Hildana in the Hyperlinked Library

Currently, our library is running the annual summer learning program and the community center located right next to us is hosting their annual summer camp which means that a lot more children are visiting our library. It’s always encouraging to see our younger patrons in the library – they approach the service desk to ask questions or just to chat with a staff member, they crowd around the computers to play games with their friends, and as expected, they also look for books. 

One of my favorite things about being a library page is seeing the way children light up when you hand them the right books. Most of the children who ask for help don’t have a particular book in mind but a subject – they want books about animals, history,  the human body, and anything else they can think of. These are some books that I’ve recommended to patrons this month. When I see a child grab a book out of my hand with excitement as they exclaim that this was exactly what they were looking for, I’m reminded how the library serves as a place for learning, connecting, and self-discovery which is especially important to children. 

In a library, children can find books that reflect their own experiences – reassuring them that their own stories are valuable – or they can find books that show them something that’s unfamiliar  – teaching them how to understand others’ emotions and experiences (Klinker, 2020). Seeing children read, play, talk, and explore in a library reminds me that this is where they are learning to be a human being. When they come up to the information desk to talk to us, they’re learning about social cues and how to interact with people that are different from them. When they’re playing games on our computers, they’re learning how to work together and how to make friends. It is important to reflect on children and their role in the hyperlinked community because they will ultimately be the ones to inherit whatever the community has left for them.

References

Klinker, J. (2020, July 24). The healing power of books: Using reading to address social and emotional needs. Gale. https://blog.gale.com/the-healing-power-of-books/

When I tell people that I work in a public library, the responses are often the same – how it must be such a peaceful environment, how wonderful it must be to work surrounded by books. These comments are said with good intentions but they do not reflect the reality of working in a library. However, I prefer these comments instead of the dreaded question I am asked when I tell people that I am studying to be a librarian – do people still use the library? I always found this question disheartening because it felt like the work that my colleagues and I were doing was being diminished. However, I am beginning to realize that this is not an effort to demean the work of information professionals but rather reflects an unawareness of what that work looks like. 

For many years, people have thought of the library as a palace for books, books are considered the defining feature of the library’s brand (OCLC, 2005). However, libraries have taken considerable efforts to grow their brand to become a place for people not just books. Libraries are becoming a site for building community by being a place for people to learn, encouraging inclusion, supporting civic engagement, connecting people to necessary resources, and promoting the economy (Scott, 2011). The library’s change from a place for books to a place for people can be seen in the programs that the library is offering such as ESL classes, resume help, digital and financial literacy workshops (Young, 2012). Libraries even serve as voting centers and provide information on voter registration (Young, 2012). At my own library, we offer programs such as lawyers in the library, social work in the library, career help, tutoring and more so we can get patrons connected to the help that they need. The mindset of libraries and those who work in them has changed to transform the library into a place where the people we serve are at the center of what we do. The library remains a place for people to access materials but it has expanded its reach to be an environment where people can learn, receive help, and connect with others in an effort to build community. 

In libraries, books remain accessible – physically and digitally – to the community. It is also in libraries where people get help with their homework, learn where the nearest warming shelter is located, connect with a lawyer as they work to leave an abusive home, apply for social services, receive help in their search for employment and so much more. These are examples of actual patrons that we have helped at my own public library. When the library becomes a place for people, it draws in everyone, especially those who have been forgotten or ignored by the community. This work can often be frustrating for myself and fellow co-workers especially when our library is facing budgetary constraints, staff shortages, and a lack of support from other agencies. I want to take this concept of the library as a place for people not books to reframe the way I look at my current job and public libraries in general. If the library is centered around people and not books then the library becomes a refuge where people are free to be themselves and connect with others. The library becomes a third place – a place outside of work and home that encourages social interaction and belongs to the community members who visit it  (Oldenburg & Brissett, 1982). The work of the information professional then becomes centered on fostering this environment within the library. As a future information professional, I hope to remember that the aim of my job is to help create that safe haven for the community so that anyone and everyone can enter into a library knowing that we are here for them. 

References

OCLC (2005). Perceptions of Libraries and Information Studies. Retrieved June 21, 2024, from: http://www.oclc.org/reports/2005perceptiOns.htm

​​Oldenburg, R., & Brissett, D. (1982). The third place. Qualitative Sociology, 5(4), 265–284. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00986754

Scott, R. (2011). The Role of Public Libraries in Community Building. Public Library Quarterly (New York, N.Y.), 30(3), 191–227. https://doi.org/10.1080/01616846.2011.599283

Young, R. (2012). More Than Just Books: The Role of Public Libraries in Building Community and Promoting Civic Engagement. National Civic Review, 101(4), 30–32. https://doi.org/10.1002/ncr.21098

Hello everyone, my name is Hildana!

I currently work as a library page for the San Jose Public Library and my experiences working there are what inspired me to take this course. When I’m helping patrons navigate technology that’s new to them such as our library’s eResources or even our printer, many of them express concern about catching up with the new technology and how it’s going to impact to them. These feelings are familiar so I wanted to take this course to learn more about the emerging technologies that are new to me and how they are going to impact the people in the library – those who work there and those who visit. I’m looking forward to seeing how I can apply what I learned this semester into my current and future work as I hope to grow my career in public libraries. 

When I am not in school or at work, I love to spend my time outdoors either by hiking or just going for a nice walk. I also enjoy reading, scrapbooking, journaling, and watching procedural tv shows like Law & Order or Criminal Minds. 

A photo I took from a recent hiking trip to the Channel Islands.