{"id":26,"date":"2026-06-29T05:20:52","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T05:20:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/futurabibliotecaria\/?p=26"},"modified":"2026-07-09T03:59:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T03:59:09","slug":"reflection-blog-hyperlinked-communities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/futurabibliotecaria\/2026\/06\/29\/reflection-blog-hyperlinked-communities\/","title":{"rendered":"Reflection Blog: Hyperlinked Communities"},"content":{"rendered":"

Healing power of books<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Social media apps like Instagram and TikTok have popularized hashtags like #booktalk, #bookstagram\u00a0, and #bookish over the last couple of years. Not sure how it became popular, but in my opinion, many people finally realized it\u2019s okay to enjoy reading and share their passion for books with one another. I know there have been stigmas in the past about readers, readers being \u201cuncool\u201d or having a negative connotation. I\u2019m confident when I say that many people don\u2019t see readers in that type of light anymore.<\/p>\n

Now more than ever, we have access to books; many go to a public library, visit a community Little Free Library, or purchase them. I find myself doing all of these for many reasons. I find new books I probably would not normally read by walking the aisles of my local public library. I purchase books to support authors and indie bookstores. I share books I no longer have room for with my community by dropping some off at a Little Free Library.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m also a participant in book clubs, many through Discord groups. One of my favorite Discords groups is called Thron Grove, which is Adalyn Grace\u2019s book community. My point is that books unite us; we share books that resonate with us, annotate, analyze, and connect with the characters. Books have the power to heal. They help you escape reality, bring you peace, provide encouragement, and, at times, a whole wave of emotions. Certain book stays with you for a long time.<\/p>\n

As Jessica Klinker states, \u201cBooks can also serve as lenses, opening readers up to different insights, cultures, and experiences they may not otherwise experience, deepening their empathy for others. They provide a critical foundation for conversations that extend into political and social contexts and that focus on unity and healing rather than division and destruction\u201d.<\/p>\n

I completely agree with this statement. I\u2019m slowly branching out of my comfort zone with book genres. One of my book clubs is focused on diversity and inclusivity. We try to select a book of the month by a BIPOC or Queer author. Although some of these stories might not connect with everyone, they remain just as impactful. I\u2019ve challenged myself to read three books in my native language this year, which may be easy for many, but I\u2019m not as fluent as I thought.<\/p>\n

In the end, the important takeaway, as Professor Stephens states, Hyperlinks are people too<\/em>. By reading books, we can connect, converse, and share experiences with others, allowing us to engage with our community.<\/p>\n

Klinker, Jessica. \u201cThe Healing Power of Books: Using Reading to Address Social and Emotional Needs.\u201d Gale Blog: Library & Educator News | K12, Academic & Public, 24 July 2020, blog.gale.com\/the-healing-power-of-books\/.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Healing power of books Social media apps like Instagram and TikTok have popularized hashtags like #booktalk, #bookstagram\u00a0, and #bookish over the last couple of years. Not sure how it became popular, but in my opinion, many people finally realized it\u2019s … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":830,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/futurabibliotecaria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/futurabibliotecaria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/futurabibliotecaria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/futurabibliotecaria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/830"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/futurabibliotecaria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/futurabibliotecaria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/futurabibliotecaria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26\/revisions\/33"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/futurabibliotecaria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/futurabibliotecaria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/futurabibliotecaria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}