Virtual Symposium: The 3-2-1 Reflection

 

Here we are at the end of the summer, and the end of the Hyperlinked Library semester. As the air soon begins to cool and the leaves turn to brown, and we each move on to new educational experiences, what better way to close things out than one final reflection, this time on the course as a whole. For this reflection, I’ll follow the 3-2-1 format which Professor Stephens has proposed, as a framework for organizing a few of my many thoughts on what we’ve learned throughout the course.

 

3 “Aha!” Moments

1.  Transparency – Specifically, how naturally transparency works as a dovetail to participatory service. The importance of transparency applies both internally, within the library as an organization, and externally, which is to say, transparency between the library and its users. For staff, a transparent library means a unified vision and a clear purpose, and without staff buy-in, programs and services will suffer. For users, transparency demystifies the institutional bureaucracy of the library, reducing library anxiety, fostering connections with staff, and promoting an environment for participation. Some of the “signposts” for transparency described by Casey and Stephens (2008) may seem like obvious best practices at first glance: “tell the truth,” “grow and develop your support community,” and “give everyone an avenue to talk” are easily said, but aren’t necessarily representative of the actual practices of traditionalist library organizations. If we are striving for a truly participatory library community, then administration, staff, and users must all have a seat at the table.

2. Hygge – This is a term I was not familiar with prior to this course. The Danish term seems to have many definitions, but is generally connected with a feeling of comfort, coziness, and peace. No matter your preferred definition, I think most of us would agree that a library with hygge would be a nice place to relax with a good book. But the definition from Joe Pickard, quoted in Wholehearted Librarianship, is especially relevant, and makes hygge seem almost imperative for our libraries. If hygge is “the art of building sanctuary and community” and “celebrating the everyday” (Stephens, 2019, p. 63),  then this is more than an intercultural buzzword or a synonym for coziness, it is a concept that should be deeply intertwoven with librarianship and the library user experience.

3. “The User is Not Broken” –  This was one of the most memorable individual readings from the course for me. K. G. Schneider’s 2006 blog post remains a pertinent and humorous reminder for information professionals, who may have a tendency to become absorbed in their work and calcify their principles, and lose sight of the impetus for our work–to serve the user. The old ways, the current format, and the fancy new system are all ultimately irrelevant; what matters is the user experience. To “transform the user experience to meet the user” is perhaps even more relevant now than it was 19 years ago, as users have even more access to technology and information tools outside the library.

 

2 Ideas to Explore Further

1.  Artificial Intelligence – This is something we should all continue to monitor, study, and explore. While we discussed artificial intelligence in this course, one could devote an entire degree or years of research to studying AI to this point, and still would need to remain diligent in updating their understanding. Despite the significant growth in consumer AI tool usage in the past few years, the technology is still in its infancy in many ways. I firmly believe that we all must remain abreast of the progress, applications, and challenges that will continue to emerge as this technology advances.

2. Participatory Services – As with AI, I include this here because I firmly believe that there is no endpoint to studying or implementing participatory services. The box is never checked: new services can always be explored, and existing services can always be evaluated, reevaluated, and improved through greater user participation. As Casey and Savastinuk assert in Library 2.0, user participation “can enrich the programs and services your library offers” (2007, p. 14). I think it’s worthwhile to continue exploring how this can be achieved.

 

1 Action to Take

Infinite Learning – A concept fundamental to the future of libraries in my opinion. Learning should be ongoing and not be limited by access to information, notions of where or how learning should occur, or what a library or librarian should be. I intend to embrace infinite learning, and continue exploring the world of information available to me in one way or another. As librarians, we can help people on their learning journeys, too, and learn together.

 

References

Casey, M. & Savastinuk, L. (2007). Library 2.0: A guide to participatory library service. Information Today, Inc.

Casey, M., &  Stephens, M. (2008). Six signposts on the way. Tame The Web. https://tametheweb.com/2008/11/15/six-signposts-on-the-way/

Marshall, T. (2016, July 26). Painted red [Photograph]. Unsplash. https://unsplash.com/photos/cAtzHUz7Z8g

Schneider, K. G. (2006, June 3). The user is not broken. Free Range Librarian. https://freerangelibrarian.com/2006/06/03/the-user-is-not-broken-a-meme-masquerading-as-a-manifesto/

Stephens, M. (2019). Wholehearted librarianship: Finding hope, inspiration, and balance. ALA Editions.