Month: March 2025

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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.