While reading module 10 on “The Power of Stories”, I was really fascinated by the Library Listening Lab at West Community Library at St. Petersburg College and its creation. Starting in 2008, they went from iTunes listening stations to a full-on collection of vinyl, zines, listening equipment, workshops on music, and more. They even made little pocket-sized publications on certain albums that could be read in tandem with listening. They also have a blog and radio program where albums are discussed in more detail, ranging in genres and showcasing music that is not in the mainstream (Mairn & Terrana, 2022). This program is such a full-on learning and immersive experience, and I wish it were available at more libraries.
After reading about this Listening Lab, I wanted to see who else was doing this – and I found out that my hometown of Memphis, TN actually has a Memphis Listening Lab that was created in 2021. Memphis Listening Lab is free and open to the public – they are only funded by donors and sponsors. What started off as a collection of LP record holdings at the old main branch of Memphis Public Libraries has turned into the Memphis Listening Lab – a huge vault of thousands of vinyl, CDs, music books, photos, tapes, and ephemera. They host listening sessions and musical performances. There is even a computer room where guests can digitize music to take home with them – or you can go to the production studio and record your own music, or perhaps a podcast of you talking about your favorite music discovered in the lab (Greene, 2024).
The city of Memphis has a deep connection to music, particularly blues and soul, so it makes perfect sense to have an immersive music learning experience such as this within the city limits. But I believe that libraries everywhere can take inspiration from programs like this and implement something of a similar nature. The library is no longer just about books, it can involve anything that creates a learning environment – and music is a strong facilitator in learning and enrichment, and could be expanded in numerous ways.
References:
Greene, A. (2024, August 5). The Memphis Listening Lab. Memphis magazine. https://memphismagazine.com/features/my-memphis-the-memphis-listening-lab/
Home. Memphis Listening Lab. (2024, February 2). https://memphislisteninglab.org/
Mairn, C., & Terrana, J. (2022). A Library’s Listening Lab. https://287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/MairnListeningLab.pdf
The listening lab is very cool! Something about music changes the vibe in the air! Music related: UCSF has a dedicated music room available for people to practice. I went on a tour there once and my mind was blown to see a music practice space. https://calendars.library.ucsf.edu/space/51326
@catladylilia Wow, that is so cool that they have music practice rooms – that is something I’ve never seen before!