For this reflection, I chose to focus on the New Models module, partly because it reminded me of my chosen topic for INFO 200, which I still feel deeply connected to. My focus was to explore the information needs and behaviors of professional and hobby gardeners, and how libraries and information centers could incorporate those needs into programming and the general library culture. 

My exploration seems to map well onto the Danish concept of hygge discussed in Wholehearted Librarianship (Stephens, 2019). Hygge can refer to a general coziness, but it can also refer to a sense of communal comfort built through learning, grounding, and contemplation. 

As we have discussed, modern library spaces embrace many modes of learning, including experiential education and social engagement that emerge from truly listening to one’s community. I currently work in childcare with children ages 3-5, so one of my favorite examples comes from the garden experiences at the Central Branch of Brown County Library in Green Bay, Wisconsin. In one of their programs called the Pizza Garden, children harvest pizza ingredients such as tomatoes, peppers, and basil after listening to a pizza themed-read aloud (Kallunki, 2015). In this activity, speaking and reading skills are made engaging through an opportunity for tactile learning in which children can ground themselves in an outdoor library experience. 

Another very different gardening initiative that I also feel embraces the concept of hygge is the establishment of an indoor garden and seed library at the Gerstein Science Information Centre (Gray et al., 2024). Learning gardens, particularly when accompanied by seed gardens, can be opportunities for outreach, community, food security, experiential learning and student well-being. The initiative was well received by the library’s patrons who appreciated being able to take seeds from the seed library and found the greenery in their library space to temporarily reduce stress. 

References

Gray, M., Bradley-Ridout, G., Cunningham, H., Duff, C., Nevison, M., and Woehrle, E. (2024). Establishing an indoor garden and seed library in an academic library. Public Services Quarterly, 20(4), 270-282. https://doi-org.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/10.1080/15228959.2024.2413508

Kallunki, S. (2015). A bumper crop of ideas. Children & Libraries: The Journal of the Association for Library Service to Children, 13(2), 21-25. https://doi-org.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/10.5860/cal.13n2.21

Stephens, M. (2019). Growing our libraries. In Wholehearted librarianship: Finding hope, inspiration, and balance (59-72). ALA Editions.