Libraries are meant to be inclusive. They’re spaces made by both the community and by librarians, built upon conversations and actions taken to make them into what they are today. In my mind, I associate the concept of the hyperlinked library with people coming together into a space where they are free to express themselves and learn, where constant exchanges of ideas and concepts take place either within a formal or informal conversation (some going beyond words).
As I was thinking about how to go about my reflection for this topic, I recalled a TED talk I had viewed previously that was given by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
Adichie talks about the concept and the dangers that come with knowing only one side of a story, and says, “the single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story”(13:20). I love this quote because libraries and those who use and interact with them cannot be defined by a single story, and I say this because I feel that libraries are often seen as such by those who do not know the whole story (enter the guy who mentioned libraries should be replaced with Amazon stores). Because libraries are more than a single story, it’s always evolving. Libraries grow as the community grows. We influence each other. Help one another. And in a way, we complement each other.
Just like the Paint-by-Number mural that was happening at the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts 🙂 (Perhaps we will see something similar to this happening at a library in the future, but likely on a smaller scale). I wanted to bring this up as art can also be a form of communication, and I find events like these, where the community works together to create one complete art piece, to be a good representation of the relationship that is hyperlinked libraries and what we strive to both do more of and see more of.
Picture from All Ears (refer to references)
However, it is also important to remember that not all libraries (and their spaces) are the same. Our understanding of libraries come from our own experiences and those we directly interact with and learn from, but going beyond on a more global scale can lead to new discoveries in which we find that information and community needs can be very different. Understanding what our community needs allows us to better serve them, so although not all libraries may necessarily have all the same program and events, it is the active way in which libraries and communities are together and working with each other to create a space that is open for all that allows for the hyperlinked library to exist and become the norm, continuing to grow and evolve with time.
References
Funko, R. (2021). Finished starry night mural [online image]. All Ears. https://allears.net/2021/01/09/the-interactive-paint-by-number-mural-at-epcots-festival-of-the-arts-is-back/
TED. (2009, October 7). Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The danger of the single story [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg
@donna128 I heart this so much:
“In my mind, I associate the concept of the hyperlinked library with people coming together into a space where they are free to express themselves and learn, where constant exchanges of ideas and concepts take place either within a formal or informal conversation (some going beyond words).”
I love your example from Epcot. I need to look into this because it seems like such a good idea.