@kmg333 I am thrilled you did a Wild Card post! Thanks for sharing the amazing videos and images.

@kmg333, Nice post! I love the pics. Biblioburro makes me well up every time. It is so poignant that you end on the aspect of a book mobile as a symbol for the library caring for its community.

There have been a few books over the last years about Roosevelt’s Kentucky Pack Horse Library Project, including Kim Michele Richardson’s “The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek” & its sequel, “The Book Woman’s Daughter,” as well as Jojo Moyes’s “The Giver of Stars.”

@jeanna So glad you covered this topic. And I really appreciate the stats you share in the last paragraph. It feels like that KY bookmobile service was really playing a vibrant role in the lives of the folks who used it.

Thanks for keeping hope alive and putting our current challenges in historical perspective. Loved the video at the end.

@kmg333 That Konigsberg quote is powerful. I was just listening to a podcast with an author who said how important it was for everyone’s story to be told. The author emphasize that stories can have a huge impact on others who might be experiencing the same thing.

Hello Kathleen,
This is a great analysis of the influence of BookTok on engaging hyperlinked communities! I have also heard a lot of negatives regarding the promotion of over-consumption and consumerism related to BookTok. Many influencers encourage their viewers to purchase the books rather than borrow them from a library. Some BookTok influencers benefit monetarily from their audience purchasing new copies of popular books, such as through an Amazon storefront, which does promote overconsumption.
Another issues readers encounter that may deter them from borrowing from the library is long wait times for popular titles. When books ‘blow up’ on social media, libraries may struggle to keep up with this inflated demand. I have heard people complain about excessively long wait time for eBooks and audiobooks as well. I am curious about the steps libraries can take to combat the challenge of long wait times to better serve their users and encourage them to borrow instead of buy!

@kmg333 I am fascinated by the BookTok space and all the sharing taking place. It might be interesting to see if collection development librarians are monitoring social channels like this as they order titles.

Hi, Kathleen!

I can attest to the positive impact of reducing/eliminating library fines. This year, I’ve essentially done away with the system entirely for my students after noticing how much stress it was causing them. It also impeded our communication — students would avoid me because they were afraid of telling me what happened to their book! Now, if a book is lost, I notify the parents that their student thinks the book is permanently gone, and if they’d like to donate an equal amount to the library to replace the book or provide a new copy of the missing or damaged title, it would be appreciated, but not necessary. This is especially important knowing that families in our community may not be able to afford to replace a book — and I have never hesitated to waive a fee when this was the case, even in previous years. I have rearranged my library budget to account for potential losses (though I can’t say it amounts to quite as much as $300,000!). I think it really boils down to the concept of transparency that we’ve explored this week; if librarians and their patrons are keeping secrets from each other, then as far as I’m concerned we’re actively working against each other.

Thank you for your post!

@kmg333 Maggie is beautiful!

I did a film, minor in my undergrad, and so appreciate good discussion about film. I’ve been trying to watch as many of the best picture nominees as I can. Also, a big fan of really well-done creepy movies and there aren’t that many of those and film noir.

Welcome to #hyperlib!

Hi Kathleen,

When I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do as a second career I also contemplated teaching before deciding on pursuing the MLIS degree. I think I may also have issues with classroom management (haha) and I don’t know if I have to patience to be a teacher.

-Laurel