Assignment X: The Evolution of Libraries (and their spaces)

Libraries are more than just books. They have evolved to be more than just places to read— they serve as places to interact, to create, and to actively be involved with the community. It’s a space meant for everyone. 

Graphic from: https://www.hafuboti.com/lafelibrary/

But that brings into question: What does that really mean, and what does that entail? And just how, exactly, has library spaces continue to change to include “everyone”?

As I was reading Schneider’s (2006) “manifesto”, a line (or two) that really stood out to me was:

1.”you cannot change the user, but you can transform the user experience to meet the user”

2.”information flows down the path of least resistance. If you block a tool the users want, users will go elsewhere to find it”

The first quote I mentioned made me think of the things that libraries have been doing to shift user understandings of libraries spaces and how by creating and making specific spaces and resources available, it has changed how things are operated— for the better. The stance and approach that libraries have started to take is shifting the way we understand and define libraries, truly transforming them into a “hyperlinked” space where both users and staff are working together as a community to create waves while putting new technology to use.

One such example is SF Main Library’s “The Mix”, a teen space that was made exclusively for teens (with teen input), and boasts a space that provides teens a space to be relaxed and chill (O’Brian, 2019). They also offer various services, such as 3D printing, frequent programming (from writing workshops to guitar lessons), a video booth, a sound booth (for mixing your own tunes), among other things. Makerspaces are becoming more and more common in library settings, and provides a learning and crafting space for those who may not have had access to one before. These changes and inputs being made to library spaces goes on to show just how the smallest ripples can lead to the biggest changes.

I find Schneider’s second quote to go hand in hand with the first, seeing as libraries would both be considered the place with the least resistance (i.e, banned books being made available), but also a place that information can be blocked (outcries from the community on certain books/topics/subjects). That doesn’t mean that libraries don’t try to ensure that resources are made available, just that it may take time or alternative routes and methods may have to be used. Libraries can be the endpoint for information searching, but it can also be a jumping board to link one to other resources outside that one may have never thought about. It’s a space that connects patrons, community members, and resources (technological or not) that may have never popped up otherwise.

@michael writes, ” Technology doesn’t solve our problems, but it can be a conduit to making changes and promoting progress” (p.81). It’s fascinating how far technology has come and how they can serve to be a link to community interaction and participation. Prior to learning about Dokk1 and the tube bell that rings in the newborns, I didn’t even know that such a thing could be possible (Cavanagh,2016). And yet, although the concept challenges everything we know about libraries (at least for me), it also brings to the forefront of how technology (a single press of a button on a device) can connect and bring into participation such a joyful event to be shared with the community. Arguably, it even goes beyond even that, as without technology, I would not even be able to share the Youtube video of the bell ringing with you all.

(The bell toll starts at 0:29)

As I reflect back on what I have learned thus far and how that will affect me in the future as an information professional, I find that it’s important—and always will be, to understand and be aware that the field is constantly evolving and changing. Libraries themselves are constantly changing. What we know to be certain now may change in the future, but that doesn’t mean that we should be scared of change. The legacy that librarians leave behind helps us step closer to patrons and users of the library space, bringing together the community in ways that we wouldn’t understand without actively communicating with our community. Library spaces are a co-creation process: it’s a continuous conversation in which we repeatedly ask these question: How do we bring people (and our community) together? What can we do to involve people? What services do they want to see? How can WE serve them better?

It’s also important to remember that it’s precisely because we are information professionals that we are there to support and provide service as needed for our community members. Libraries are spaces that are open to everyone, and allows for patrons to learn, to share, and to participate. We are there to provide patrons with the resources they need and be the bridge that will help them to travel to their desired destination, wherever that may be.

References

Cavanagh, M. (2016, December 16). A library from the future arrives in Denmark. Bloomberg. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-12-20/a-library-from-the-future-arrives-in-denmark

O’Brian, C. (2019, June 24). How San Francisco’s public libraries are embracing their changing role. Shareable. https://www.shareable.net/how-san-francisco-public-libraries-are-embracing-their-changing-role/

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

Skejbybaby. Gongen lyder i DOKK1 på Aarhus havn. (2015, August 19). [Video]. Youtube.

Stephens, M. (2016). The Heart of Librarianship: Attentive, Positive, and Purposeful Change. https://www.dropbox.com/s/gc9ecokb972xgil/HeartofLibrarianship.pdf?e=1&dl=0