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Users and their knowledge have the ability to reshape library services, but libraries must first
change the way they craft their services and tools so that users have a clear and open avenue on which to communicate and participate.  – Michael Casey, Library 2.0, 2007

Introduction

Michael Casey wrote Library 2.0 and again on a blog post 4 years later about Participatory Service. According to Casey, online tools are made to be available more for us, as well as social media (Casey, 2011). And now about 14 years later after his book and blog post, we have advanced to new highs especially after an a pandemic.

So what is relevant in today’s standards with participation with the current political climate and post-COVID 19 era?

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Participatory Culture and Its Impact

First, we need to know about participatory culture and why it’s impactful for library services. Participatory culture as defined as is “a culture with relatively low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement, strong support for creating and sharing one’s creations, and some type of informal mentorship whereby what is known by the most experienced is passed along to novices.” (Hines & Moore, 2016) In short, this is a culture that allows and benefits for the community.

So, what are its impacts, why do we consider participatory service? It is because community affects the library in the present even more so than before, we are in a time where the library is no longer a place of quiet, a place of books and media just being housed. In the mindset of non-patrons, that is the definition of a library. However, it can be a place where many information seekers can come over to gain more than just information.

In regards to what Michael Stephen’s wrote, the library is also a place where community is not just consuming information, the community helps generate new ideas and knowledge (Stephens, 2019). A library with a participatory environment could be one that has a yoga class or for instance, L.A. County Library hosts for their branches, virtual classes for technology. This one instance is teaching powerpoint for intermediate users, ones who do know the application but needs to more experience on the matter (L.A. County Library, 2025). There are multiple ways to have libraries to involve the community. Another aspect is civil engagement which involves political issues. Waimua Public Library in Kalua, Hawaii has a community discussion on Land development (Public Participation: How Libraries Support Civically Engaged Communities | Programming Librarian, 2023).

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COVID and Present Times

As stated above, there are virtual classes for L.A. County Library that are offered to their patrons. Due to the COVID pandemic, the attendance was low numbers especially within the first 3 years. Despite that research indicates that attendance are back to normal with pre-pandemic numbers. However it is different on how each patron make use of the library services. The indication is towards more allowance for space to work in rooms available from the library and its resources “While visits may have decreased, the use of meeting rooms and e-resources has reached a new high.” (Peet, 2024). Due to COVID, libraries adapted to having participatory services online and given circumstances, rooms allowed for social distancing from major crowds. Participatory culture is still around but in different results.  

Conclusion

Overall, participatory service is a key element to library services. It allows the community come through with their ideas, give them a light to innovate the library, bringing forth the knowledge we all need. Despite the given circumstances through such unprecedented times like the covid pandemic, the library evolves with the community around it.

If there is no a participatory service in your library, what would you do? Would you take part in providing it? What ideas would you like to see in libraries? It’s interesting to read about which libraries take part and how things are impacted within the library community the past 5 years after the pandemic. 

References

Casey, M. (2011). Revisiting participatory culture in trying times. Tame The Web. https://tametheweb.com/2011/10/20/revisiting-participatory-service-in-trying-times-a-ttw-guest-post-by-michael-casey/ 

Casey, M. E., & Savastinuk, L. C. (2007). Library 2.0: A guide to participatory library service. Medford, N.J: Information Today.

Hines, S. S., & Moore, C. K. (Eds.). (2016). The future of library space. Emerald Publishing Limited.

Microsoft PowerPoint for Intermediate Users. (2025). LA County Library Event. https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/14459086