{"id":35,"date":"2026-07-05T18:21:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T18:21:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/hyperlinkedbookworm\/?p=35"},"modified":"2026-07-05T18:21:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T18:21:17","slug":"hyperlinked-environments-reflection-blog-hyperlinked-academic-libraries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/hyperlinkedbookworm\/2026\/07\/05\/hyperlinked-environments-reflection-blog-hyperlinked-academic-libraries\/","title":{"rendered":"Hyperlinked Environments Reflection Blog: Hyperlinked Academic Libraries"},"content":{"rendered":"
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UC Berkeley campus. Photo by Eric Vo on Unsplash.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In this reflection blog, I wanted to take a deep dive into academic libraries and explore how they fit the hyperlinked library model. The readings from this module gave me a lot to think about regarding how academic librarians can serve their community, largely consisting of students. Two themes from the readings I will discuss further are connection and exploration; these concepts embody the foundational values of the hyperlinked library model.<\/span><\/p>\n

Connection:<\/b><\/p>\n

As Brian Mathews (2015) discusses in his article \u201cThe Evolving & Expanding Services Landscape Across Academic Libraries,\u201d the services that academic libraries provide to their students have grown beyond traditional reference transactions. Academic libraries offer services that focus on fostering students\u2019 academic development and wellbeing. This includes offering writing centers, study spaces, and career services. Mathews also describes scenarios in which professors and other individuals utilize the academic libraries for meeting spaces to facilitate discussions. When I look back at my own experiences at university, I remember the numerous hours spent at the library studying for exams. However, I also can recall many occasions in which the library provided opportunities encouraging connections with others. Examples that come to mind are my friends and I petting puppies at stress relief events during finals, and student study groups in library rooms scribbling away on whiteboards.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cReference questions are declining but the questions amongst our communities are only becoming more complex and interpersonal. One of the best things we can do is provide the\u00a0 literal and figurative table for people to meet and get the help they need\u201d (Mathews, 2015).<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Exploration:\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Another important aspect for academic librarians is to encourage exploration. At the center of their studies, curiosity is needed of students to accomplish their academic pursuits. Deitering and Rempel (2017) discuss ways that academic librarians can encourage exploration including urging students to select topics that they know little about, contextualizing goals around curiosity rather than on just locating information sources, creating opportunities for student success in the information search process, introducing new information resources, and reducing the stakes of in-class assignments. In my academic studies, I developed the ability to seek out information I was intrigued by. This skill has remained vital even beyond my university days. As library and information professionals, I think this is a crucial skill that we can impart to individuals, giving them the tools to be curious and satisfy their curiosity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In summary, the academic library setting carries the core essence of the hyperlinked library model. They are open, participatory, and collaborative places that can cultivate an environment full of meaningful connection and exploration. The next important step, I believe, would be for the library departments to market these services to their student populations whether through the classroom or other outreach avenues. With the vital services the library provides, it\u2019s critical that students know these services are available to them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

References:<\/span><\/p>\n

Deitering, A.-M., & Rempel, H. G. (2017). Sparking curiosity \u2013 Librarians\u2019 role in encouraging exploration. <\/span>In the Library with the Lead Pipe<\/span><\/i>. <\/span>https:\/\/www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org\/2017\/sparking-curiosity\/<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mathews, B. (2015, May 27). The evolving & expanding service landscape across academic libraries. <\/span>The Chronicle Blog Network. <\/span><\/i>https:\/\/www.chronicle.com\/blognetwork\/theubiquitouslibrarian\/2015\/05\/27\/the-evolving-expanding-service-landscape-across-academic-libraries\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In this reflection blog, I wanted to take a deep dive into academic libraries and explore how they fit the hyperlinked library model. The readings from this module gave me a lot to think about regarding how academic librarians can serve their community, largely consisting of students. Two themes from the readings I will discuss … Continue reading Hyperlinked Environments Reflection Blog: Hyperlinked Academic Libraries<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":824,"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-35","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/hyperlinkedbookworm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/hyperlinkedbookworm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/hyperlinkedbookworm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/hyperlinkedbookworm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/824"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/hyperlinkedbookworm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/hyperlinkedbookworm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/hyperlinkedbookworm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35\/revisions\/41"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/hyperlinkedbookworm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/hyperlinkedbookworm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/hyperlinkedbookworm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}