Adobe Stock and Pixabay are good places to download duty-free images for a project as well.

I use Pixabay.com!

Pexels is my go-to, but I’ve also used Unsplash.

unsplash.com is one of my favs. It has beautiful photographs that, honestly, I can’t believe are free to use.

I love this so much! When my kids were little our public library used to host a sleepover for kids who pledged, and succeeded, to go screen-free for a week. We have such precious memories of making blanket forts in the stacks and reading late into the night surrounded by our neighbors and community!

@michael I LOVE that library you shared about in Copenhagen with the climbable shelving! I worked as a media assistant at a public elementary school library for several years which has an amphitheater that begs to be climbed on and you bet that I let the kiddos get comfy on those oversized steps to read and get cozy and socialize. It made them so happy.

@michael I did not get a comment from you.

@michael I absolutely love this idea – it is so creative and cool! As an extension, the library could also host board game nights and have people bring their homemade board games. So fun!

@bklint I really enjoyed your video. Thank you for all of your sharing. The real life situations you described along with your responses through the lens of our course were spot on. I so agree with your points – especially about mental health, etc.

@bklint Excellent video! Having the library host a sign-up for a walk that raises awareness and funds for suicide prevention sounds to me like the epitome of wholehearted librarianship / whole-person perspective. I’m sorry your efforts were shut down. It sounds like an initiative with great potential for community building.

Also, I’m becoming more and more convinced that public and academic libraries need to have cafes attached to them for the reasons you lay out: people need a place to drink coffee and tea, to sit comfortably, socialize, and decompress — the third place!

@bklint I really enjoyed your video and your ideas on connecting students to one another, and not just academic resources. Mentioning coffee shops – the academic library I currently intern at has had a coffee shop for a few years now and it actually makes a huge difference. The coffee shop is right next to a really big comfy sitting area where talking is allowed, and there are also computers, printers, and scanners for schoolwork as well. Many of the students that come to the coffee shop aren’t necessarily coming for the library, but end up staying, socializing, and using the library services because they are already there and get comfy. I honestly believe that every academic library should incorporate coffee shops.

@bklint That last paragraph resonates! I like your approach…and the idea of a torch into the night!

Hi @bklint,
Your post really resonated with me. I personally understand how easy it is for both patrons and LIS professionals to feel constrained by traditional administrative mindsets. But the potential for libraries to become true hubs for empowerment and connectivity is incredibly vast, as illustrated by your example.

I agree that empowering patrons goes beyond simply meeting their information needs — it’s about giving them the right tools to actively shape their learning and interactions within the community. Programs like Murambinda Works show us what’s possible when we reimagine libraries as collaborative spaces where anyone can become a creator and sharer of knowledge, rather than a mere recipient. It’s exciting to think about all the limitless possibilities and opportunities awaiting future generations of patrons once libraries fully embrace this shift.

@michael I just wanted to give you heads up that the due dates listed are incorrect for this class

Hello! I just posted my Hyperlinked Environment reflection post and I was wondering if you needed us to submit each link into Canvas or if you are following them throughout the semester? Thank you!

@michael This module was really helpful! I do work with some employees who have several years and even several decades under their belt that are great co-workers, but are a little bitter and/or jaded by having worked for a county library system for so long that they have a lot of negativity around new ideas. I get it, they are often overwhelmed by their daily tasks and some are stuck in their way. But this unit provided some avenues for reaching those co-workers. Great module!

Very cool, and beautiful photos! Hope you’re having fun!

Wonderful pics!

@michael Maaan, this makes me miss Scotland; I got to do a travel abroad program when I was 19, and absolutely loved it! Scotland is for sure one of the most beautiful places to visit. Thanks for the pics of Edinburgh!

@inabookbind @catladylilia @claireburke Yay! Things are going well. Monday was rainy so we visited all four museums under the National Galleries. So amazing!

Claire – any chance I get I suggest to parents or their young folk: travel outside the US – it is eye opening and life changing…especially if you are a YA.

@michael Thank you for this. I haven’t messaged but things have been pretty hectic in my world so this is appreciated.

@Michael Thank you so much! Your generosity is so appreciated.

Thank you so much for this, @michael . Such a crazy time.

Whoa! Thank you @michael
I appreciate the flexibility.

Wow, thank you much, @michael. Your grace is appreciated more than you know.

@mickeysosa97 @terribeth @msandoval @Catherine Glad to do this!

Thank you @michael. This is very appreciated and I just had weight lifted from my shoulders.

This is so generous, @michael–thank you so much! I hope you’re extended similar grace in your own life somehow. Also, I’m obsessed with those broccoli earrings, hah.