Finding ways to incorporate the whole community by considering what types of services can be adjusted to better suit the needs of not only the community as a whole, but also considering sub-communities can change the way people view the library. Something that really stuck with me from the lecture was the idea that changing patrons’ perspectives can change the impact the library makes. If people still view the library as a space for books, they may be missing out on the amazing services they could be benefiting from.
Thinking about how libraries can continue expanding and changing the services offered inspired me to think about the learning center where I currently work. I love the idea of taking inspiration from libraries to try to get students in our learning center because I think there’s something we are doing wrong. I am currently a Tutorial Program Coordinator at a community college and help our Lab Coordinator think of ideas to get students to visit us. Since the pandemic, our numbers have declined and we have yet to pinpoint why that is. Being able to draw inspiration from libraries and articles has somewhat helped us, but we still have much work to do. Aaron Schmidt in “Asking the Right Questions” opened my eyes to something really important – we cannot rely on patrons telling us what types of services to develop as that is a burden on them, but we can focus our energy on creating a welcoming environment that people want to come back to. As simple as this shift might be, it made me realize that many student spaces do not place the emphasis on the students’ current experiences but rather how we can improve the space for future visits.
Libraries should continue to expand and re-evaluate their services as community needs change. I really enjoyed learning about the mobile reference desk which allows librarians to move around the library, helping patrons explore the library and still get the assistance they need. Continuing to think of ideas like this allows for patrons to benefit from library services much better than before.
References
Schmidt, A. (2016). Asking the Right Questions.
@isabelpt This: “It made me realize that many student spaces do not place the emphasis on the students’ current experiences but rather how we can improve the space for future visits.”
That is a good thought and could shape how your lab meets the needs of students going forward. Schmidt’s idea about questions might be very useful to see what students might be looking for.