Hyperlinked Symposium: #hyperlib Explore & Act in 3-2-1

I had heard incredible feedback about the INFO 287: The Hyperlinked Library class but I did not predict how transformative this course would be for me. As a student at the beginning of the course I felt that the theories and flexible concepts within it made my individual path unknown and unpredictable. However, I found that diving headlong into the material inevitably gave me access to insights and ideas that I had not encountered despite working in libraries for five years.

The nature of being hyperlinked in library communities cuts to the core of human experiences. It invites patience and chaos, but also collaboration and the courage to ‘follow the spark’ and support brilliance when it appears.

Thank you to Dr. Michael Stephens for providing this unique learning environment and to my classmates for sharing their sparks and engaging with mine.

Inspiration Report: Digital Care Work: Exploring Trends from Europe

Digital Care Work has become an unforgettable foundation to my studies this semester as a library professional most interested in technological aspects of librarianship. Methods to decrease barriers to access fascinate me and I recognize that this is a trend that has continued throughout my time at SJSU. In previous courses I’ve explored these themes through learning to teach information literacy, fostering community for niche social groups, inclusive cataloging, ease of use through information architecture, and more. I aspire to continue exploring Digital Care Work through other lenses and hope you find value in it as well.

 

Reflection Blog #5: Infinite Learning for Library Folk

My personal journey as a library professional has been steeped in infinite learning through informal engagement but also frequent professional learning experiences (PLEs). I realized quite early on that I would have to be a sponge and allow myself to be open to all potential learning opportunities if I were to be a facilitator of the best possible experiences for my patrons. Every single day has been a chance to learn from my colleagues and patrons alike. As library professionals we are not merely serving as liaisons to information, but builders of a structure of interconnectedness that invites everyone to learn and collaborate (Stephens, 2016).

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Reflection Blog #4: 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦🗣️🆘🙏✅🙌

The value of storytelling has never been more powerful as libraries have shifted toward becoming community hubs and away from the notion of being book warehouses. Libraries and library staff might arrange an environment for a community to form by providing programming events, but sharing stories with each other is a necessary step for a sense of community to grow and thrive. I previously explored storytelling via a traveling exhibit where veterans shared their stories through tattoos. This inspired me to ask my colleagues about transformative experiences that patrons have shared with them. In my experience, these heart-warming stories tend to accumulate quickly for public library workers, but I’ve selected a few short anecdotes to share anonymously.

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Reflection Blog #3: UDL as a Bandage for Anti-DEI Policies

As I worked through the material for modules eight and nine in our course content, I kept feeling drawn back toward the Teaching & Learning EDUCAUSE Horizon Report from 2025. Two sections kept gnawing at me: inclusive learning environments and federal policy shifts blocking inclusive innovations. The key takeaway from the EDUCAUSE (2025) report states that inclusive teaching strategies “boost[s] student retention, success, and engagement” (p. 8). I don’t believe that this claim comes as a surprise to anyone in the library world who has worked directly with marginalized patrons.

Then this question loomed in my mind: the facts are apparent and the news is dire, so what can we do about it, especially if we are scared?

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Reflection Blog #2: Illinois Libraries Bridge the Gap Between Veterans and their Communities

Veterans are a unique community who chronically underuse their resources but also are frequently neglected by greater society. While reading through papers at the crossroads of libraries and veteran needs, I discovered the estimate that only 20% of veterans utilize their benefits (Adamich, 2018). I shared this statistic with veteran friends and they expressed that many veterans carry fears of judgement and medical paper trails that restrict their career opportunities. There are many obvious ways that libraries can attempt to be a beacon for this community through providing information, but I began to wonder: how can libraries become environments of connection and interaction for veterans?

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Reflection Blog #1: Libraries as Digital Community Hubs

As I work through this course I am continually drawn to the concept of librarians as Digital Care Workers who help their communities dissolve the barriers of accessibility and close the digital divide. I have had several interactions as a library paraprofessional which exposed the reality that this divide still exists in present day and it is not limited to age groups despite the notion that Millennials, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha are digital natives (Gun, 2023). A couple of years ago I had an interaction with a shy eighteen-year-old patron who worked up the courage to ask me how to use email—from step one of creating an email address—because they never had a computer at home. I have had many similar interactions over the years which have revealed that being skillful with a cellphone did not mean those same skills were always transferable to a computer interface.

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Assignment X Meets AI

Dr. Stephens introduced us to NotebookLM, an AI service provided by Google which can transform nearly any material to alternative formats that make studying interactive and easier. It can create flashcards and quizzes, but what’s even more exciting is that it can create podcasts and videos from the material fed into it.

I fed my Assignment X submission into NotebookLM, and it popped out the following podcast which sounds incredibly real and extrapolates my ideas into a conversation. It even accurately used examples of digital barriers to access which I did not identify in my article, such as two-factor authentication. If you’d like to have a listen, the audio file is playable via this link.

NotebookLM is also generating a video file of the same material. I will also include that here when it becomes available.

Assignment X: Libraries at the Intersection of Digital Information and Care Work

Twenty years ago, Cathy de Rosa—the head of marketing for OCLC at the time—identified two significant core themes of perception around library services: the library as a trusted information resource but also the need for increased self-service (De Rosa et al., 2005, p. ix; Stephens, n.d.). These themes continue to be identified as key components for libraries to strive for as services necessary for citizens and their welfare are becoming increasingly digitized (Rebergen et al., 2025). Taxes, banking, healthcare, billing, pay, legal, and other services necessary for life are increasing their virtual presence, however this shift does not necessarily improve ease of access for all people (Moore, 2019; van Holstein et al., 2021).

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