Here is the link to my Virtual Symposium with the transcript posted below:

Virtual Symposium Five Key Take Aways.mp4

Transcript:

Hello, my name is Krystal Torres. This is my virtual symposium for the Hyperlinked library Info 287. One of the driving factors for me signing up for this class was the fact that Professor Michael Stephans was teaching. He guest starred in some of my other Info courses, and his passion absolutely seeped through whenever he popped into one of my classes. To see someone so passionate about libraries and passionate about teaching others about them is inspiring.

Now, I have some objects that go along with my five key takeaways from this course.

Firstly, embracing new modes of creativity within our limits. Now this video format is exactly that for me. I am not usually very comfortable on camera or posting things online, but I really wanted to tie in visual elements and show off a couple of my projects this summer. My representation for embracing new modes of creativity within our limits is Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Canas. Now, a little backstory: I am currently in my library’s borrowers and technical services department. We build the collection, work to ensure the technical aspects of the library run smoothly, and handle the circulation desk, but building programs or participating in outreach is not one of my department’s goals. This summer, however, I got to pitch and develop a new activity with one of our librarians in our adult services department. This book will be one of our loteria, which is a game similar to bingo, prizes for the event we planned together in October. The event will include a scavenger hunt, snacks, loteria, and crafts and activities. Since it will be taking place during Hispanic Heritage Month, we wanted to incorporate Latinx authors and culture throughout the program.

Second is valuing and accounting for participatory service. My library is a very new system, and we are heavily taking patron feedback into account for everything we do. One program that staff was very excited to launch, and we have since received extremely positive feedback and hope to launch it to other branches, is our seed library. Which brings me to my lovely tomato and basil plant. I have been growing them for months now, and even though my tomatoes have not sprouted any tomatoes, I am hopeful they will eventually and have enjoyed the growing process. Being a part of this program has one benefited me as a library user, but it’s also given me a way to connect with the community. I love giving them the seeds to “check out,” and even though they don’t have to bring them back, I always tell them to come back with any feedback. I am able to exchange gardening tips with a few of the patrons, and it’s a great way for me to connect with them.

Third is something I have struggled with, and this class has really pushed me to be more open-minded. AI for personal and professional use. I am very AI resistant and remain so. Frankly, I’ve probably consumed more media and text that is more critical of AI, but not wrong. I could definitely open up my lens to seek out more positive ways of incorporating AI into one’s personal or professional life. And unfortunately, I don’t have the physical books, as I listened to them, but here are a couple I listened to over the summer, and I plan to consume more information to deepen my understanding of AI. So, I listened to The AI Con and Empire of AI, and I have a few more on hold at my local library; hopefully those will come in soon, and I will continue to deepen my research.

Fourth, is that learning never ends, and it can and should happen everywhere. Empowering lifelong learners is a part of my library’s vision statement, but reevaluating what that means throughout this course has put it into perspective just how important that is and how I continue to do it throughout my life. Yes, I am furthering my formal education right now, but I have always had a desire to learn even when not in a formal classroom setting. Recently, I was able to participate in a leadership program offered through my employer, where they gave me this notebook with the explicit direction to note down when I see examples of leadership I’d like to emulate in my workplace and all around me. I use the notebook to do just that, but I also use it to evaluate my staff, to note the strengths, areas for improvement, their goals and ambitions, and how I can help them achieve those goals. I think one of the big things of being a leader is to lift up and support those around you. I can do that by passing along staff’s info and their staff’s goals and ambitions because sometimes they don’t get face time with our bosses, but they still want to grow with the organization. And being a leader is being their advocate, so I always want to be an advocate for them. My supervisor recently sent me another leadership training to apply for and I’m super excited to sign up for the training not only because it is a great opportunity but because my supervisor recognizes in me that I want to continue to grow and learn and be a leader in my environment and it really motivates me when I see my current leaders see that potential and drive in me.

Lastly, and I wrote my most recent blog post on this, the topic of play. Actually, playing and engaging with other people is incredibly important for all ages. Having an outlet to be creative scratches an itch in people that routine and sequential games don’t. Whether it is creating something with your hands, like this ceramic pot that I made, or engaging a group in an in-depth board game, engaging the creative side of your brain is important. Board game nights have recently become a staple with my family, and as much as I love movie nights, playing these games with my family has created incredible experiences and memories with them. The board game club at my library has also been a hit, and right now it is currently only targeted at middle-grade kids, but hopefully it will expand to more age groups. Our Dungeons & Dragons kits that we have in our library of things collection are frequently checked out. And there are talks amongst staff to hopefully start a D&D program.

Overall, this course taught me to stretch the limits of what I expect a library to do and what I can do.

Thank you.