{"id":51,"date":"2026-07-24T04:14:46","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T04:14:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/chicanasteamlibrarian\/?p=51"},"modified":"2026-07-24T04:16:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T04:16:17","slug":"new-models-hygge-in-school-libraries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/chicanasteamlibrarian\/2026\/07\/24\/new-models-hygge-in-school-libraries\/","title":{"rendered":"New Models: Hygge in School Libraries"},"content":{"rendered":"

New Models: Hygge in School Libraries<\/b><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In this module’s readings, what resonated with me the most was the concept of Hygge. Dr. Michael Stephens explains that this Danish word loosely translates as coziness but truly means much more than this. Dr. Stephens shared a definition of this word written by Joe Pickard that explains the concept of Hygge as the development of \u201csanctuary and community, of paying attention to what makes us feel alive. A feeling of belonging to the moment and celebrating the everyday\u201d (Stephens, 2019). Dr Stephens also shared the concept of New Models in libraries being \u201cAn evolving vision of space and inclusion\u201d (Stephens, 2025). To me, Hygge and libraries as an evolving space of inclusion where students can feel safe and part of a community by participating in things that make them feel alive is what will make school libraries and public libraries indispensable. As an Itinerant Teacher Librarian, creating this at two elementary schools and one middle school where I am only present once or twice a week can also be a huge challenge.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Monroe
Monroe Public Library Teen Space (Uden, 2015).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Teen Spaces<\/b><\/p>\n

After watching the YouTube video of the Monroe County Public Library Teen Spaces, I was inspired by what makes a library a Hygge sanctuary for a Teen. In the video, you get to see how the library created a space where only Teens are allowed to participate, full of tables with adjacent TV monitors, TV\u2019s with gaming consoles, and a space and tools with which to do arts and crafts.\u00a0 Also significant was the knowledgeable staff supporting the teens in their activities and projects. A school library does have some limitations as it is used as a multipurpose space but could be transformed into a teen sanctuary with movable furniture and teen-specific crafts and items to help students of this age group feel part of a community. To transform the space would require special funding for Teen items and furniture. I would love to add a gaming console, green screen, microphone, editing technology and software, 3D printers, and a dedicated crafting space to a public middle school library. I would also love to add more flexible seating in the library to make it more inviting. Collaboration among library staff, classroom teachers, and school administration on this project will go a long way in making the library a Hygge place for teens (MCP LIndiana, 2019).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Teens
Ramsey County Library, Maplewood, MN (Uden, 2015).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Elementary Spaces<\/b><\/p>\n

I work at two elementary schools. Students generally enjoy visiting the library and look forward to their weekly checkouts. However, there is more I could do to create a sense of community and inclusion in the elementary school library. One of my goals for my elementary libraries is to do weekly read-alouds for upper grades and give students the option of coming in during their lunch recess to listen to the story. It would be a book students would vote on as the read-aloud of choice. Another program I plan to implement to promote a sense of belonging and community is providing arts and crafts for the upper elementary grades during their lunch recess. I also plan to promote library helpers and to encourage students to learn how to check books in and out and reshelve books. I also plan to create STEAM programming to help students feel more connected to the library as a Hygge learning hub.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Creating Hygge in school libraries is essential for students’ well-being. Students need a place where they can feel safe while engaging in unique learning experiences that help motivate them in lifelong learning while building community with their peers and school staff. Students need to be able to access a place where they feel they belong, and the public school library can be one of those places for all students.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

References<\/b><\/p>\n

Anythink. (n.d.). <\/span>Anythink Nature Library.<\/span><\/i> https:\/\/www.anythinklibraries.org\/anythink-nature-library\/?fbclid=IwAR2DgO-<\/span><\/a>k8nU6kNUODo7vTlRXKiEiYSoSeQMC8Aq0QnoLMZoT3d-QKpbSl5M<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Gaetani, M. (2018). <\/span>Q&A with Eric Klinenberg.<\/span><\/i> Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University. <\/span>https:\/\/casbs.stanford.edu\/news\/qa-eric-<\/span><\/a>klinenberg<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

MCPLIndiana. (2019, August 29). <\/span>Teen Spaces at the Monroe County Public Library<\/span><\/i> [Video]. YouTube. <\/span>https:\/\/youtu.be\/1ipoQbNPUtQ?si=yZuHMwPbvDTd8-_s<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Stephens, M. (2025). <\/span>Hyperlinked Library master lectures 2025: New models\u00a0<\/span><\/i>[Panopto video]. San Jose State University School of Information. <\/span>https:\/\/sjsu-ischool.hosted.panopto.com\/Panopto\/Pages\/Viewer.aspx?id=a33699b1-6c88-48f5-<\/span><\/a>b684<\/span><\/a>-af1001336869<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Stephens, M. (2019). <\/span>Wholehearted librarianship: Finding hope, inspiration, and balance.<\/span><\/i> ALA Editions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Uden, R. (2015). <\/span>New teen spaces from coast to coast.<\/span><\/i> School Library Journal. <\/span>https:\/\/www.slj.com\/story\/new-teen-spaces-from-coast-to-coast<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New Models: Hygge in School Libraries \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In this module’s readings, what resonated with me the most was the concept of Hygge. Dr. Michael Stephens explains that this Danish word loosely translates as coziness but truly means much more than this. Dr. Stephens shared a definition of this word written by Joe Pickard that explains the concept of Hygge as the development of \u201csanctuary and community, of paying attention to what makes us feel alive. A feeling of belonging to the moment and celebrating the everyday\u201d (Stephens, 2019). Dr Stephens also shared the concept of New Models in libraries being \u201cAn evolving vision of space and inclusion\u201d (Stephens, 2025). To me, Hygge and libraries as an evolving space of inclusion where students can feel safe and part of a community by participating in things that make them feel alive is what will make school libraries and public libraries indispensable. As an Itinerant Teacher Librarian, creating this at two elementary schools and one middle school where I am only present once or twice a week can also be a huge challenge.\u00a0     Teen Spaces After watching the YouTube video of the Monroe County Public Library Teen Spaces, I was inspired by what makes a library a Hygge sanctuary for a Teen. In the video, you get to see how the library created a space where only Teens are allowed to participate, full of tables with adjacent TV monitors, TV\u2019s with gaming consoles, and a space and tools with which to do arts and crafts.\u00a0 Also significant was the knowledgeable staff supporting the teens in their activities and projects. A school library does have some limitations as it is used as a multipurpose space but could be transformed into a teen sanctuary with movable furniture and teen-specific crafts and items to help students of this age group feel part of a community. To transform the space would require special funding for Teen items and furniture. I would love to add a gaming console, green screen, microphone, editing technology and software, 3D printers, and a dedicated crafting space to a public middle school library. I would also love to add more flexible seating in the library to make it more inviting. Collaboration among library staff, classroom teachers, and school administration on this project will go a long way in making the library a Hygge place for teens (MCP LIndiana, 2019).\u00a0     Elementary Spaces I work at two elementary schools. Students generally enjoy visiting the library and look forward to their weekly checkouts. However, there is more I could do to create a sense of community and inclusion in the elementary school library. One of my goals for my elementary libraries is to do weekly read-alouds for upper grades and give students the option of coming in during their lunch recess to listen to the story. It would be a book students would vote on as the read-aloud of choice. Another program I plan to implement to promote a sense of belonging and community is providing arts and crafts for the upper elementary grades during their lunch recess. I also plan to promote library helpers and to encourage students to learn how to check books in and out and reshelve books. I also plan to create STEAM programming to help students feel more connected to the library as a Hygge learning hub. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Creating Hygge in school libraries is essential for students’ well-being. Students need a place where they can feel safe while engaging in unique learning experiences that help motivate them in lifelong learning while building community with their peers and school staff. Students need to be able to access a place where they feel they belong, and the public school library can be one of those places for all students.   References Anythink. (n.d.). Anythink Nature Library. https:\/\/www.anythinklibraries.org\/anythink-nature-library\/?fbclid=IwAR2DgO-k8nU6kNUODo7vTlRXKiEiYSoSeQMC8Aq0QnoLMZoT3d-QKpbSl5M\u00a0 Gaetani, M. (2018). Q&A with Eric Klinenberg. Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University. https:\/\/casbs.stanford.edu\/news\/qa-eric-klinenberg\u00a0 MCPLIndiana. (2019, August 29). Teen Spaces at the Monroe County Public Library [Video]. YouTube. https:\/\/youtu.be\/1ipoQbNPUtQ?si=yZuHMwPbvDTd8-_s\u00a0 Stephens, M. (2025). Hyperlinked Library master lectures 2025: New models\u00a0[Panopto video]. San Jose State University School of Information. https:\/\/sjsu-ischool.hosted.panopto.com\/Panopto\/Pages\/Viewer.aspx?id=a33699b1-6c88-48f5-b684-af1001336869\u00a0 Stephens, M. (2019). Wholehearted librarianship: Finding hope, inspiration, and balance. ALA Editions.\u00a0 Uden, R. (2015). New teen spaces from coast to coast. School Library Journal. https:\/\/www.slj.com\/story\/new-teen-spaces-from-coast-to-coast\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":847,"featured_media":60,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogs"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/chicanasteamlibrarian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/chicanasteamlibrarian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/chicanasteamlibrarian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/chicanasteamlibrarian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/847"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/chicanasteamlibrarian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/chicanasteamlibrarian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/chicanasteamlibrarian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51\/revisions\/59"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/chicanasteamlibrarian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/chicanasteamlibrarian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/chicanasteamlibrarian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/chicanasteamlibrarian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}