I found myself excited by the idea of the Sacramento Public Library partnering with the Sacramento Regional Transit District to start a “rolling library train,” as this concept exemplifies a new model for the LIS fields to consider. Through this partnership, interiors of a city train were redesigned to offer not only imagery of bookshelves, but also feature QR codes leading to “free downloadable materials from the Sacramento Public Library” such as eBooks and audiobooks, among other “library resources that they can access for free” upon scanning (Mass Transit Magazine, 2022).

Various online resources available through the Sacramento Public Library system are QR code-accessible via wallpapering on the Sacramento Rolling Library Train. (Photo Courtesy of Yelp/Used for Educational Purposes)

As Singh and Trinchetta (2020) assessed, “Library brand advocacy is an important part of sparking interest in communities and effectively positioning the library as a vital resource in the minds of current and prospective patrons. Vercelletto (2018) discusses the importance of rebranding to increase awareness of the myriad of services offered by public libraries today” (p. 300). This is an example of increasing public awareness of library services in an appealing, lively way.

This concept resonated with me because the library has found an alluring means to expand its reach into the community, providing newfound advertising to a somewhat “captive audience.” Transit CEO Henry Li described the project as an “innovative and engaging way to advertise free services provided by an important community partner” (Mass Transit Magazine, 2022). Indeed, as Kupfer (2022) observed of the idea, “People are already going to be sitting and riding to their destination, whether it’s school or work, so what better way to kill time?”

Sacramento Public Library events are advertised on the Sacramento Rolling Library Train. (Photo Courtesy of Yelp/Used for Educational Purposes)

This idea connects with real-world library service because it is a vibrant example of, quite literally, as Casey and Savastinuk (2007) explain, a library that “pushes its mission out to the most citizens” (p. 134). With this approach, the library is not passively sitting back and expecting potentially new patrons to engage with them. Rather, the library has identified dynamic avenues for outreach and engagement.

Streaming music and movie capabilities offered by the Sacramento Public Library system are marketed on the Sacramento Rolling Library Train. (Photo Courtesy of Yelp/Used for Educational Purposes)

However, in addition to promoting reading and literacy, the rolling library program also challenges long-held assumptions about libraries and sparks new possibilities with prospective new audiences by actively promoting resources which go well beyond “just books.” Through encouraging user participation via the QR codes, the library has offered additional resources such as Sacramento historical and genealogy databases, the ‘library of things’ (e.g., tools or instruments,), language-learning tools, seed-library listings, video games, diploma programs and homework assistance, event calendars and clubs, and music & movie streaming services. This creative mode of outreach captures the mentality suggested by Julian (2017) as one of 10 tactics to engage people: “Host an event to build community awareness of a new creative service at your library” (p. 55). In a sense, every time a passenger takes a trip on the train is a sort of event unto itself!

— @sjsudon

References

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

Julian, J. (2017). Libraries transform: Second year of campaign puts the spotlight on librarians. American Libraries, 48(6), 52–56.

Kupfer, D. (2022, August 31). Rolling library train [YouTube video]. Good Day Sacramento. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYkALmxiWP4

Mass Transit Magazine. (2022, September 1). SacRT introduces new rolling library train. https://www.masstransitmag.com/rail/press-release/21279523/sacramento-regional-transit-sacrt-sacrt-introduces-new-rolling-library-train

Singh, R., & Trinchetta, G. G. (2020). Community connections: Advocating for libraries through effective brand advocacy. Public Library Quarterly, 39(4), 295–309. https://doi.org/10.1080/01616846.2019.1613626

The Idea

Cal Poly’s Kennedy Library will join the global movement of hosting Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon campaigns. The goals of these events are trifold: to build foundational information-literacy skills in students, to form collaborative partnerships between campus faculty and LIS staff toward curriculum fulfillment, and to align with institutional missions of active learning and creating more equitable representation of historically underrepresented stories. At Edit-a-Thons, classes, sections, or majors of students collaborate to contribute to Wikipedia articles, whether via page creation, editing, reference addition, or image and media upload and association, targeting subjects identified as in-need or tailored to meet curriculum design(s). Consequently, the open-access information community and future researchers are assisted, while historical record is improved for the masses. Pamela Carson, a web services librarian at Montreal’s Concordia University, noted that “an academic library is the perfect setting for a Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon, mainly because it’s a great place to do research, [adding] ‘We have access to millions of scholarly articles and books which can be used as high-quality sources to support assertions made’” (Peacock, 2016). Meanwhile, as Lauro (2020) observed, “Wikipedia edit-a-thons have since become international vehicles for reconciling gaps in gender and cultural representation as educational institutions, libraries and museums work in collaboration with the online encyclopedia to increase the number of articles about notable women, and those related to women’s histories and interests” (p. 1003).

The University of the Philippines (Visayas Tacloban College’s Division of Humanities) holds a National Literature Month Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon in 2019. (Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, by ‘JinJian’)

Aligning with the Institutional Mission

Cal Poly explains its library’s mission as: “We are a Learn by Doing library. We help every member of the Cal Poly community engage in open and informed inquiry, and contribute through creation, innovation, and collaboration, to the quality of life of our community” (Robert E. Kennedy Library, 2025). Hosting Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon events is in line with the ‘Learn by Doing’ ethos, as students will be taking an active role in engaging not only with peers and faculty mentors on campus, but also with communities in the San Luis Obispo and Central Coast areas, as well as with extended research collectives across the globe. In addition, the library adheres to a diversity statement: “Through education and action, the library will disrupt the processes and structures that encourage inequity and racism and create an equitable and inclusive environment where all people feel welcome, seen, heard, and represented, especially those who are from groups that have been historically or are currently marginalized or disenfranchised because of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, social class, religion, national origin, and other social and cultural identities” (Robert E. Kennedy Library, 2025). The library’s audience is primarily made up of students and faculty, although local residents and alumni also utilize its resources and are impacted by library planning, programs, and events. Guiding this project, “the overall goal of such a plan is to ensure that technology meets the mission of an organization” (Stephens, 2004). Because the library’s resources will be used in a truly learn-by-doing fashion, while engaging the community in a collaborative, creative manner designed to improve representation of historically marginalized and disenfranchised people, the Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon series indeed meets the organization’s missions.

The National Gallery of Australia Research Library hosts the 2024 Know My Name Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon. (Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, by ‘AliceintheAlice’)

Action Brief

For students: By participating in quarterly Edit-a-Thons, you will build and cultivate foundational research and information-literacy skills, which will pay dividends in coursework and, ideally, career preparation, because these instilled tools and habits will translate to professional aptitude and practice.

For faculty members: By participating in events, you will align editing themes and subjects with curriculum focus and educational objectives, while empowering student skillsets, which ultimately will culminate with student success because they’ll approach coursework with improved academic tools at their disposal because of their experience through the program.

For community partners (e.g., local historical institutions or cultural organizations): By collaborating with Kennedy Library facilitators and faculty partners, you will find opportunities to improve public, open-access record and representation of identities, histories, and people, which will serve as venues for Edit-a-Thon events because of pre-existing underrepresentation on Wikipedia.

For staff members: By facilitating these events, we will fulfill the library’s missions. These dynamics will improve library popularity across campus and in the community because the participation of attendees and ensuing discussion will increase knowledge of library services and offerings, drive traffic to the library, and enhance our visibility both online and locally.

Inspiration Sources

Academic libraries which have hosted successful Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon events serving as inspiration include:

• Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where Vetter et al. (2022) found Edit-a-Thon participants to rank critical thinking, digital literacy, and online source reliability as important learning outcomes (p. 1162). IUP also noted participants effectively engaging in criticality to address Wikipedia’s gender gap, responding to the “importance of working toward equal representation” because, as of 2022, “only 17% of the bibliographic articles on the English Wikipedia represent women biographies” (p. 1155).
• The Network of the National Library of Medicine, which organized “biannual editing campaigns aimed at adding citations to reputable sources of information,” as “over 300 editors have made nearly two-thousand improvements to Wikipedia’s health pages, and nine institutions nationwide have hosted campaign-affiliated local edit-a-thons” (Cowles et al., 2020, p. 267).
• UNLV, which has assembled a thorough and useful LibGuide for institutions looking to take on this sort of project (UNLV University Libraries, 2025). UNLV University Libraries (2025) noted: “The English version of Wikipedia has also been criticized for racial bias because a very low number of those who edit articles are people of color. This lack of women and people of color editors results in articles that are potentially biased and a lack of articles that might be of interest to women and people of color. By editing Wikipedia and hosting edit-a-thons, people can help to improve representation on Wikipedia.”

Universities Research Group of University of Nigeria Nsukka hosts a Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon workshop in 2021. (Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, by Ngozi Osadebe)

Guidelines & Policies

Each year, toward the end of the spring term, student and faculty feedback will be sought via survey forms to identify both future subject themes for events and areas for improvement within the program. Additional surveyed feedback will be collected from Kennedy Library teams by respective department heads, who will meet during the summer to review the program’s guidelines & policies while beginning to plan for upcoming events in the year ahead.

As a guiding policy, all editing events should be designed with consideration of student, faculty, and community-partner interests, with a focus on improving Wikipedia representation of underrepresented communities. Respectful communication will be a requirement of participation, and Wikipedia “vandalism” will not be tolerated.

Timeline for Implementation

Initial surveys for preliminary solicitation of themes and subjects to address will be distributed to students, faculty members, and community leaders annually in April, with feedback collected and analyzed beginning in early June. As Barbakoff and Lenstra (2024) explain, “Community-led planning is a method for making decisions that puts power in the hands of the community,” and “in community-led planning, understanding the community and its priorities comes from building ongoing relationships with the public, especially minoritized communities” (p. 34). Kennedy Library will strive to foster “a more equitable digital future” through the series (American Library Association, 2022). To this end, input on recommended themes and suggested subjects for upcoming foci of planned Edit-a-Thon events will be distributed in survey format to the following organizations:

• Cal Poly’s Native American and Indigenous Cultural Center
• Central Coast Chinese Association
• Diversity Coalition San Luis Obispo County
• The Women’s Monday Club SLO
• Race Matters SLO County
• RaiseUP SLO
• San Luis Obispo Gala Pride and Diversity Center

In addition, similar solicitation for theming and subject-focus ideas will also be distributed to the university’s PolyCultural student associations:

• alpha Kappa Delta Phi
• Black Student Union
• Chinese Student Association
• Imagen y Espiritu Ballet Folklorico
• Indian Student Association
• Iranian Student Cultural Organization
• Japanese Student Association
• Korean American Student Association
• Lambda Theta Alpha
• Lambda Theta Phi
• Latinos in Agriculture
• Latinx Business Student Association
• Latinx Cultural Association
• National Society of Black Engineers
• Nikkei Student Union
• Nu Alpha Kappa, Fraternity Inc.
• Pilipino Cultural Exchange
• SLO Breakers
• Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers
• Southwest Asian North African Club
• Thai Vietnamese Student Association
• United Movement

As Stephens (2019) advised regarding participatory fulfillment of an idea, “Are you involving your community from the get-go?” (p. 4) Hence, by surveying students, faculty, and seeking suggestions for subjects from community constituents, the library will foster participatory engagement.

The Program Librarianship team, consisting of the Foundational Learning & Engagement Librarian, the Student Success and Outcomes Librarian, and the Research Engagement and Impact Librarian, will lead the survey and feedback synthesis phases of this project. In order to carve out sufficient time for the series, each team member will submit to supervisors recommendations for tactics to “streamline [incumbent or perhaps now less in-demand] workflows and free up hours for new duties,” as Stephens (2008) found prudent for such implementation (p. 317). They will then present recommendations to the Academic Services Associate Dean, the Special Collections & Archives Director, and the Collections Strategy & Discovery Associate Dean, who will then present final recommendations for the ensuing year’s three event themes for approval to the Dean of Library Services.

A pilot program will be launched in mid-October. The pilot program will include three separate two-hour events for the first year, each planned to be held midway through each regular-calendar quarter: in mid-October (fall quarter), early March (winter quarter), and early May (spring quarter). [Note: Cal Poly is projected to switch to a semester format in the fall of 2026. At that time, the anticipated event plan will shift to early October (for fall semester), mid-March (spring), and late July (summer).] The schedule in years ahead may be adjusted depending on feedback received from the pilot endeavor.

To start, the Program Librarianship team will prepare a LibGuide (similar to that of UNLV) with tutorials and resources for editing, creating, and uploading to Wikipedia, aimed to be completed by late September. Interested participants will be provided with the LibGuide upon invitation to, and promotion of, the debut event, during the first week of October. Two open computer labs, accommodating approximately 50 people, will be reserved for the debut event.

Editors contribute during an Art + Feminism-themed Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon at Purchase College (State University of New York) in 2016. (Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, by ‘AnchorsandArrows’)

Marketing and Promotion

Within the organization, a Google Drive folder will be started with an FAQ document, a project schedule, and an ideas & planning page, which will be started and maintained by the Program Librarianship department, and then distributed with links in a staff-wide email. Students and faculty will be sent email invitations to the debut event, with reference also included to upcoming Edit-a-Thons. Beginning in August, twice-weekly (once each on Tuesday and Friday) posts promoting the initial event will be shared across Kennedy Library’s social media outlets, with similar promotion planned for the ensuing events. Promotional printed flyers with basic information will also be displayed in library signage areas, as well as available event boards elsewhere around campus.

In addition, professors and department heads connected to themes and subjects planned will be asked by library leadership individually to mention and promote upcoming events to their classes in the leadup to sessions. Indeed, as Vetter et al. (2022) noted, “institutional collaboration” assists such events; “given Wikipedia’s crowd-sourced and collaborative model, such a framework [like including faculty promotion] demonstrates the necessity of working together to improve [the encyclopedia’s] gender gap,” among other inequities (p. 1165).

Staff Training and Readiness

Supervising staff members will need to hone their familiarity with Wikipedia as well as their knowledge of library-available sources (e.g., in-house collections or facilitated databases) which may be utilized by participants. In order to fine-tune their knowledge and experience in editing, creating, and uploading via the Wikipedia interface, and to deepen understanding of the spectrum of library resources at prospective participants’ disposal for contributing, the Program Librarianship department members will each start Wikipedia accounts and spend at least two summer weeks becoming acclimated to editing, creating a page(s), and uploading a few images to Wikipedia and its associated Wikimedia Commons portal. To guide this process, two resources will be utilized. First, UNLV Libraries’ “Teaching Yourself” portion of its LibGuide provides helpful tutorials and lessons for using Wikipedia. Secondly, Wikipedia’s own “How to run an edit-a-thon” landing page also offers assistance for planning and oversight. “Providing good training up front” via these initial two weeks will empower the department with readiness to facilitate the two computer labs (and provide in-person assistance as necessary) slated for October’s first event (Stephens, 2004).

Upon arriving at the computer labs the day of, attendees will be distributed printouts with lists of optional suggested pages and topics to improve during the session. Attendees can then get started embarking upon the “jam session” of a Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon! Tactically, in order to counter the biases exhibited across Wikipedia, Lehman (2025) recommends: “One of the ways to increase notability is to scour scholarship for references to the different people/ideas that are important to include. Another way is to begin writing about the people, ideas, and things that are missing in related articles. For example, including a paragraph in the husband’s Wikipedia article about the person raises their ‘Notability’ and leads toward Wikipedia’s viewing the person, the book, the event, as worthy of having individual [separate page] entries.”

Evaluation & Future Expansion

Concerning cost analysis, while labor hours (in the form of staff training, facilitation, follow-up, and future planning) will be devoted to this project, the Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon series is not projected to lead to any new expenses, as all hardware and software involved will already be available in library computer labs in-house. Users will also be welcome to bring their own laptops to the events and utilize Cal Poly Wi-Fi.

While it will not be a requirement to RSVP in order to attend, attendees will be asked to RSVP in the invitational emails (via a Google Survey link), along with social-media promotions with a Google Survey form, in order to attempt to assess how many attendees ought to be anticipated (and thus, whether two computer labs should be expanded to three or four). As a starting usage metric, we are striving to fill both computer labs, thus welcoming almost 60 participants.

Indiana University of Pennsylvania and UNLV have utilized Wikimedia course events “dashboards” to register participants for Edit-a-Thons, acquiring a reliable head count to anticipate for the day of the event; our managing Program Librarians will administer the same tactic (Vetter et al., 2022, p. 1159) following surveyed RSVP feedback. Recipients who affirmatively RSVP to attend will then be sent follow-up instruction for creating a Wikipedia account, as Osadebe et al. (2022) recommend: “Edit-a-Thon projects in libraries should be publicized early enough to enable participants [to] acquire accounts to avoid [a] rush” the day of an event (p. 15). Setting up as many accounts ahead of time as possible is crucial for access, as “within 24 hours, Wikipedia only allows six accounts to be created from a single IP address” (UNLV University Libraries, 2025).

Dashboards track articles created, articles edited, total edits, editors, words added, references added, and article views. These statistics will also serve as performance benchmarks of the series, semester-to-semester. Attendees who RSVP’d via the dashboard will then be sent follow-up forms via email to provide surveyed input on their experience, along with freeform allowance for suggestions regarding future events. In combining these metrics with confidential survey responses collected, both qualitative and quantitative data will be gathered to inform evaluation and future expansion of the program. By implementing user response into feedback collected, the program will benefit from the second component of the 10 steps for the 2.0 technology plan arranged by Stephens (2008): “Let beta be your friend. Let your users help you work out the bugs of that new service” (p. 315). Any positive user post on social media about the events will, in turn, also be shared or re-posted as a success story, as an additional avenue to promote future participatory service.

References

American Library Association. (2022, March 1). Special report: Toward an equitable digital future: Libraries are bridging the divide and empowering communities. American Libraries. 53(3–4), 26. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2022/03/01/special-report-toward-an-equitable-digital-future/

Barbakoff, A., & Lenstra, N. (2024). Working hand in hand: How to conduct community-led planning. American Libraries. 55(3–4), 34. American Library Association. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2024/03/01/working-hand-in-hand/

Cowles, K., Sheppard, M., Waltman, E., & Kimball Wilson, T. (2020). Crowdsourcing and collaboration from coast to coast: NNLM’s #CiteNLM Wikipedia Edit-a-thons. Journal of Electronic Resources Librarianship, 32(4), 267–275. https://doi.org/10.1080/1941126X.2020.1821991

Lauro, F. D. (2020). “If it is not in Wikipedia, blame yourself:” edit-a-thons as vehicles for computer-supported collaborative learning in higher education. Studies in Higher Education (Dorchester-on-Thames), 45(5), 1003–1014. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2020.1750191

Lehman, B. (2025, January 9). The bias of notability in Wikipedia. UC Berkeley Library Update. University of California. https://update.lib.berkeley.edu/2025/01/09/the-bias-of-notability-in-wikipedia/

Osadebe, N. E., Ukwoma, S. C., Njoku, E. O., Udochukwu, D. C., Madumere, C., & Ezeani, C. N. (2022). Wikipedia edit-a-thon in a Nigerian academic library. Library Philosophy & Practice, 1–17.

Peacock, T. (2016, September 19). Wiki for women in STEM! It’s science literacy week — on September 21, flex your research skills at a Concordia University Library Wikipedia edit-a-thon. Concordia University (Montreal, QC, Canada). https://www.concordia.ca/cunews/main/stories/2016/09/19/women-stem-wiki-edit-a-thon-wikipedia-science-literacy.html

Robert E. Kennedy Library. (2025). Vision and values. California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo. https://lib.calpoly.edu/about-and-contact/vision-values/

Stephens, M. (2004, November 1). Technoplans vs. technolust: A well-thought-out technology plan can help libraries stay on course. Tame the Web. https://tametheweb.com/2004/11/01/technoplans-vs-technolust/

Stephens, M. (2008). Taming technolust: Ten steps for planning in a 2.0 world. Reference and User Services Quarterly, 47(4), 314–317. https://doi.org/10.5860/rusq.47n4.314

Stephens, M. (2019). Wholehearted librarianship: Finding hope, inspiration, and balance. American Library Association.

UNLV University Libraries. (2025, April 25). Wikipedia edit-a-thon: Getting ready [libguide]. Lied Library. https://guides.library.unlv.edu/c.php?g=1015316&p=7354290

Vetter, M. A., Sarraf, K. S., & Woods, E. (2022). Assessing the art + feminism edit-a-thon for Wikipedia literacy, learning outcomes, and critical thinking. Interactive Learning Environments, 30(6), 1155–1167. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2020.1805772

Oodi (or “Ode” in English), the Central Library of Helsinki, Finland, is a source of wonderment and inspiration. Selected as the 2019 winner of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions’ World Public Library of the Year award (OodiHelsinki.fi, 2019), Oodi is at first striking to the eye due to its futuristic shape emerging from the cityscape, but its true splendor is found inside the walls.

Standing and evolving as a true exemplar of a participatory endeavor, Oodi was “designed together with the city’s residents, with a focus on the needs of its future users” (Richards, 2019). With this approach, “designed together with customers for a long period of time,” Oodi officials “received more than 2,000 ideas from customers to serve as the basis of the architectural [plan]” (OodiHelsinki.fi, 2019). In this respect, with regard to participatory envisionment, Oodi wasn’t “a library;” it was THEIR library. Director Anna-Maria Soininvaara commented that “the customers immediately made Oodi their own” (OodiHelsinki.fi, 2019).

Oodi users play video games in 2019. (Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons by Federico Leva)

As Cord (2018) described, “the second floor is about creativity, and includes studios, music rooms, media rooms and a makerspace with 3D printers, sewing machines and other equipment. The first floor is for interactions. It has a café, restaurant, cinema, information points and a space curated by the EU.” This resonated with me because the future of library spaces will be realized through rethinking and repackaging floors, rooms, booths, patios, balconies, tables, studios, desks, gardens, shelves, displays, and seating areas along these lines. Indeed, as Oodi director Katri Vänttinen explained, “Libraries today need to be thought of as a physical space, a platform for activities such as reading, learning and public discussion. They also provide access to equipment, data networks or expertise” (Cord, 2018). Personally, this is precisely the kind of lively, dynamic, and versatile environment I’d aspire to contribute to as an LIS staff member in years ahead!

A patron uses the UltiMaker 3D printing lab at Oodi, Helsinki’s Central Library. (Courtesy Press Photo by Tuomas Uusheimo)

Not only does Oodi offer so much, but it does so as “a free space, open seven days a week” (Cord, 2018). This is an example of a planning idea which connects with real-world library service because libraries are faced with recognizing strategies to appeal to new or previously disengaged prospective users. For so many working folks, including those working on weekends, regular Monday-through-Friday, 8-to-5 hours may make library spaces or services inaccessible. The more we as a field can proactively meet people where they are, the more our services and offerings can be utilized in support of cultural, economic, educational, and social well-being.

The sewing stations are frequented at Oodi in 2019. (Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons by Federico Leva)

In conjunction with reconfiguring the library spatially to provide a variety of purposes for patrons, Oodi also has challenged assumptions about library offerings and sparked possibilities for future considerations of lending items, upon expansion of its dynamic “library of things.” In addition to books, movies, and records, “a patron can borrow  musical instruments or specialized machinery” (Cord, 2018). Regardless, as Cord (2018) observed, “Oodi is designed to “play an important role in modern society by bringing people together, creating interactions.”

Igarashi et al. (2023) similarly found that “Oodi can bridge the social divide between groups of citizens and promote social equality. Furthermore, many programs and events [are] held to connect citizens by utilizing the library’s physical space” (p. 691). Regardless of collection variety and scope, Oodi, thus, represents a participatory environment for its community, the likes of which can inspire libraries everywhere, whether academic, public, special, or otherwise.

— @sjsudon

References

Cord, D. J. (2018). Helsinki invests in its people with a library that reinvents the genre: Helsinki’s new central library, Oodi, is the place to go if you want to read a book, meet up with your friends, borrow a cello or cut metal with lasers. Finland Promotion Board. https://finland.fi/life-society/helsinki-invests-in-its-people-with-a-library-that-reinvents-the-genre/?fbclid=IwAR02YiMMaUOXanedOfFbDrzhou_4s1_oHQInvzYDk3bPJeu9Vx3D_ItX5Zs

Igarashi, T., Watanabe, M., Tomita, Y., Sugeno, Y., Yamagishi, M., & Koizumi, M. (2023). Public library events with spaces and collections: Case analysis of the Helsinki Central Library Oodi. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 55(3), 681–693. https://doi.org/10.1177/09610006221097405

OodiHelsinki.fi. (2019, August 27). Helsinki Central Library Oodi chosen as the best new public library in the world. https://oodihelsinki.fi/en/helsinki-central-library-oodi-chosen-as-the-best-new-public-library-in-the-world/?fbclid=IwAR1s8tUj7PoFGt27m4JMfpzPtjdSTAEopK_sqU7FcviZWxOe4AMXurKmjM0

Richards, J. (2019, May 27). And the nominees for the 2019 IFLA/Systematic Public Library of the Year Award are … The jury has now agreed on the four shortlisted libraries for the 2019 IFLA/Systematic Public Library of the Year award. International Federation of Library Associations. https://blogs.ifla.org/public-libraries/2019/05/27/and-the-nominees-for-the-2019-iflasystematic-public-library-of-the-year-award-are

Sonja Ervin said of her Multnomah County Library system: “We’re always trying to figure out, who are we missing? Who are we not quite there with?” (American Library Association, 2019). This mentality was similar to the philosophy emphasized by Stephens (2016) for library and information science practitioners to constantly ask, “Are we reaching everyone we can? Are we giving them services they want to use? Are we giving them a reason to depend upon us? … Who doesn’t use the library? Who in your community could benefit from access, services, assistance? Find them. Go to them, ask them what they want and need” (pp. 41–42).

The approach to interrogate conditions with these questions resonated with me because, as a male student and a lover of library environments, I can’t help but become a bit perplexed by the continually declining rate of male college and university enrollment, and relatedly, question what capacity libraries might hold in addressing this downward trend.

The Allan Hancock College Library, shown in Santa Maria, Calif. in 2025, serves a campus enrollment of roughly 11,000 students. (Author Photo)

Per Fry (2023), “men make up 44% of young college students today, down from 47% in 2011, according to newly released U.S. Census Bureau data.” More recently, as of last year, Elder-Connors (2024) noted, “Nationally, only 41% of college students are men — an all-time low. Higher education officials say dwindling male enrollment presents a problem for their long-term sustainability.” The Chronicle of Higher Education even went as far as calling this trend a “crisis” (Mangan, 2022).

The idea of questioning which demographics are not being served by the institution, and then seeking to understand why, and how such gaps can be addressed, connect with real-world library service because we have an opportunity to contribute toward campus missions to better serve the populace. Of course, this is a dynamic with far-reaching implications beyond the library and information science field. However, as academic libraries are often referred to as the “centers” or “heartbeats” of campuses, what, then, is our charge in reversing this drop, whether via recruitment or retention?

While enrollment trends have become challenging in general post-pandemic, male higher-education enrollment has seen particular decline. (Graph by Pew Research Center)

Similarly, as partners in education, what might public libraries be able to do from a contributory standpoint? What can be done to bring back in men in their late 20s, 30s, and 40s who might be missing now? For various libraries to reach their potential for appealing to, and serving as wide of a community spectrum as possible, this particular trend is concerning because it diminishes our audience of users.

I have been struck in recent years by the extent to which people receive their information only from quick bursts on smart phones, whether via brief social media or other apps. Perhaps the LIS field can capitalize on this trend by rethinking, or re-marketing, mobile delivery of services and expansion in apps such as Hoopla, Libby, MyLibro, and related channels.

Of course, this is an assumption on my part, and truly examining the trend in-depth could spark exciting possibilities to narrow this gap with re-envisioned services, outreach, and offerings. It’s possible that there may be reasons for, and solutions to, the trend on both national and local levels. Thus, to truly look for answers, “it might mean performing a community analysis on a granular neighborhood, campus, or department level[s]” (Stephens, 2016, p. 43).

References

American Library Association. (2019, June 17). Multnomah County Library: Creating conditions for equity to flourish. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKGlxh-zc0Y

Elder-Connors, L. (2024, June 5). Colleges struggle with falling enrollment — especially male students. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2024/06/05/nx-s1-4993536/colleges-struggle-with-falling-enrollment-especially-male-students

Fry, R. (2023, December 18). Fewer young men are in college, especially at 4-year schools. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/12/18/fewer-young-men-are-in-college-especially-at-4-year-schools

Mangan, K. (2022, January 19). The male enrollment crisis. The Chronicle of Higher Education. https://www.chronicle.com/special-projects/the-different-voices-of-student-success/becoming-a-student-centric-institution/the-male-enrollment-crisis

Stephens, M. (2016). The heart of librarianship: Attentive, positive, and purposeful change. American Library Association.

Patrons play FIFA soccer at the video game station in JuWel City Library in Münster, Germany. (Image Courtesy of Schönherr et al., 2016, p. 365).

Is there a concise term to describe a library which goes well beyond books? A moniker serving as a line of demarcation ahead of an era when library spaces become grounds for much more? Stephens (2019) offered that “Library 2.0 will be a meeting place, online or in the physical world, where my emotional needs will be fulfilled through entertainment, information, and the ability to create content to contribute to the ocean of content out there” (p. 5).

A constant shared between examples of library reimagining is a participatory nature, fostering community, contribution, and creativity. These avenues for enrichment are examples of “the four-space model” explained by Skot-Hansen (2016), as libraries can be redesigned to provide planned inspiration space, learning space, meeting space, and performative space to build “connections between people, experiences,” education, and creativity. Variations of this concept exist. For instance, Stephens (2019) conceptualizes five similar “zones with heart:” community, creativity, curiosity, collaboration, and caring (pp. 19–21).

This theme stood out as inspirational to me because, as inclinations toward eBook reading, streaming, and consumption of digitally delivered services evolve, opportunities are presented to rethink usage of floor space in library buildings. This dynamic leads me to react by questioning: How might we rethink such floor space? How can we leverage trends advantageously for user communities, both incumbent and potential?

While a growing “Library of Things” (ranging from farming equipment to sewing machines) will also play a role, with space and resources permitting, an expanding constellation of ideas for Library 2.0 can be categorized into such spaces and zones:

Inspiration Space (Creativity Zone)

• Podcast / AV Recording Lab
• Outdoor Gardening Boxes / Fruit & Vegetable Area
• 3D Printing / Makerspace / Carpentry Table
• “Memory Lab” (Digitization & Preservation of VHS, cassette tapes / scanning pictures / newsprint)
• 3D Modeling Labs
• Painting / Drawing / Sewing / Artistic Area

Learning Space (Curiosity Zone)

• Expert and/or Faculty Presentations (e.g., Financial Literacy, Banking, Home Owning, or Legal Advice Seminars / Partnerships with Doctors and Local Health & Medical Agencies)
• Mini-Art Museum / Historical Exhibits
• Tech Assistance for Seniors (e.g., smartphone tutorials)
• Wikipedia Edit-a-Thons
• Guitar Lessons
• Quiet Study Cubes
• Database Orientations
• “Human Library” / Personal Story Exchange

Meeting Space (Community Zone)

• Book Clubs / Discussion Groups
• Local Historical Presentations
• Video Game Station (non-competitive)
• Board Game / Card Game Area
• Author Book Signings / Local Celebrity Autograph Fundraisers
• Generalized Meeting Rooms (e.g., Coworking Offices)
• Group Study / Collaborative Marker-Board Rooms
• Naturalization Ceremonies
• Job Fairs
• Clothing Repair Sessions (e.g., patching, hemming)
• Cinema Club / Discussion Groups
• Comic Book / Pokémon / Sports Card / Coin Trading Events
• Movie Nights
• Coffee Shop / Café-Adjacent Seating Areas

Performative Space (Collaboration Zone)

• Music Recording Studio
• Trivia Nights
• eSports Mini-Arena

Octavia Lab manager Lauren Kratz and colleagues operate the podcast production studio at Los Angeles Public Library’s Central Library in 2023. (Image Courtesy of LAPL & Alive! by Glenn Marzano and Dearbhla McNulty)

Through offering services such as these ideas and similar programs, we can reshape libraries into even more dynamic environments for learning and building community. Here, I’ll briefly highlight a trio of these ideas already exemplified, where we are seeing this theme show up in practice:

The Los Angeles Public Library’s Octavia Lab is a prime example of this type of participatory, vocal manifestation. The lab provides two podcast/livestream studios equipped with iMacs, “podcast recorder[s], two microphones, and a video switcher for live streaming,” along with several supporting resources (Los Angeles Public Library, 2025).

The video game stations offered at JuWel City Library in Münster, Germany, are another instance of Library 2.0, as multiplayer modes are provided to youth to “play together with friends” on PlayStation, Xbox, and Wii platforms for games like FIFA soccer and Mario Kart (Schönherr et al., 2016/2024, pp. 364–365).

Meanwhile, the UNLV Library has epitomized educational and contributory participation through its series of Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon events. On a yearly basis since 2018, UNLV has hosted such sessions, including “Art + Feminism” in 2025, resulting in 22 editors logging 52 edits, more than a 2,000-word expansion, and the addition of 18 references to 24 articles (UNLV Libraries, 2025). A library hosting community members for this kind of Wiki Edit-a-Thon “fosters social connection — creating, contributing, [and] sharing” (Pink & Shirkey, 2010).

Personally, consuming podcasts, playing video games, and editing and creating Wikipedia articles have all become experiences leading to my own learning, fun, and finding community. No matter the line of LIS work in which I land, my future goals include helping to provide participatory environments built to facilitate such educational, enjoyable, and connective times.

The UNLV Library hosts annual Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon events. (Image Courtesy of UNLV Vimeo)

References

Los Angeles Public Library. (2025). Podcast/livestream studios | Los Angeles Public Library. City of Los Angeles. https://www.lapl.org/labs/octavia-lab/podcast

Pink, D., & Shirkey, C. (2010). Cognitive surplus: The great spare-time revolution. Wired. https://www.wired.com/2010/05/ff-pink-shirky/

Schönherr, U., Geraedts, A., & Kreuzheck, A. (2016). Ein JuWel ist entstanden. [A jewel has been created]. Bibliothek Forschung Und Praxis, 40(3), 361–369. https://doi.org/10.1515/bfp-2016-0061

Skot-Hansen, D. (2016) Library development: From collection to connection. University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Humanities. https://humanities.ku.dk/collaboration/impact/library-development/

Stephens, M. (2019). Wholehearted librarianship: Finding hope, inspiration, and balance. American Library Association.

UNLV Libraries. (2025). Resources from past events – Wikipedia edit-a-thon – libguides at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Lied Library. https://guides.library.unlv.edu/wikiedit/resources

     Nice to get to know each of you a little better as we get started! My name is Donovan, and I’m communicating from Central California.

     Before I begin, I’ll share a few photos. The first is of me outside of the former Key Arena (today named Climate Pledge Arena) in Seattle during a summer vacation. The SuperSonics once existed, and I hope some day they will again! Seventeen years has been long enough. Secondly, I’ll share indeed a “favorite place,” the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, where I once sat in the very front row for a Raiders game. We have very real problems in this world, and needs for our public money. Both Seattle and Oakland, of course, realized this more than most; hence why both of the teams pictured left both cities. Nonetheless, the pictures capture great memories. Both stadiums, while decadent and unmonetized by contemporary standards, when filled, were rockin’ & rollin’ full of soul. They were places of community, both real and imagined, leading to banter, debate, and attempts to deepen understanding, and built bonds between generations of family members, friends, neighbors, and strangers. Their teams offer(ed) an unquantifiable psychic value. Lastly, I’ve included a photo of my pet, Eddie, a senior stray who chose to move in. He brings good luck, no matter what anyone else says!

     I chose this course mainly because, from what I understand, it will delve quite a bit into the future of library spaces, callings, and offerings, exploring various ideas concerning what they can become. This appeals to me because, in the words of Billy Beane in Moneyball, “Adapt or die.” A couple of years ago, right before I was about to start the MLIS program, a respected coworker remarked to me, “I’m surprised libraries haven’t modernized.” I will admit: at first, I felt somewhat wounded by his comment. Was he not aware of some of the wonderful things going on all around the world? But upon more consideration of his remark, I’ve elected to remember it with empathy and as a charge. What has, or rather, hasn’t, he experienced, in our field(s), to lead him to feel that way? How can we change his feeling, if possible? If modernization has happened or is happening, do we just simply need to do a better job of communicating our offerings? Rather than recoiling at such perceptions, I want to attempt to change them over time, and I hope that this course will help provide some tools and direction with that in mind.

     I’m excited this semester to learn about ways libraries are being reimagined in 2025 and beyond. How can we “future-proof” ourselves in a landscape which is increasingly in demand of eBooks, streaming options, and audio/video consumption? As I’ve progressed through the program, I’ve left pages in my notebooks compiling “out-of-the-box” ideas related to library futures, so I have some notions about how we may do this, but I’m interested to supercharge these thoughts. For a quick example amongst many, one of the … well, coolest, things I’ve seen offered in a library space in recent years is how the L.A. Public Library now provides a podcast recording studio for patrons. Additionally, one of the projects I’ve been most proud of through my time in the MLIS program was a position paper arguing that more video games belong in more libraries (with some stunning examples from Texas to Germany). A small, rural library near me now offers gardening and farming equipment for checkout. How cool? This is where we should be going during a time of corporate greed, inflation, a widening wealth gap, shrinking access to toys and tools among most people, and a diminishing amount of free public spaces. We need to become THE community space where people go to be productive, have fun, gather, make connections, learn, or just exist because they simply don’t have another place to be when it’s overly hot or cold. In addition, middle-aged men, in particular, don’t seem to give a second thought to libraries these days (exemplified, for instance, by the aforementioned friend). How do we get them back? Or how do we become a welcoming and healthy alternative to the oft-toxic “manosphere”?

     I have three strong interests in the LIS world. The first interest is in archives and special collections, especially pertaining to vintage newspapers and similar documentation. I regularly use newspaper archive databases to add to and edit Wikipedia articles as a hobby (most of which are maintained by LIS systems), and being able to work in a capacity related to such collections would be a treat. (My profile avatar here is a picture I took of a file cabinet of decades worth of Santa Maria Times newspapers in a public library close to my hometown. A treasure chest!) Secondly, I’m interested in academic libraries in contexts of access services, research assistance, outreach and instruction, and even cataloging and metadata. I’ve had great experiences with all of these areas as a community college and then CSU student, and I think landing in a career along these lines would also be rewarding. Thirdly, I’m intrigued by the concept of city and public library systems evolving in the manner and directions referenced; helping to push in those directions also seems fulfilling and exhilarating.