For my Virtual Symposium piece, I decided to hand draw my vision of a hyperlinked library.  What really stuck out to me this semester was the emphasis on the ideal relationship between libraries and their communities. Basically libraries should do everything in their power to ensure their communities are connected with the services, programs, and experiences they need. Of course, a library can’t be expected to provide every trend and new tech toy, but they should at least be progressing, not stuck in the past. Also the idea of participatory service really stuck out to me this semester. It wasn’t really something I had considered before while working in the…

Check out my Inspiration report here: Inspiration Report

Link to presentation can be found at the bottom of this post. 🙂     Innovation Roadmap: Bridge the Byte by Sarah Morse

Libraries are trusted places of learning. They always have been. But the ways in which they build learning opportunities have certainly changed over the years. Even over a decade ago, Kenney (2015) was able to point out that patrons don’t come to libraries for traditional reference help anymore, not when they can make a simple Google search. I can definitely attest to this. In my three years I’ve been working in a public library, I’ve only ever received one reference question. It came from a young student who was looking for some incredibly specific information for her research. The youth librarian did her best to find print materials, including encyclopedias,…

Ever since our early development, humans have been telling stories — whether through paintings on walls or through song or dance. It’s in our nature. Today, when we talk about storytelling, we might think of books, TV shows, or movies. But while not everyone is a published writer or famed film director, we all have a story to tell. Nowadays our stories appear in the form of picture-perfect posts, reels, or TikTok videos where, generally, we’re presenting a persona out to the world.  But when we look beyond social media and actually talk to a person, we can learn so much more from them. When I was a freelance writing…

AI is everywhere in our daily lives. It’s not something we can escape. Whether it’s ChatGPT, Claude, or even the AI found in our email accounts and Internet searches, people are relying more and more on these AI tools to help them with everyday tasks. Of course, we have heard many concerns about the potential dangers of AI as it has become more prominent in recent years, including in the academic sphere as well as the creative sphere. Teachers have rightfully brought up concerns about students cheating while artists and writers have complained about the “AI slop” found in the markets these days. Libraries are not exempt from these challenges.…

What should a library look like? Besides books, what should libraries be providing for their communities? These are the questions I’ve been considering this semester so far as I have been learning more about the concept of hyperlinked libraries. For most of my life, I had certain expectations of what a library should look like based on my experiences with the local branches in my community. Basically I saw them as buildings housing books, DVDs, VHS tapes (until they were no longer popular), CDs, and magazines. To me, one of the coolest features a library could have was a duck pond just right outside, as is the case for one…

I want to start this post with a story. Last week, my husband and I rode the trolley for a few stops where we witnessed a beautiful moment: a reunion between two friends/former neighbors/former colleagues. They hadn’t seen each other for 30 years, but they started catching up as if it had only been months. They bonded over grandkids and the loss of loved ones, and they reminisced over times they’d shared. This conversation my husband and I overheard touched us in a way I don’t think we’d experienced before. One of my first thoughts once we left that trolley was: Wow, what a great example of pure human connection…

Whenever I tell most people I work in a library, the most common response I get is, “Oh, so you just read all day? That must be the easiest job ever.” Gosh, I sure wish that was the case. I’m a bookwyrm surrounded by books, and unfortunately, I cannot just read every second I am at work. (Though I do sneak in some chapters whenever I have some downtime.) I cannot blame them for thinking this way though. I used to think similarly. If someone had asked me when I was younger how I felt about working in a library, I, struck with the fantasy of the splendor of books…

My name is Sarah Kumar. (I just got married in late December and am still working on the official name change process!) I live in San Diego, California and have worked in public libraries for over three years now. I started off as a volunteer shelving materials and helping with children’s and teen programs, but I am now employed as a library technician where I am able to get more directly involved in assisting customers (which, as an introvert, is rather surprising that I actually enjoy) and planning programs. I absolutely love my job, as I discovered I have a passion for connecting patrons with library services. I also enjoy…