Author: Crystal

I was excited about this week’s topic as my local libraries in the bay area seem to understand and connect with the local community. The existence of the library as an institution is not enough to get folks interested or engaged in the library itself. Active work on the library’s behalf is necessary to understand the community’s needs. A good example of the process can be seen with the Madison Library Takeover where the librarians noticed that their library was not patronized and so they had to find a way to be creative in bringing the locals in (Smith, 2017). With the help of an in-person survey, they were able to understand and get in touch with organizations and stakeholders to create programming in an incubator for community collaboration. With those projects handed off to others, the library could evaluate the process and outcome. Building community is not a passive experience and it is up to the library workers to understand the local area without outreach and gaining volunteers.

 

With the library being a hyperlinked organization, there is a unique opportunity to provide and facilitate events that might not otherwise happen. With the rise of misinformation and concerning partisanship within politics, the libraries serve as a place to come together and mediate community concerns. In the article ‘Convening Community Conversations” by Jennifer Dixon, the article details how libraries across the country have displayed different methods in engaging the community when it comes to modern discussions like with politics, free speech, and justice. In hosting these types of events, a skilled and prepared facilitator is necessary. In my personal experience, libraries near me provided me with free and unique experiences that allowed me to engage with my local community. I attended a free improv class hosted by a library in San Francisco which was a great experience with an excellent local volunteer improv teacher with experience. The diversity in the community and events serves a variety of ways for community engagement and conversation. It allows libraries to be relevant and remembered when the services attract and keep the locals coming. 

 

Carrie Smith. (2017, June 25). Madison’s library takeover. American Libraries. Retrieved from https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/madisons-library-takeover/?utm_content=buffer8a08c&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer. 

 

Dixon, J. A. (2017). Convening Community Conversations. Library Journal, 41–44. 

When people think about libraries, they imagine a place for books and research, not the fact that it can act as a tech access hub or a community center with events and resource help. With the internet providing the majority of the answers to people’s inquiries, the library’s previous utility in providing information access through encyclopedias or print-research material has declined. Research papers and research are easily accessile online as with search engines like “Google” which bring the information directly to you, versus a research librarian directing you. To get learners who grew up in the age of technology to engage in physical libraries, librarians and libraries have to meet them where they are at, (Stephens, 2010) in addition bridging the digital divide for users not well versed with technology and the internet.

Modern technology allows for easy access to information and connection with others. However at the cost of speed and convenience, users may feel more lonely and disconnected to physical spaces. With the popularity of makerspaces, events, and spaces within libraries, they can offer more physical tools, technology, and community support. Through the variety in programming and spaces, libraries can end up teaching useful and popular skillsets in our modern times. “The Mix”, a teen space in the San Francisco Public Library, features a variety of activities including video games, a makerspace, and various hosted activities within the space. The power of free third spaces (a place outside home and work), like within the library, can be a powerful connection to serving the community and breaking down barriers (O’Brien, 2019). Improv classeses through SFPL

The modern day librarian’s role now involves creating and stewarding technology programs, in addition to being saavy enough users themselves. It requires a change in mindset to dream bigger and to see how to get in touch to share and advocate for modern technology and programs. Much like any private business, libraries have clients to serve and please. Simply computerizing processes without forethought or recognition of what client’s needs are redundant and at times, harmful (Denning, 2015). Libraries providing “digital literacy” workshops can help those in the community with no or limited experience in accessing and using new technology. With my classes as SJSU, I’m learning basic web programming which will be useful to apply and have a knowledge if the job requires light programming work. Being challeged to learn something new and to encourage others to learn new tech can be rewarding.

The future survival and success of libraries will lie in how librarians can approach change and transform it into something beneficial for the community. If libraries become stuck in the vertical and hierarchical levels of the organization, there would not be room for creativity and unconventional thinking (Denning, 2015). Like with how Stephens (2010) describes within a “hyperlinked library” are librarians that are curious, creative, transparent, and flexible. These qualities lend to librarians that can understand  how to engage and serve the community. Excising creativity, understanding the communities needs, and staying current on technological trends is how libraries will continue to prove their worth and thrive.

References:

Denning, S. (2015, May 1). Do we need libraries?. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevedenning/2015/04/28/do-we-need-libraries/?utm_campaign=ForbesTech&utm_source=TWITTER&utm_medium=social&utm_channel=Technology&linkId=13831539

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

Stephens, M., & Stephens, M. (2010, March 2). The hyperlinked school library: Engage, explore, celebrate. Tame the Web. https://tametheweb.com/2010/03/02/the-hyperlinked-school-library-engage-explore-celebrate/

Hello,

My name is Crystal and I’m in my first year of this MLIS degree. I am very curious to see what trends are on the horizon with tech and how libraries can be a partner for those times. I’m really passionate about sharing the resources available at the library with everyone I meet. I hope to work in programming working in a public library.

Outside of school, I enjoy cooking new types of cuisines and baking. I love the library for the ability to check out all types of cookbooks. I enjoy watercolor painting and roller skating from time to time. Of course, I enjoy reading as well in genres like classics, scifi, literary fiction, etc. I with the best for myself and everyone else in this class this semester. Cheers!