Author: Becca Slick

Created by ChatGPT EDU for reflection blog.

Reflecting on what it means to be a Hyperlinked community that connects my library with participation and outreach really got me thinking about how my college library can do more to serve the community, not only inside our campus, but to the whole community with which it resides. How can or has the library been a steward of the hyperlinked library model in relation to participation and outreach? How are we connecting with our users?

Illustration by Boxicons on Unsplash

I know that we try and provide excellent customer service and being a small college we really get to know many of our users because we can take the time to get to know them. Whether it be through helping with assignments, study hall hours for athletes, or the go-to place for general technology questions….we have formed bonds with students, faculty, and staff. Stephens(2016) writes about how we have interactions across both the physical space as well as the virtual space and I can honestly say that we do much better in the physical than the virtual. With such a small staff, it’s been hard to dedicate time to tend to the virtual side when through this class, I have learned that I need to make it more of a priority because not all of our patrons can make it into the physical space.  And this goes for more than just social media content. In speaking with my soon to be former boss, I asked her about what activities she felt (through the hyperlinked library lens) did she wish she could have implemented, but didn’t get a chance to?  Her reply?  It was more connection with the faculty. Exploring options for an embedded librarian in our LMS system, Canvas. The opportunity to create signage for the different Career and Technology programs showcasing what the library has to offer these majors.  It was an amazing conversation with her. It also got me thinking about wanting to move those things forward.

You see, July 1st will be here before I know it and then it will be my turn to make these decisions. This class and specifically this module has had my brain on overdrive with possibilities (maybe a bit grandiose given my current staffing issue) about how to make connections with our community. I know what you are thinking…it’s summer…..how much connection can you do when most of the students are taking online classes right now?  The answer would be I don’t know, but what I do know is that I want to make sure that the library communicates effectively and with more transparency with the active involvement of the college community. They are the reason we are still here. They are the reason we look for those connections. I like the saying that being hyperlinked isn’t all about technology, that its truly about connection in many forms, and that includes the human connections (Stephens, 2016). In fact, I also sit on the Board of Trustees for the public library and I have sent the library director there some of the things that I am learning in this class and hopefully collaborating with her in the future to partner on programming that benefits both our libraries.

Beyond Buzzwords by Michael Stephens (2025) was super informative. I wrote down every single one and attempted to think about how to incorporate, if I hadn’t already, into the daily activities of the library. All 10 items were down to earth connections that helped the library show compassion, empathy, and overall care for the patron. Finding those things that we have in common with our users, asking them about their wants and needs, making sure our mission includes a commitment to inspiring the user to learn. Making sure to value every person and include all walks of life. We have a poster like this when you first enter our library:

Courtesy of https://www.etsy.com/listing/1551319118/in-this-library-we-are-helpful-we-are.

I like this sign because we really do strive to accomplish all the items on here and we hope that students feel the same way. We attempt to have displays that show diversity and inclusion. Even our Student Services department will, every fall, have the International Students put a pin on a world map and then ask to showcase this sign in the library highlighting where all of our international students are from. It’s really cool to see people stop in and look at the map and be surprised at how far some of our students come to attend college.

In conclusion, getting to know our users, honoring them, listening to them, and reaching out to them through other platforms when they can’t always come to the library are vital to the continued existence of libraries. We are not just a place for knowledge. We are so much more. We are the “heart” of the community where people can feel welcome, feel loved, and allowed to spread their intellectual wings.

Resources

• Stephens, M. (2025). Beyond Buzzwords: Ten Invitations to Build Library Connection and Community
• Stephens, M. (2019) “Libraries in Balance” in Wholehearted Librarainship, p. 78
• Stephens, M. (2016). “Reaching All Users” in The Heart of Librarianship, p. 41

As I sit in the quietness of the library, I reflect on the significance of the Hyperlinked Library model and how it can help our library move forward. Stephens (2011) emphasizes the importance of building meaningful connections between libraries and their users to meet community needs. Today’s libraries are about much more than books. At the Southwestern Community College Learning Resource Center, we provide access to technology, collaboration spaces, stress reduction resources, creativity, comfort, and quiet study areas.

Although we maintain a website and Facebook page, our online presence is limited and not regularly updated. This raises an important question: how can we better connect with our users?

Social Media

Students today use a variety of social media platforms to communicate and gather information. While our library currently only maintains a Facebook page, platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat offer additional opportunities to engage users where they already spend their time. As Pasipamire (2025) notes, libraries must meet users where they are rather than where staff feel most comfortable.

The Hyperlinked Library model encourages two-way communication, making social media an ideal tool for engagement. Short videos could provide tutorials on information literacy, printing services, finding books, and using library resources. More importantly, these platforms create opportunities for feedback through comments, suggestions, and conversations. Research shows that libraries increasingly use social media to market services, strengthen their reputation, and increase community engagement (Athukorala & Jayasundara, 2025).

Many libraries have successfully used creative content to showcase the human side of librarianship and challenge outdated stereotypes. By highlighting staff personalities, library activities, and student success stories, libraries can create stronger connections with their communities while promoting available resources and services.

Visual Displays

While technology offers valuable communication opportunities, physical spaces remain equally important. Throughout the library, visual displays can serve as communication hubs that encourage interaction and transparency.

While technology offers valuable communication opportunities, physical spaces remain equally important. Throughout the library, visual displays can serve as communication hubs that encourage interaction and transparency.

For example, a clear panel near our entrance could be repurposed as a feedback station where students respond to questions using sticky notes. This simple, low-cost approach allows users to share opinions, interests, and suggestions while fostering a sense of participation. Stephens (2011) reminds us that libraries do not need to rely exclusively on new technology. Effective communication can occur through both digital and traditional methods.

By using displays more intentionally, the library can create welcoming spaces that invite students, faculty, and staff to engage with library services and contribute ideas for improvement.

Future Trends for the SWCC Library

Reading about Hyperlinked Libraries in Information Services Today encouraged me to consider additional ways to strengthen communication with users. One idea is developing departmental newsletters for faculty that highlight resources, services, and collections that directly support their curriculum.

Communication between the library and academic departments has not always been consistent, contributing to outdated materials and missed opportunities for collaboration. Strengthening these relationships could improve collection development while creating new opportunities for programming and outreach.

The library has previously hosted successful events such as Book Tastings, a Human Library, and a multicultural potluck. These programs brought students, faculty, and staff together while showcasing the library as a community-centered space. Reviving similar events would support the Hyperlinked Library model by encouraging participation, collaboration, and relationship-building.

Reflection

I am enthusiastic about incorporating the Hyperlinked Library model into the daily operations of our small library. Although challenges such as limited staffing and budgets exist, the model encourages creative thinking and meaningful engagement with both users and non-users.

By expanding our social media presence, creating interactive physical spaces, strengthening communication with faculty, and reviving community-centered programming, the library can become more responsive to user needs. Listening to feedback and demonstrating that user input influences decisions helps build trust and strengthens relationships.

As Stephens (2016) explains in The Heart of Librarianship, the library extends far beyond its physical walls. It exists wherever people connect with information, learning, and one another. By embracing the principles of the Hyperlinked Library model, the SWCC Learning Resource Center can continue evolving as a dynamic, welcoming, and essential part of the campus community.

Resources

Stephens, M. (2011, February 21). The hyperlinked library: A TTW white paper. Tame the Web. https://tametheweb.com/2011/02/21/hyperlinkedlibrary2011/

Stephens, M. (2022). Hyperlinked libraries. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today: An introduction (pp. 229–239). Rowman & Littlefield.

Hello! My name is Becca Slick and I am currently the full-time Library Assistant at Southwestern Community College. Starting July 1st, however, I will be taking over the Library Director position here and starting a new chapter in my library journey. I have been with this library since 2019 and have loved every minute of it. Working with students, faculty, staff, and public patrons and guests has afforded me the pleasure of getting to know and working with a wide diverse set of individuals. In addition to working full-time at the library, I also adjunct teach for the college in the areas of history and college experience.

Through this MLIS journey I have learned so many new and valuable skills and information that I try to use in my everyday. I have been able to better assist with library functions as well as explore new and exciting topics and skills such as AI that allows me to provide additional skills and know-how to improve displays, promotional materials, literacy information, etc. I hope to learn a lot from the hyperlink library course this summer and try my hand at more blogging, which I hate to say, I am still a novice at.

I was interested in taking this course because the role of the library is constantly changing and finding ways to keep the library relevant with emerging technologies all the while still promoting the standard library resources. Being able to learn about what it means to be a hyperlinked library and how I can apply it to my own library. I watched instructional videos of the instructor in one of my other classes and I was struck by how comfortable he was talking about library information in a way that I could easily understand and showed his passion for the subject.  I am trying to soak up as much LIS information as possible as I start my director role and I want to be able to provide the type of service that will keep students, faculty, staff, and the public coming back whether its in person or online.

As you can probably gather from my babbling, that my passion and interest lays with academic libraries. I have worked in higher education for almost 20 years in various capacities: Student Records/Registrar’s Office, Financial Aid, Adjunct teaching, and the library. You could say the academic world has become a special place for me.

I look forward to learning from all of my fellow classmates and how to stay connected and help bring my library into the next level of service. Come with me on my new director journey!