Innovation & Strategy Roadmap: Interactive Storytelling

After reading about DOK Delft Library’s Life’s storyboard, I could not stop thinking about how great something similar would be in my hometown. It is a community with many immigrants (some of which are my parents and sisters) who have truly inspiring stories. It also made me think that maybe something like this would be able to inspire empathy and compassion for others.

Welcome to my Interactive Storytelling innovation and strategy roadmap. Hope you enjoy!

Info 287: Innovation & Strategy Roadmap by Esperanza

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Hyperlinked Environments in Public Libraries

The public library’s mission has changed from a simple repository to a community center, where learning experiences, cultural resources, creative making, and community interaction take place.

J. T. Theeuwes (2024)

Public libraries in Memphis, Tennessee could not be more perfect examples of how public libraries are more than simple repositories and are instead vibrant community centers. In his 2021 article “How Memphis Created the Nation’s Most Innovated Public Library”, Richard Grant writes about the changes that Memphis Public Library director Keenon McCloy made when she took on the position. One of the most impactful changes was the addition of their Cloud901 teenage learning facility that has a state-of-the-art recording studio, robotics lab, and video lab. These are things I never could have imagined a library having when I was growing up. Creating Cloud901 has provided a space for teenagers to brainstorm, create, or just hang out. They have helped cultivate a hyperlinked environment specifically for teenagers, who can be often forgotten or ignored in our communities.

First and second floor outlines of Cloud901 in Memphis, Tennesse


 

 

 

 

 

 

What I found most impactful, however, is that the city of Memphis chose to invest in their public libraries during a time when public library budgets all over the country were being slashed (Grant, 2021). It is absolutely heartwarming to see that cities are investing in public libraries and therefore their own communities. And these investments are not just happening in big cities. Take the public library I work for as an example, which is located in a small town in Colorado of less that 6,000 people: the town provided funding to buy two properties behind the library to expand it because they know that it is an investment for their community. With these new properties, they are hoping to expand the children’s and teen’s spaces and perhaps add a special tween space. I think that, even though the federal government has made a statement to museums and libraries that they are not a priority to them (as seen through the March 14th Executive Order Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy), communities big and small are or have already been investing in public libraries because they know that it is a community hub and not just a repository of books and other digital media. I’m excited to continue seeing how different communities create or expand hyperlinked environments in their public libraries!

References

Exec. Order. No. 14,238, 90 F.R. 13043 (2025). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-03-20/pdf/2025-04868.pdf

Grant, R. (2021, November). How Memphis created the nation’s most innovative public library. Smithsonian magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/memphis-created-nations-innovative-public-library-180978844/?fbclid=IwAR1KhgGc_cXHfCduhqGtJ1Wi5Y2jRho1yW1Q62QjCNC5o2Qs9eLeGnzqqIM

Memphis Public Libraries. (n.d.). Cloud901 features. https://www.memphislibrary.org/cloud901/features/

Memphis Public Libraries. (n.d.). Cloud901 teen learning lab. https://www.memphislibrary.org/cloud901/

Theeuwes, J. T. (2024, May 22). How public libraries are building community. Gensler. https://www.gensler.com/blog/how-public-libraries-are-building-community

P.S. What I have loved the last few weeks of this course is that I always leave at least one reading when a sense of renewed hope, which I very much need during these trying times.

Hyperlinked Communities Reflection

I was immediately engaged with Danah Boyd’s “What World Are We Building?” article and how the Internet is both a platform for great social change but also a way “to manipulate people for capitalist gain”. It is interesting to see how much of that is still true today but expanded to a wider (worldwide) community. It’s disheartening to know that inequity, prejudice, and racism are still engrained into social media and search engines, just as Boyd pointed out almost ten years ago. And now it has also expanded through generative AI, something that feels has taken over much of our online and offline lives  (MIT Sloan Teaching & Learning Technologies). Part of Boyd’s last statement in the article says, “We need those who are thinking about social justice to understand technology”. The great thing about today is (though we still have a lot of issues) that people are understanding and using technology to work towards social justice. It reminded me, in particular, of an activist that has used technology (through social media) to make positive change:

I remember first following noname (@nonamehiding on Instagram) in 2021 and discovering that she collects and sends free, radical and revolutionary books to different prisons for their book club. What started as an online book club in 2019 has transformed into having “20 book club chapters across the United States and 4 international chapters” and sending books to “1500 incarcerated members of the club” (Noname Book Club, n.d.). All for free! Her online activism is loud and making such an amazing difference. This is what I imagine when I think of a hyperlinked community: how an online book club can expand in such a way to reach over a thousand incarcerated people and many more people in book clubs across different cities. Incarcerated people are part of our community too and should be included when we think about community. noname is doing that and reminding us of why it is important.  I also want to point out that they have a  physical library now too: Radical Hood Library in Los Angeles, California with different events for their community!

Radical Hood Library’s June 2025 Calendar.

So, when initially reading “What World Are We Building?” , it felt like a dismal reminder that a lot needs to change.  While that is still true today, I am happy that there has been a lot of change in the past nine years since she wrote the article. So much so, that  I was immediately able to come up with an example of how social activists are using technology for the furtherance of social justice. I think that is something that we have to remember: hyperlinked communities are great catalysts for change and a way to lead with humanism. noname is someone that I feel leads with understanding and that is something that we, as information professionals, also need to do. As Loida Garcia-Febo (2018) so aptly stated, “Service steeped in humanism, compassion, and understanding should be the cornerstone of what we do, and why we do it, for all members of our communities, including the underserved”.

References

Boyd, D. (2016, January 25). What world are we building? Medium. https://medium.com/datasociety-points/what-world-are-we-building-9978495dd9ad

Garcia-Febo, L. (2018, November 1). Serving with love: Embedding equality, diversity, and inclusion in all that we do. American Libraries. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2018/11/01/serving-with-love/

MIT Sloan Teaching & Learning Technologies. (n.d.). When AI gets it wrong: Addressing AI hallucinations and bias. https://mitsloanedtech.mit.edu/ai/basics/addressing-ai-hallucinations-and-bias/

nonane [@nonamehiding]. (2025, June 3). June Calendar 💜 [Image]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/DKcboXgIaam/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== 

Noname Book Club. (n.d.). Welcome to Noname Book Club. https://nonamebooks.com/

Assignment X: Participatory Service/Culture & Transparency

For this assignment, I wanted to focus on participatory service/culture and transparency. What does it mean for the community? What does it mean for the library?

Per Casey and Savastinuk (2007), participatory service means having mechanisms in “our structures through which both users and nonusers can participate in the service creation process” (p. 62). There needs to be a horizontal flow of ideas, rather than top-down. For the community (whether they are active patrons or not), this means that their voice can be heard in relation to programs and services that the libraries offer. For the libraries, it means that they are able to get almost instantaneous feedback about their community’s needs (if they take advantage of – and they should – the internet and social media).

In order for participatory service to work, however, there has to be trust between the library and community. When libraries earn the community’s trust, there are a myriad of benefits: “trust breeds loyalty,” loyal patrons are more likely to use the library more, and are more likely “to sing the praises of the library to neighbors and colleagues” (Schmidt, 2013).

One of the best ways to build trust is to be transparent with the community. As @michael (2016) aptly states, “The era of participatory culture demands that cultural and information professionals play an active, visible role in our communities” (p. 80). This means providing more library access to the community. Luckily, this does not have to be difficult to start. This is where the hyperlinked library can come into play and communities can connect with their libraries not only in person but also online. For example, the Waterboro Public Library (in East Waterboro, Maine) created blogs that allowed patrons to leave comments about their thoughts on library events and services (Casey & Savastinuk, 2007). While this no longer seems to be active, they do still have a Facebook page that is active and allows comments on posts. Having that online communication channel, whether through social media or blogs, can make a huge difference.

Libraries also have to break down barriers that prevent community members from making the most of their libraries. This is particularly true in a financial sense. One major barrier for some people are fines and fees. (I have actually heard people say before that they do not really use the library anymore because they are afraid of how much they owe from overdue fines!) Luckily, many libraries have been eliminating some of these financial barriers. In a 2022 Library Journal survey, they noted that U.S. public libraries that charged patrons overdue fines dropped from 92 to 36 percent (Gerber, 2022). In fact, the survey respondents stated that it led “to increases in patron satisfaction and participation and to staff morale” (Gerber, 2022).

Most importantly, when it comes to participatory service, libraries have to be open to change when there is feedback from the community. Because libraries are cultural institutions, they should reflect the communities they serve. This is something that I will continue to keep in mind while working at a public library. There has to be radical trust between community members and me (their librarian). Because, if they cannot trust me or any other fellow library aide, how will they be able to trust their library as an institution that is made for them? I also have to learn how to advocate for transparency and breaking down barriers for the community if management is unwilling to listen. Our communities are made up of people and it is our job as information professionals to lead with empathy and understanding of their needs. We always have to keep asking: how can we work with and listen to our communities to provide the best and most appropriate services that they need and want? Libraries are not about books or computers. They are about people.

References

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

Gerber, A. (2022, September 28). LJ’s 2022 fines and fees survey shows a transformed landscape since 2017. Library Journal. https://www.libraryjournal.com/story/Fine-Farewells-LJs-2022-Fines-and-Fees-Survey

Schmidt, A. (2013, November 5). The user experience: Earning trust. Library Journal.https://www.libraryjournal.com/story/earning-trust-the-user-experience

Stephens, M. (2016). The Heart of Librarianship. American Library Association.

Introduction

My pets: (very silly goose) Zuko & Azula (who just wants sleep and warmth)

Hello! I am Esperanza, writer for Thoughts for Your (Hyperlinked) Thoughts (please let me know if you get the reference!). This semester is exciting because I finally completed all the pre-reqs and get to choose electives that seem both fun and interesting and relate to my particular interest of study. One of those electives, of course, is the class. I chose to take this course in particular because of the importance of keeping up with emerging trends and technology, especially considering how fast technology is advancing and how quickly trends change. I also really appreciate the human-centered approach and focus on how we can work with technology while maintaining human connections and conversations.

I came into this program not knowing exactly what I was getting myself into, but excited to learn more. My goal in LIS is to gain more knowledge about public librarianship and youth services to hopefully be able to work in that field. I have been both pleasantly and sometimes overwhelmingly surprised by the amount of information and knowledge that this degree has provided so far and will continue to provide. I am looking forward to this course and learning more!