Get Hyped

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This module, the Power of Stories, feels incredibly relevant right now. So many people’s stories historically have been erased, and when we have an administration that is actively erasing the stories of people of color and their contributions to this country, it feels more important than ever before to preserve real human stories about the human experience. This is why I find the idea of a human library so intriguing.  This seems like such a wonderful and somewhat simple way to forge connection.  We talk about books as mirrors (reflecting yourself), windows (allowing someone to peer into another world/perspective) and sliding glass doors (finding the connections between us all), but how powerful this would be if demonstrated, created, discovered through actual human dialogue and connection.  More than ever, I feel we need all of us to see each other for exactly who we are- individuals influenced by the history, culture, families, and thoughts that made us- grasping for our similarities and leading with love, not hate.

I do have some questions, which I perhaps will be able to answer through perusing the Human Library Organisation site, but I do wonder how a “book” is chosen.  Is there an interview process? Does the “book” need to have any specific qualifications?  Do “books” volunteer their time?  What happens if a reader does not like what they learn from a “book”? Are their protections in place to try to alleviate triggers or trauma for “books” and readers?  Are certain topics off limits?…  Humanity is messy, is/can the human library be different?

References

Wentz, E. (2013, April 26). The human library: Sharing the community with itself. Public Libraries Online. https://publiclibrariesonline.org/2013/04/human_librar/.

This module really made sense to me.  As a preschool teacher, I greatly understand the importance of how a space is set up.  In early childhood education, you will often hear educators refer to the classroom as the third teacher.  The classroom layout can encourage certain types of play, diminish conflict within the classroom, encourage collaboration, promote independence, dictate the flow of the room and so on.  The environment is extremely important for early childhood education, and why would that change as we grow up. I appreciated Eric Klinenberg’s statement, “this environment ‘shapes our behavior in ways we’ve failed to recognize’” (Klinenberg, 2018) because it is so true.  The way an environment is set up, designed, decorated etc. greatly influences how we feel in the space, how we utilize the space, and how we interact in the space whether we are a preschooler or a grandparent.  This module really reinforced the importance of space design and how it will pretty much influence absolutely everything about that place and that space.

For me, as someone who is hoping to become a children’s librarian, I can see how this will greatly influence how I will approach the children’s area of the library, not only as a place for books, reading, and learning, but also a place for play, community, and connection. I want to also highlight what Pam Sandlian Smith stated in her TedTalk video.  She stated, “You can learn anything if you make it playful.”  Again, this is essentially the prevailing belief when it comes to early childhood education—children learn through their play.  So, why wouldn’t a library space meant for children, be a space that also promotes play.  I loved the example that Professor Stephens gave in his lecture, the picture showing how the library stacks doubled as a climbing space. How creative, and how fun!  I would have loved to read on top of one of those shelves when I was a kid.  I can’t wait to create spaces like that for the future children that I hope to serve.

References

Gaetani, M. (2018, November 11). Q&A with Erik Klinenberg. Center for Advanced Studies in Behavioral Studies. https://casbs.stanford.edu/news/qa-eric-klinenberg.

TEDx Talks. (2013, Decmember16). What to expect from libraries in the 21st century: Pam Sandlian Smith at TEDxMileHigh [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fa6ERdxyYdo&t=669s.

White, B. (2016, August 25). Boy sitting on bench while holding a book [Photo]. https://unsplash.com/photos/boy-sitting-on-bench-while-holding-a-book-4K2lIP0zc_k.

Hello everyone,

I felt inspired by another course that I have taken in the MLIS program around engaging unhoused patrons of the library.  I chose to highlight a program that has already been implemented within a few libraries in which unhoused patrons are invited to enjoy coffee and snacks and conversation.  This program is simple, easy to implement, and helps build community and create a safe space for unhoused patrons.  The program itself is not necessarily about connecting unhoused patrons to resources, but simply to get to know who they are and, from there, better understand how to meet their needs.  As a participatory service, the program would be altered to better meet the needs of those in attendance but also a great place to brainstorm with unhoused patrons what types of programs will serve them best.

As a resident of Oakland, California in which we have quite a large underserved unhoused population, I thought this an excellent program to hypothetically propose to the Oakland Public Library System.  I hope you find it interesting!

Feel free to check out my slide deck/action brief here: Coffee and Conversations.

Thank you!

I was particularly intrigued by the article 8 Digital Skill We Must Teach Our Children and how it clearly laid out extremely important skills that children must be taught and may not necessarily develop on their own.  Children growing up in the digital age may understand key concepts related to the internet and digital media, but often do not have the “competences and skills they require in order to live good lives with these technologies” (Livingstone, 2019).  It cannot be assumed that children will develop these skills on their own, they must be taught.  And I feel that the eight digital skills laid out by Yuhyun Park (2016) are of most importance.

For me, in my future practice as a children’s librarian, I can see this being an extremely important topic with which parents and caregivers must become familiar.  Yes, these skills should be incorporated into schooling, but as we know, schools don’t necessarily teach all the right things or how to actually move through the world, and in this case the digital world, in a safe, effective, and useful manner.  Technologies, and social media specifically, are designed to be addictive.  Children must be taught how to create boundaries around it, how to interact with it in a secure and safe way, and ultimately understand that their digital identity is an identity that is created and must be managed (Park, 2016).  I can imagine library programming for parents and caregivers about how to teach these skills.  I can see school libraries, and public libraries for that matter, designing workshops or inviting in experts to teach adults how to pass on these skills to their children.  I worry about this for my future children, and I don’t even have any children yet.  I can only imagine how parents and guardians feel as they actively see their children try to navigate the digital world on their own without necessarily knowing how to help them.  Teaching children these digital skills has become absolutely imperative.

References

Livingstone, S. (2019, February 13). Digital natives or naïve experts? Exploring how Norwegian children understand the internet. London School of Economics and Political Science. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/parenting4digitalfuture/2019/02/13/digital-natives-or-naive-experts/.

Mars, B. (2021, March 11). Girl in white sweater and blue denim jeans sitting on the floor [Photo]. Unsplash. https://unsplash.com/photos/girl-in-white-sweater-and-blue-denim-jeans-sitting-on-floor-zeCdye9bUmI.

Park, Y. (2016, June 4). 8 digital skills we must teach our children. World Economic Forum, Medium. https://medium.com/world-economic-forum/8-digital-skills-we-must-teach-our-children-f37853d7221e#.789qtaw64.

I was particularly interested in Klinker’s article regarding the utilization of a diverse selection of books to promote inclusivity and acceptance. Klinker discusses how books allow readers to “explore different viewpoints and navigate diverse challenges as they walk in the footsteps of numerous characters.” This resonated with me as a preschool teacher who already brings this to my practice.  I wholeheartedly believe that books serve as mirrors (reflecting ourselves back to us), windows (allowing us to learn about others who are different from us), and sliding glass doors (illustrating the connections we have between ourselves and others).  As such, the preschool provides books on race, gender identity, different family structures, diverse holiday celebrations etc. for children and teachers to choose from freely.  I have also taken classes and workshops on how to teach and discuss a variety of challenging topics with children. I consider openly and frequently discussing these types of topics with children essential to creating an inclusive, open-minded, empathetic community.

Garcia-Febo, Lauersen, and Klinker in their respective articles and lecture, also speak to this idea, indicating that libraries are meant to lift up and empower diverse communities, promoting inclusion through programming, staffing, and collection development.  However, considering I have faced backlash from families and sometimes even coworkers when I’ve chosen to read a specific children’s book, I’ve thought a great deal about what happens when inclusion looks different to different people?  What if the heart that I bring to my work doesn’t align with the hearts of other staff members or the patrons that we serve?  What are practical ways people have tried to address this issue?  Symposiums, affinity groups, open forums, workshops, lectures, staff meetings?  I am entering into this profession because I believe libraries can change people’s lives and books can change the world, but what if some people don’t want to imagine a new world with me?  How do we best serve them and ourselves?

Here is a video read a-loud of one of my favorite children’s book on trans identity.  Let me know what you think!

References

Garcia-Febo, L. (2018, Novemeber 1). Serving with love: Embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion in all that we do. American libraries. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2018/11/01/serving-with-love/.

Klinker, J. (2020, July 24). The healing power of books: Using reading to address social and emotional needs. Gale. https://blog.gale.com/the-healing-power-of-books/.

Lauersen, C. (2018, June 7). Do you want to dance? Inclusion and belonging in libraries and beyond. The Library Lab. https://christianlauersen.net/2018/06/07/inclusion-and-belonging-in-libraries-and-beyond/.

Ms. Loredo’s Library. (2020, April 22). Introducing Teddy-read aloud [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzyUJC7V-Xw.

The Future of the Library

As technology continues to advance and human beings proceed to communicate, create, connect, and generate content in new ways, so too must the library.  No longer simply a holder of books and information, the library and the services provided have expanded to include free programming, a multitude of on-site services, and access to new technologies. But where to begin? How is the library changing and how should it continue to change? Through an examination of the concept of Business 2.0 as defined by Chris Anderson and Jim Daly in 1998, we understand that at the center of it all “stands the customer, demanding better products and services” (Casey & Savastinuk, 2007, p.3).  Taken further in 2004 by Tim O’Reilly, the world embraced a new approach to the user experience coined as Web 2.0 (Allen, 2008). In this new information age, technologies such as social web and production applications allowed users to transform.  Not only were they consumers, but they were also now producers and collaborators of original content, able to state clearly, and even create, exactly the goods and services they most wanted (Casey and Savastinuk, 2007).  It is here that libraries have begun to expand their views, implementing participatory services, and it is here where we will begin.

Like Business 2.0 and Web 2.0, Casey and Savastinuk, in 2007, laid out important tenants of Library 2.0. This included the library as “empower[ing] library users through participatory, user driven services” (Casey & Savastinuk, 2007, p.5).  Let’s first explore the concept of a participatory web which indicates that “users play an active role, not only in providing feedback, but also in the actual content creation of the Web itself” (Casey & Savastinuk, 2007).  The user is no longer just a consumer, they can actually generate content via blogs, wikis, personal sites, and so much more.  But how does this apply to libraries?

Out of the participatory web, one can start to imagine what this could mean for libraries. Essentially, Casey and Savastinuk call for libraries to shift from the historic transactional model.  No longer should librarians only provide access to information and assist in the connection to resources.  Librarians must reimagine their roles as collaborators and co-conspirators (Mathews et. al, 2018).  In this sense, this transactional model begins to flow in both directions changing into a partnership model in which patrons, organizations, and community members become part of exploring and discovering exactly what a library could and should be (Mathews et. al, 2018).  The goal is to elevate the individuals outside of professional librarianship as also holders of important and necessary knowledge.

Now let’s look at two examples of what participatory service could look like within a library.  In one case, librarians at the University of Colorado, Boulder utilized a participatory model to help identify emerging research needs as well as examine how existing structures helped or hindered library services for science and engineering faculty (Johnson et. al, 2015).  Through in-depth interviews with faculty and graduate researchers, the library developed a “holistic picture of the research practices of these users, including areas in which the library currently plays a role as well as potential services we could provide” (Johnson et. al, 2015). From this, the library identified a need for better promotion of services as many users were unaware of what the librarians provided.  Similarly, from feedback, the library designed a series of workshops on different research skills and tools (2015).

Another example includes practices adopted by the San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) in its decision-making processes (O’Brien, 2019). For instance, San Francisco planned to renovate a branch of its library.  As one of the many ways to include patrons in their decision-making processes, they invited the architect to join in their story time and talk about the renovations.  They directly asked these patrons what they wanted to see in the library.  SFPL makes clear that “community members are consulted about library decisions, including the creation of spaces.” (O’Brien, 2019).  As demonstrated, SFPL is reframing the library as in partnership with those it serves.  In both instances, the patrons are not only users of the library, but directly contributed to the services provided, the spaces created, and, ultimately, the future of the library.

References

Allen, M. (2008). Web 2.0: An argument against convergence. First Monday, 13(3). https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v13i3.2139.

Casey, M.E & Savastinuk, L.C. (2007). Library 2.0: A guide to participatory library service. Information Today, Inc.

Mathews, B., Metko, S., Tomlin, P. (2018, May/June). Empowerment, experimentation, engagement: Embracing partnership models in libraries. Educause Review. https://er.educause.edu/articles/2018/5/empowerment-experimentation-engagement-embracing-partnership-models-in-libraries.

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/.

Hello, my name is Rachel Kay Elefant and I live in Oakland, California.  I currently work as a preschool teacher and my hope is to eventually become a children’s librarian.  As a preschool teacher, we do not often incorporate a lot of technology into the classroom, so this course is a little bit out of my wheelhouse. But I thought it would be a lot of new and important information and, perhaps, important for me to learn as I change careers.  I look forward to working with all of you!