-driven<\/em> libraries provided by Ingle and Pewhairangi (2014) in the essay\u00a0Design, Deliver, and Decisions. <\/em>The authors explain that a customer-focused<\/em> library values its users but, in a customer-driven<\/em> library, its users are also decision-makers. As we have learned thus far, in participatory library culture, the user is an actively involved stakeholder. With terms like user-centered\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0user-based,<\/em> it sounds as though the patron takes on a more passive role. This engaged role is a component of the hyperlinked library where institutions are less hierarchical and more team-based (Stephens, 2016). Additionally, Ingle and Pewhairangi also state, \u201cRather than learn<\/em> about their customers, customer-driven libraries think like<\/em> their customers and use this information to change the way their library is run\u201d (p. 33). Collaborating with the community and adjusting services to meet those needs is a critical element of participatory librarianship.<\/p>\n

Though the Weve <\/em>essays I referenced are from 2014, they remain relevant over 10 years later. The authors describe providing service steeped in an intimate understanding of the community\u2019s and its patrons\u2019 needs and wants. In this way, libraries can truly be community centers for their patrons.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

References<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ingle, M., & Pewhairangi, S. (Eds.). (2014, May). Design, deliver, and decisions. Weve, <\/em>33. \u00a0https:\/\/heroesmingle.wordpress.com<\/p>\n

Pewhairangi, S. (2014, May). A beautiful obsession. Weve, <\/em>7-10. https:\/\/heroesmingle.wordpress.com<\/p>\n

Stephens, M. (2016). The heart of librarianship: Attentive, positive and purposeful change.<\/em> ALA Editions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I really enjoyed reading Ingle and Pewhairangi\u2019s Weve publication. Though I do not currently work in a library, I found that much of what they wrote about struck a chord. In it, they write about how libraries can engage with their communities . In explaining how libraries must roll with the times, Pewhairangi (2014) writes, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":871,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","post-preview"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/bookmarked\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/bookmarked\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/bookmarked\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/bookmarked\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/871"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/bookmarked\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/bookmarked\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/bookmarked\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30\/revisions\/36"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/bookmarked\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/bookmarked\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/bookmarked\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}