The idea for this inspiration report was came out of a conversation I had with a library customer. Her name is Enfys which is Welsh for rainbow 🌈. She is losing her vision and her memory isn’t as good as it was, so art and technology programs would not work. Discussing possible ideas with ChatGPT led to memory cafés, a global trend in library services. The report is written for the Toronto Public Library, which currently does not yet host memory cafés.
Here is the PDF of my Inspiration Report.
The library is a space for infinite learning. It is the place for anyone to access books and materials about any subject, for free in most cases. The kind of libraries* we are talking about also allow the public to access technology classes, history classes, art classes, all in person and for free. Virtual programs for all ages are also available. The library also gives library card holders free access to online courses which allow them to earn a certification, add skills to their LinkedIn or resume, learn or practice a new language, and so on. This answers the question:
“In a time when most people turn to Google on their mobile devices for quick answers, what type of learning experiences can the library provide? “ (Stephens, 2014).
The library has transformed, with the advent of the internet, expanding their offerings beyond containers of knowledge towards education and access to technology. But technology is ever changing. This requires libraries to offer their library staff professional learning opportunities to keep up with changing times. In 2006, Helene Blowers created Learning 2.0: 23 Things at the Public Library of Charlotte and Meclenburg County, to help information professionals learn about Web 2.0. It consisted of 23 tasks help them get familiar with things setting up a blog, exploring Flickr, setting up an RSS feed, etc. This program inspired hundreds of other 23 Things! As online students, we are pretty familiar with these although some things have changed in 20 years. It seems that Flickr images and longer form blog posts have been replaced with social media and TikTok videos.
“A computer would deserve to be called intelligent if it could deceive a human into believing that it was human.” –Alan Turing (Curtin University, n.d.)
Artificial intelligence is the biggest new technological change we are facing. As people debate about its advantages as well as very negative effects, technology companies and governments continue to invest heavily in its development while removing any safeguards; while also cutting off funding from libraries, our pillars of democracy. Meanwhile, as librarians, we must learn about AI in order to better serve our public. The Toronto Public Library (2025) is offering a class called What is Artificial Intelligence? A centrally designed slide deck presents provides an overview of the technology for a general adult audience. On further exploration, I found a 23 Things: Thing-AI. As librarians, we must keep learning in order to teach, and this could be a good place to start. Naturally, it was created with the help of ChatGPT (Curtin University, n.d.).
*Side note: I was born in the Philippines and still have a lot of family there. On a visit a few years ago, I walked to the local public library. It is located beside City Hall and is a building with a shell on the roof. Doesn’t it sound like a library from a Haruki Murakami book? Inside, the library is small and the collection was limited. Libraries need funding to maintain their collection and provide the services mentioned above. My dad asked me on my return, “Why did you go?” Recently my dad and my brothers visited me in Toronto. I took them to the Toronto Reference Library and they were surprised to learn that anyone can come here to read, access computers, use the free Wi-Fi, and attend programs for free. They were impressed by the donor list at the entrance of the library. A reminder that libraries cannot thrive without funding.
References
Curtin University. (n.d.). 23 things: Thing-AI. https://23things.library.curtin.edu.au/portfolio/thing-ai/
KlingonSpider. (2012, April 8). Hal9000: “I’m sorry Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that”[Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARJ8cAGm6JE
Lemuel “lem” B. (2019, July). Mandaue City Public Library [Photograph]. https://g.co/kgs/4vkG7Zi
Stephens, M. (2014). Making the case for the library as a space for infinite learning. https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/4zt1yliwb2ffzr8euix2p/YLibraryInfiniteLearning.pdf?rlkey=m0v6lkd43ufilkp5aktawhlpr&e=1&dl=0
Toronto Public Library. (2025). What is artificial intelligence? https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDMEVT561987&R=EVT561987
23 things – 10 years later. (2017, March 13). Library Journal. https://www.libraryjournal.com/story/23-things-10-years-later
The Power of Stories
Stories are powerful and integral to the library and human connection. The super power of human beings is that we are able to cooperate in large numbers through the power of stories (Harari, 2022). How can libraries harness the power of stories as a tool for inclusion, connection, and empathy?
“Libraries have should keep stories, share stories and make stories.”
-Erik Boekesteijn (Stephens, 2019).
A few days ago, I was helping a senior at the library. She was looking for social programs she could attend at the library. Her doctor prescribed it. She has been living with vision loss over the last few years and has not been able to enjoy the things she used to. We found some drop in programs for seniors that she can try in the neighbourhood but I also suggested she give audiobooks a try. Although she would still be alone, a good story does offer comfort and can be great company.
It’s no wonder that the ice-breaker group invites the people in this class to share binge-able media! This allowed us to make connections to each other through the shared experience of the story and helped us find new media to consume. For many people, watching media, reading or listening to stories, is part of their self-care.
Collecting Stories
Artist, author, and library staff Christina Wong has always been passionate about collecting stories. In 2015, she collected and exhibited stories connected to Toronto’s Chinatown and the Boys and Girls House Library (which opened in 1922 then later replaced by a new construction in 1995 renamed the Lillian H. Smith branch) for the 20th anniversary of the library. Unfortunately, the link to the online exhibit is no longer active. Her work, along with her collaborators, have been focused on people and their connection to disappearing places through stories. These projects are vital to recording the history of the city as neighbourhoods grapple with rapid changes and disappearing landmarks.
Another place where “Torontonians can contribute their stories, memories, artifacts,” according to Wong (Jennifer, 2015) is the Museum of Toronto. It began as a workshop in 2015 and now has a physical home at 401 Richmond Street West which is free to visit. The current exhibit is called The 52: Stories of women who shaped Toronto. These powerful stories which can be viewed online or in person, as text, video, or performance.
The Human Story and AI
I was reading an article in the NYTimes about a man about to lose his father to illness, persuaded him to work with a company called StoryFile to help preserve his memory. I found this to be revelatory! There are increasing numbers of companies in the field called GriefTech. From apps that help people deal with loss to avatars that will allow you to talk to your loved one through a screen, like you were talking to them on Zoom (Dominus, 2025). I wondered how this kind of technology will change how we preserve stories at the library. What are the costs of preserving someone in the form of an AI chatbot in perpetuity and what format can it be preserved in? Will archives and special collections collect AI simulations of people such as the Japanese American National Museum’s exhibit allowing people to talk to World War II veteran Lawson Sakai (2021)?
References
Blog TO. (2008, July 12). Kim Moon. https://www.blogto.com/restaurants/kimmoon/
Dominus, S. (2025, June 13). Never say goodbye. The New York Times Magazine. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/06/13/magazine/ai-avatar-life-death.html
Harari, Y. N. (2022). Unstoppable us: How humans took over the world, Vol. 1. Puffin Canada.
Japanese American National Museum. (2021, November 24). The interactive StoryFile of Lawson Iichiro Sakai-exibition preview [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgfSHGJuw2I
Jennifer. (2015, October 16). Q & A with Lillian H. Smith’s digital storyteller Christina Wong. https://torontopubliclibrary.typepad.com/lillian-h-smith/2015/10/qa-with-lillian-h-smiths-digital-storyteller-christina-wong.html
Museum of Toronto. (2025). The 52: Stories of women who transformed Toronto. https://museumoftoronto.com/projects/the-52/
Stephens, M. (2019). Wholehearted librarianship: Finding hope, inspiration, and balance. ALA Editions.
Wong, C. & Innes, D. (2023). Denison Avenue. ECW Press.
Last week, I attended a training session for Mental Health First Aid. It is part of the mandatory training assigned to librarians. It was seven hours of discussions and role playing as we all worked together to apply ALGES to different scenarios. ALGES stands for Approach and assess, Listen, Give reassurance and information, Encourage them to reach out to supports, and lastly Self-care for the first aider (this was a new addition according to our trainers). In many ways, it was similar to First Aid training. You are there as a first responder, you are not there to counsel or diagnose.
At the MHFA training session, one librarian, whom I later learned has a background in social work, asked why our employer was making this mandatory for librarians? Are we being trained to become social workers? She was not happy. I offered that this training was becoming more common in general as my partner had taken it years ago while working as a manager in a warehouse.
“The Des Moines Public Library is in the process of creating a social worker position at its Central Library to help serve those in the community. The social worker would be able to help library patrons with finding services that can help them and even assist with filling out the paperwork needed (Wright, 2023).”
More and more libraries are hiring social workers to help meet the needs of the community. On my way to work a few days ago, I noticed there was a person sleeping out in the open on each corner of the intersection. Rising homelessness in the city is a major issue. With lack of stable housing come increasing rates of substance use and mental health challenges. If basic needs are not being met, people are coping in other ways. The MHFA training was run by two Library Safety Specialists (LSS), a role created by TPL in 2023 (Toronto Public Library, 2023) which uses a trauma informed approach to de-escalate violent or disruptive incidents (Humber, 2023). They work in high incident branches providing social services to patrons who need it. Additionally, TPL also has a partnership with the Gerstein Crisis Centre which provides Social Services Team (SST) at a few branches around the city. They also run programs to help people and their loved ones find recovery and hope. Recently the program has expanded from one, the Toronto Reference Library, to 12 branches across the city over the last few years.
Should library staff be trained in social work? Librarians are often in-charge, especially at smaller branches, are the ones dealing with persons who are agitated or in crisis. Having some training on how to approach, listen, and how to offer help makes sense. Learning what not to say, such as “calm down” or “I understand” from LSS staff is helpful (M. McCausland, personal communication, July 10, 2025). These phrases can be triggering. No, as an employed person with access to housing, do we really understand? Finally, the addition of self care to ALGES is very important. Burnout is real and we need to be able to maintain our empathy and compassion in our work as information professionals.
References
Callan, I. (2019, October 3). Mississauga’s first library-based social worker calls on Brampton to copy the idea. The Pointer. https://thepointer.com/article/2019-10-03/mississauga-s-first-library-based-social-worker-calls-on-brampton-to-copy-the-idea
Gerstein Crisis Centre. (2025, July 4). Gerstein Crisis Centre’s Toronto Public Library project expanded to the following 12 participating library branches… [Post]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/DLsLeqDggZt/
Humber, T. (2023, September 27). A new chapter: How Niclas Manson is rewriting the script at the Toronto Public Library. OHS Canada. https://www.ohscanada.com/features/a-new-chapter-how-niclas-manson-is-rewriting-the-script-at-toronto-public-library/
KeyKing666. (2024, February 1). Screenshot 2024-02-01 163844 [Image]. https://scottpilgrim.fandom.com/wiki/Toronto_Public_Library
Mental Health First Aid USA. (2021, April 15). ALGEE: How MHFA helps you respond in crisis and non-crisis situations. https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/2021/04/algee-how-mhfa-helps-you-respond-in-crisis-and-non-crisis-situations/
Ontario Association of Architects. (2016, February 19). Toronto Reference Library (1977). https://oaa.on.ca/whats-on/bloaag/bloaag-detail/Toronto-Reference-Library-1977
Opening Minds. (2025). Mental health first aid. https://openingminds.org/training/mhfa/
Toronto Public Library. (2023). Be part of an innovative new team at the library! We’re actively hiring to ensure our public spaces are welcoming…[Post]. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/torontolibrary_be-part-of-an-innovative-new-team-at-the-activity-7044018629671059456-D1gj#:~:text=2y-,Be%20part%20of%20an%20innovative%20new%20team%20at%20the%20library,apply%20is%20March%2031%2C%202023.
Toronto Public Library. (2025). Social & crisis support services. https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/social-crisis-support-services/
Wright, G. (2023, April 10). Des Moines Public Library adding social worker position. https://who13.com/news/metro-news/heres-what-services-the-des-moines-public-librarys-social-worker-position-will-provide/
This idea would not leave me after an experience helping librarians to teach a group of adults how to use the Cricut cutting machine to make greeting cards. The program was presented in a way that invited participants to talk about ageism. It was a challenging yet overall successful program as the participants were eager to do it again! Unfortunately, the librarians were not as thrilled, so no future Cricut programs are in the works. It is too bad because we learned a lot from the experience so the next ones would be so much better!
Link to .pdf.
