Here is my Innovation Roadmap! The idea is to launch a local music concert series, and eventually expand to music education for youth. This program will be hosted in the fictional Lambda Public Library. References are included at the end of the presentation, and are included throughout with footnotes, so as not to clunk up the visuals.
Find it here! https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DQrc_mnT2OS2HscwX9yBDbxT2OIlUJrA/view?usp=sharing
Talking about innovating library spaces can be both exciting and a little bit deflating at the same time. Exciting, because there is so much possibility in the library, and so many ways to highlight and improve it using space and architecture. However, it can be deflating because space is one of the most difficult resources to work with at a public library. Books take up a lot of space, and accessible and functional seating, shelving, and workspaces take up even more. These things are also quite expensive. Innovating a building requires real, tangible resources and a whole lot of capital, not to mention the layers of bureaucracy to drill through if you work in a municipal library.
The case study of the Memphis Library is a great example of this quandary. Memphis is able to provide a breathtaking range of innovative services, from makerspaces to recording studios to portable book lending vending machines (Grant, 2021). However, this was only possible with a very supportive mayor, re-investment in library services, and large-scale fundraising from a powerful Friends group (Grant, 2021). Spokane’s “The Hive” space is an entirely new building, and one of its most impressive features is its Artists-in-Residence program, which provides payment to entice working artists to the space (Spokane Public Library, 2025). These services, too, are expensive. This isn’t to negate Memphis’s or Spokane’s successes; in fact, I commend any library administrator who both understands this need for capital and is able to make it happen. But it does make the challenge look impossibly large for any ordinary public servant who wants to improve their own library.
But perhaps this challenge is not meant for any one public employee. As more libraries innovate in this way, it becomes easier to advocate for similar changes locally, as we can point to other city libraries with proven track records and ROI. Friends groups, local advocates, and political candidates can and should push for these kinds of innovations.
In the meantime, I think there are smaller ways for individual librarians to “hyperlink” their spaces. This can look like re-arranging shelving space to make way for community conversation hubs. It can include making interesting parts of the collection more accessible; for example, the Music Department at the Free Library of Philadelphia currently offers musical instruments for lending. To hyperlink the department, they might consider bringing these instruments onto the floor, or setting up “Try a New Instrument” afternoons in their meeting room. It might include purchasing video game consoles for teens to try out the video games that are available for lending. It might include purchasing and setting out jigsaw puzzles for community members to idly participate in. These small, low-cost ideas can add to a library’s dimensionality in the four-spaces model, which emphasize spaces to be inspired, to learn, to meet, and to preform (Skot-Hansen, 2017). Keeping community front of mind is always the key for making these kinds of changes, as well as providing real, up-to-date resources that members of the community can actually use.
One example in my library system is the South Philadelphia Branch, which is connected to a Rec Center, a public Health Center, and a Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia location (Free Library of Philadelphia, 2016). It’s a spectacular resource, and it means that library services are offered to people waiting for appointments, who might not otherwise have interacted with the library.
The branch offers a health tool lending library, including medical devices like blood pressure cuffs (Katie D., 2017). It also has had programs which gave out hygiene kits in the past (Johnson, 2019). These two programs, which complement the other services at this location so well, are ones that I had not even been aware of before starting this research, so perhaps, like Memphis’s team said in Grant’s article, one of the main issues here is a lack of proper advertising. The branch is also located at the intersection of the city’s most popular subway line and a bus route. This confluence of city services which serve human flourishing means that the block is a really valuable resource in many people’s lives.
Pictured: one of the cozy casual meeting spaces at the South Philadelphia Library (Mabaso, 2016).
Free Library of Philadelphia. (2017, June 13). The new South Philadelphia library is now open! The Free Library of Philadelphia. https://libwww.freelibrary.org/blog/post/2570
Grant, R. (2021, November). How Memphis created the nation’s most innovative public library. Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/3g4juvioz86g1m2uj529i/How-Memphis-Created-the-Nation-s-Most-Innovative-Public-Library-Innovation-Smithsonian-Magazine.pdf?rlkey=25yzrxk37civvks7bg6hwaafs&e=1&dl=0
Johnson, T. C. (2019, May 3). South Philly library’s latest project: Distributing personal hygiene kits. The Inquirer. https://www.inquirer.com/news/south-philadelphia-free-library-hygiene-kits-20190503.html
Katie D. (2017, August 28). Health lending library now available in South Philadelphia. The Free Library of Philadelphia. https://libwww.freelibrary.org/blog/post/3023
Mabaso, A. (2016, June 28). The South Philadelphia Library opens on Broad Street. flying kite. https://www.flyingkitemedia.com/devnews/southphiladelphialibrary062816.aspx
Skot-Hansen, D. (2017). Library development: From collection to connection. University of Copenhagen. https://287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/4-Spaces-Model-from-Univ-Copoenhagen.pdf
Spokane Public Library. (2025). The Hive. Spokane Public Library. https://www.spokanelibrary.org/hive/
I loved this module. It was so invigorating and inspiring to learn in the lecture and readings about all the innovative ways librarians have of forming community. Especially given libraries’ limited resources and recent attacks on libraries in politics right now, it can feel very difficult to cultivate these spaces.
Boyd’s Medium article, “What World Are We Building?” also inspired me to think critically about the limitations and prejudices that can sneak into even the most idealistic spaces if we aren’t proactive about safeguarding them (Boyd, 2016). Boyd writes, “We didn’t architect for prejudice, but we didn’t design systems to combat it either,” (Boyd, 2016). While Boyd is writing about data and internet architecture, this is a principle that can be applied quite broadly. Almost no one in library work would say they are aiming to perpetuate prejudices, but many unwittingly do. This can look like programming that excludes teens, limited hours that shut out working people, lack of accessible entryways and materials for disabled users, and countless other manifestations. As librarians, we need to make sure our good intentions don’t make us underestimate the size and significance of our blind spots.
I also can’t help but connect this week’s module to what is going on in my work life right now. Currently, the library assistant union in Philadelphia is on strike. This union (AFSCME 33) also includes trash collectors, water department workers, medical examiners, 911 operators, licensing officials, law clerks, paralegals, and others in municipal blue collar work. All this week I have been sitting outside of work watching the picket line (the librarians feel unsafe and are therefore unable to cross the picket line per our contract, so we are encamped across the street). While library work is of course not going on, I am really enjoying watching our patrons engage with the picket line. Several have come to the library, asked thoughtful questions about the strike, and then expressed support or even joined in picketing. I’ve seen regular patrons, many of whom are unhoused, engage in long conversations with strikers and volunteers, who are happy to speak to them and welcome them into community. These are certainly conversations that would not be happening without the existing rapport of library workers and patrons. Even in a situation like this, where library work is stopped, the library is a space of community connection and education. It speaks to the library as a modern town square and as essential democracy and workers’ rights education, as well as the beacon of wellness and anti-loneliness that Hasan envisions in their article where they talk about how the library is a non-judgmental and accepting place for all (Hasan, 2022). People feel welcome in the library, and with library workers. This goes a long way towards building community among neighbors, whether library work is actively happening or not.
Pictured above: Some strikers and allies/volunteers from the community on the picket line. Photo taken by an anonymous DC 33 striker.
References
Boyd, D. (2016). What world are we building? Medium. https://medium.com/datasociety-points/what-world-are-we-building-9978495dd9ad
Hassan, T. N. (2022). ‘Free, non-judgemental, accessible’: How your local library is a sanctuary of health and wellness. SBS Bangla. https://www.sbs.com.au/language/bangla/en/article/free-nonjudgmental-and-accessible-how-your-local-library-is-a-sanctuary-of-health-and-wellness/t15blzsi9
Participatory Service
To me, participatory service models are the core of modern librarianship. The entire trajectory of library services has been on the path of becoming more and more participatory since its inception, though particularly so in the past 20 to 30 years, with the proliferation of digital tools and more democratic public conversations through social media.
Teen Services
The Children’s Section looms large in the American library, but teen services are an often overlooked aspect of library service. Many library workers are actively hostile to teen presence in libraries, equating it with unruly behavior and decreased adult library use (Casey & Stephens, 2008). And many American adults will freely express that the last time they were in a library was when they were a small child, and partially for good reason; our services for children are robust, educational, and often quite excellent. Storytime, summer reading, picture books—these are all invaluable aspects of library services. However, these same services can leave teens feeling overlooked and caught in the middle.
In my experience, teens do not appreciate being lumped in with the smaller kids, and doing so will drive them away from the library entirely. Similarly, many younger teens do not yet feel comfortable in the adult spaces of their public library either. They are still unsure how to navigate the world of adult fiction, and they are often hard-pressed to find services that match their needs. If teens’ only two options are storytime in the children’s section on miniature chairs, or dodging adults’ dirty looks in the pin-drop quiet of the Adult Fiction stacks, they will often choose to spend their afternoons someplace else.
This is where participatory services can come in. Teen users can and should have an active voice in their local libraries. In Shareable in 2019, Casey O’Brien profiles the teen section of the San Francisco public library. This space is very similar to the Philadelphia Field Teen Center that I currently work in, so it was exciting to see the model being used across the country. O’Brien writes that the “space is loud, full of kids eating and talking,” (2019). Our space is the same. This is because the space is directed by teens and what they want from the library. The walls are lined with manga because that is what circulates, and it’s what they ask for. There is a keyboard piano available for public use, and every day two or three or ten teens sit down and either practice what they already know, or just play around. There is a TV with a PlayStation and Nintendo Switch and we run video game days twice a week, because that is what they ask for. There is a table covered in thick butcher’s paper with a box of markers on top, and every day teens draw on it, share notes, and otherwise leave their physical mark on the space. Just last month, a teen came in and asked for help creating a poster for his prom-posal for his girlfriend (also a regular user), so that’s what we spent the afternoon doing. Because of this openness to traditionally non-library activities and alternative book formats, we are able to maintain a robust base of teen regulars who see us as a safe space. We are striving to “meet people where they are–not where [we] want them to be,” (Schnieder, 2006).
Guest to Host
I found the observation quoted in The Heart of Librarianship that “participation occurs when someone welcomed as a guest feels as though they have become a host” to be particularly true and moving (Stephens, 2016). In any form of youth services, part of the magic is watching the older kids welcome the younger kids in to the space. Our teen workers are particularly adept at doing this, assisting with programs and chatting with shy new users. But we notice it with non-employed teen patrons too; our most comfortable teen users are eager to share this place with others, explaining things like our Summer Reading program rules and which manga series they should try. When users can participate in that way, and thus shape how new users perceive the library, they really are co-creating the space. Watching our teens take up this kind of participatory service invitation is incredibly rewarding and special.
References
Casey, M. & Stephens, M. (2008, May 15). Embracing service to teens. Tame the Web. https://tametheweb.com/2008/05/15/embracing-service-to-teens/
O’Brien, 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/
Stephens, M. (2016). The Heart of Librarianship. ALA Editions: An Imprint of the American Library Association.
Schneider, K. G. (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/
Hello!
My name is Carly (she/her), and I am a Librarian Trainee at the Free Library of Philadelphia. As a Trainee, I learn from active librarians and work on completing my MLIS degree, while also doing basically all the same job duties as librarian. I am rotated to different branches every 9 months or so to learn more about serving different populations and providing different kinds of service. Right now I am at the Teen Center in the main Central branch, which means I’m learning a lot about YA lit, manga, and teen programming. When I graduate in December, I’ll be promoted to a Librarian 1! My LIS interests lie firmly in public librarianship, and if all goes well, I hope to stay in the Philadelphia system for a long, long time.
I took this class for a few reasons. First among them is probably that I took 200 with Prof. Stephens in my very first SJSU semester, way back in Spring 2023. I really enjoyed that class, and it remains one that I learned the most from in the program, so I wanted to take another class with Prof. Stephens before graduating. Additionally, as a public librarian, I am often grappling with how to balance incorporating cutting edge technology with small budgets and layers of city bureaucracy. I also find that interconnectedness and community are two of the most important functions of a modern public library. For example, teens typically don’t come to the Teen Center because they need help doing online research; they come because we do crafts every afternoon, because we offer positive regard and conversation from a trusted adult, and (most importantly…) because they can read a LOT of manga, not on their screens, for free. I’m excited to delve more into these ideas, and figure out how they intersect with emerging technologies and theories of librarianship.
In my free time, I read a lot (obviously), sew, embroider, and bum around South Philly* with my friends. I keep track of all my reading in a very detailed Google sheet, which tracks reading time, pages, author demographics, book content, etc. — if anyone wants to steal my formulas, let me know and I’ll gladly share you on it! I also play a lot of board games; my favorite is Terraforming Mars, but I also love Eclipse, Dune Imperium, Settlers of Catan, and lots of other crazy complicated and nerdy games. I was married last summer, and in April I took my honeymoon to Costa Rica. We had a blast! I also have two cats, Smudge and Marmalade.
*If you know South Philly, you might recognize my header image. Many older South Philly rowhomes have vintage Tofani doors. These are just two of the designs you can see around the neighborhood.
P.S. — ALA is in Philly this summer, so I will absolutely be there! If you are planning to come, please reach out so we can meet up! I’d love to connect with some SJSU colleagues down here in my neck of the woods. 🙂
Pic from my wedding!
My cat, Marmalade, laying in his favorite position
Me repping Philly on my honeymoon in CR!