Brave New Hyperlinked World

Storytelling through Technology is a community-driven storytelling initiative that I developed for the Fremont Main Library in Fremont, CA. Its goal is to strengthen community bonds by inviting members to share their stories using innovative technologies that break down traditional barriers. The slide-based visual plan for the initiative can be accessed here:

https://canva.link/craopbdbbgr82qh

In my previous blog, I touched upon the growing loneliness epidemic among immigrants. In 2023, Dr. Vivek Murthy, the former U.S. Surgeon General, highlighted the serious effects of loneliness and social isolation, as well as the benefits of more connected communities (Office of the U.S. Surgeon General, 2023). Libraries can help nurture a sense of community and belonging by providing a third space where people can connect and feel at home, all without the pressure to spend money. Emma Wood, Associate Librarian at UMass Law Library, describes a third space as “space that is separate from home and work where we seek conversation, neutral ground, and comfort in feeling connected” (Wood, n.d.). In many Asian countries, where collectivist values are stronger, there is greater emphasis on fostering human connections. Information professionals in the United States can learn from our colleagues from these cultures to make libraries more deliberately social spaces.

Modern Japanese libraries are intentionally designed as third spaces (often referred to as “destination libraries”). These vibrant, community-centered hubs feature experimental and adaptive architecture, shared work areas, technology centers, and even cafés that actively invite public engagement. For example, the Ota Library in Gunma Prefecture, Japan, was developed with its growing population in mind, blending the functions of an art museum and a library to foster curiosity and creativity. Citizen feedback was integrated throughout every phase of the planning process to reflect the true needs of the community. The library curates local art, crafts, and historical materials, and its café offers food and beverages made from local ingredients, demonstrating how thoughtful design and programming can successfully fulfill the third-space mission.

Art Museum & Library, Ota

Cafe at Art Museum & Library, Ota

On the other hand, Minna no Mori Gifu Media Cosmos in Gifu, Japan serves as a multi-purpose cultural facility that embodies the third-space vision. It houses the Municipal Central Library (“center of knowledge”), the Citizens’ Activity Exchange Center (“center of community bonds”), and the Multicultural Exchange Plaza and exhibition galleries (“center of culture”). Designed as a true “destination library,” it encourages people of all ages to form connections with each other and with the broader community. Its Community Activity Exchange Center even operates a “Foreign Resident Consultation Counter,” offering daily assistance in six languages to support non-Japanese speakers, further strengthening the library’s role as a community connector.

‘Minna no Mori’ Gifu Media Cosmos

Foreign Resident Consultation Counter

These examples remind us that reimagining our libraries as intentional third spaces cannot be a second thought, but true inclusivity and connection-building often begin in the planning phase.

References

Art Museum & Library, Ota. (n.d.). Facilities. https://www.artmuseumlibraryota.jp/eng/facilities-eng/#id03

Gifu Media Cosmos. (2026). Home. https://g-mediacosmos.jp/

Office of the Surgeon General. (2023). Our epidemic of loneliness and isolation: The U.S. Surgeon General’s advisory on the healing effects of social connection and community. US Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf

Wood, E. (n.d.). The rise of third place and open access amidst the pandemic. American Library Association Office for Diversity, Literacy & Outreach Services. https://www.ala.org/advocacy/diversity/odlos-blog/rise-third-place

For Assignment X, I wrote about how libraries offer creative storytelling and community story sharing opportunities to help members actively participate in our services and foster a sense of belonging. As I finish the readings in Module 5, I am once again encouraged by librarians around the world who are fostering diversity, inclusion, and human connection in libraries. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse areas in the country. The library where I work serves a community where People of Color have become the majority (I am still struggling with the term “People of Color,” but that is a blog post for another day), where 64% of our residents claim to be “Asian alone” in the Decennial Census in 2020. Nearly 60% of these Asian immigrants were born overseas, with 15.5% noting that they come from households where limited English is spoken. That is a striking 15,000 people. How are they managing their lives here if they do not speak or understand English? Is my library reaching out to them and helping them and access information essential for day-to-day life? Do they feel that they belong?

Holi celebration at my library

I hope this is where I can step in.

While I only speak selected Asian languages and mostly help Chinese- and Japanese-speaking members, I wholeheartedly agree with Victoria Angela Savage, CEO of Public Libraries Victoria, whose vision of the public library is that “Libraries are free, non-judgemental, trusted, and accessible to everyone. There’s no stigma involved in coming into a library and we feel that we can offer safe and welcoming spaces for people who might otherwise experience discrimination” (Hasan, 2023). That was what the Port Moody Public Library was to me when I first emigrated to Canada at the age of 13, and that is the library that I want to work at and create for all members of the community. Having lived in five countries and being an immigrant myself, I understand that moving to a new country and re-establishing oneself is a lonely and daunting experience. Making friends with the locals is also extremely difficult due to language barriers, different cultural backgrounds, and quite frankly, people’s lack of interest in foreign cultures and immigrant experiences. Just as Savage believes that there is an epidemic of loneliness in Australia, I believe that there is an epidemic of loneliness among the immigrant population, where few, if any, free and public spaces are created for them to learn, grow, and connect. But today’s libraries, serving more as community centers, are uniquely positioned to fill this gap. With new technologies and especially AI, we have plenty of tools to break down language barriers and offer resources, programs, and services in people’s native languages. Even more important is that we now have the tools to collect feedback from these communities, listen to their needs, and foster genuine connections. Using Lauersen’s analogy, diversity is inviting others to the party, and inclusion is asking them to dance (Lauersen, 2018). By actively listening to our members’ needs and involving them in conversations and decision-making, we invite them to dance with us and, together, create a safe space where everyone feels they belong.

References

Hasan, T. N. (2023, June 27). ‘Free, non-judgemental, accessible’: How your local library is a sanctuary of health and wellness. SBS. https://www.sbs.com.au/language/bangla/en/article/free-nonjudgmental-and-accessible-how-your-local-library-is-a-sanctuary-of-health-and-wellness/t15blzsi9

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/

For this assignment, I want to explore how libraries offer participatory services to members in the form of storytelling and community story sharing. Since their inception, libraries have preserved human-made stories and served as depositories of these stories. Some libraries, including the one where I work, are fortunate enough to have an archive that collects and curates stories of local and state history. However, an interview with our reference librarians reveals that few library members visit the archives. Among whom, most are white seniors searching for their high school yearbooks or students researching for school projects. The librarian also indicated that the archives are underutilized by people of color, largely because their histories are not represented in the artifacts. This makes me wonder: how can our archives become more inclusive and serve all members in our community?

Maurice Marks Center for Local and California History

Dr. Stephens presents the Hyperlinked Library model in his books Wholehearted Librarianship and Heart of Librarianship, arguing that, in this ever-changing socio-technological landscape, modern libraries must use new technologies and offer user-centered services both in person and online. In contrast to the past, when library directors and librarians dictated which services and programs to offer, library users today are seeking ways to participate and build a sense of belonging in their libraries. Across the country, community members are helping shape libraries by providing input on library space use, programming, and collection development. Among the participatory services offered by libraries, storytelling may be the most important one. In “Telling Stories” in Wholehearted Librarianship, Dr. Stephens explores the ideas of keeping, sharing, and making stories, and discusses storytelling initiatives such as that at the Kraemer Family Library at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, The Naked Truth: Connect, Create, Contribute (NT:CCC) initiative from the Mill Valley Public Library, and StoryCorps. These are all examples in which community members actively participate in the programs and connect with each other through stories. Dr. Stephens believes that, through facilitating storytelling with diverse members of the community, “libraries can provide the space and training for people of color, LGBTQ folks, and the disabled to share their stories, many of whom don’t make it into mainstream media” (Stephens, 2019).

Libraries are supporting storytelling in many creative ways. For example, to support their storytelling, The Naked Truth equipped their speakers with the necessary tools and knowledge beforehand and created an online platform in addition to their live events to share the stories with a wider audience. Similarly, DOK, the Delft Library in the Netherlands, facilitates the Living Library, where members can have live conversations with a “Living Book,” a real-life person, to gain new perspectives and challenge prejudice or stigma. The Westmount Public Library in Quebec, Canada, uses an interactive multitouch table where members can view and interact with a collection of more than 40,000 postcards and other artifacts collected from the local community. The collection is made available in both French and English and removes barriers that once prohibited access.

Bibliothèque publique de Westmount Public Library, 2016

As for my library, I have some ideas for improving our services and making our archives more inclusive. I believe it is especially important to encourage participation and collaboration from people of color and other marginalized groups, who often have to work extra hard to be heard. New technologies, such as AI-powered translation apps, can leverage speech-to-text, generative AI, and real-time inference to overcome language barriers and provide English translations at storytelling sessions. Offering both in-person and virtual storytelling sessions also breaks down barriers for those who cannot easily visit the library. Furthermore, we can utilize our equipment at our Memory Lab, and invite members to share their memories with us after digitizing them using our flatbed and book scanners and VHS digitizing tools, to support future storytelling. This can be done on an interactive multitouch table like the one at the Westmount Public Library, or through a photo sharing website such as Flickr and Instagram, if the budget is tight.

Artifacts from the Memory Lab

Community storytelling enriches people’s lives and challenge stereotypes and prejudices through open dialogue. With the San Francisco Bay Area being one of the nation’s most ethnically and culturally diverse regions, it becomes the responsibility of our libraries to  not only preserve local history but also foster stronger connections among members through storytelling.

References

Baiocco, L. (2016, June 19). Labor of love: Opening up archival gems for community engagement. Information Today. https://www.infotoday.com/cilmag/may16/Baiocco–Labor-of-Love–Opening-Up-Archival-Gems-for-Community-Engagement.shtml

Bibliothèque publique de Westmount Public Library. (2016). 2016 – La Semaine des bibliothèques publiques – Public Library Week [Photograph]. https://www.flickr.com/photos/bibliowestmount/30325561161/in/album-72157675285586746

DOK. (n.d.). Living Library. Retrieved June 18, 2026, from https://www-dok-info.translate.goog/volwassenen/livinglibrary.html?_x_tr_sl=nl&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=nl

Stephens, M. (2019). Wholehearted Librarianship: Finding hope, inspiration, and balance. American Library Association.

Van de Geer, J. (2015, December 6). Local Stories [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAfw2logFJM&t=9s

My name is Coco Yu, and I am a Chinese-Canadian living in the San Francisco Bay Area. My background is in PR and project management for non-profits, and I began the MLIS program at SJSU in early 2024 as a career change. I currently work as a Clerk at the Alameda County Library and enjoy every aspect of my job. I get especially excited when I can use my language skills to help members who speak little to no English to find what they need. I even made two buttons at our Makerspace that says “I speak Cantonese” and “I speak Mandarin” in the respective languages, and I wear them at all times during work. I am also interested in learning ASL because our library is visited by many members of the deaf community, and there is a need that is currently not being met.

This is my final class and semester in the program (yay!). I look forward to graduating, taking on more responsibilities at the library, and planning and leading programs in the near future.

When I am not at the library, I sew clothes for my two children or am busy driving them to gymnastics meets and soccer games. I also enjoy playing the guitar, learning languages, and hanging out with our cats. Cat tax below:

Chuckles