Monthly Archives: February 2024

Oral History and The Power of Stories

Reflection Blogs, , ,

Libraries have always been about access to the stories of the world,
collected, cataloged, and placed on a shelf waiting to be discovered.

[Libraries] demonstrate the importance of tapping into
the collective voice of our communities.

[Libraries] demonstrate how stories can connect people of all ages

Michael Stephens, Wholehearted Librarianship

Stories are a powerful and ubiquitous method of communication that has been used in every human civilization since the dawn of time. Through storytelling, people can express themselves and connect through universal themes and experiences. As librarians, we are dedicated to ensuring equity and access to the reading and hearing of stories. We are also committed to ensuring that every story is told and every voice is heard (Stephens, 2024). A library that supports the voices of its community communicates to its public that it is a safe space, open and welcoming to all. Storytelling in the library encourages an expansive mindset, exposes users to new ideas, and provides opportunities to see what’s happening in the world and learn what’s possible beyond its doors (Paxaman, 2022). Documenting the voices of our local communities is one way that libraries are working to collect, catalog, and discover the stories of the world around us to communicate community identity, belonging, unity, and compassion.

In my community, the power of storytelling is illustrated through the University Library of the University of California, Santa Cruz’s (UCSC) extensive oral history projects. For instance, The Regional History Project has been documenting the history of the Central Coast of California and the institutional history of UC Santa Cruz since 1963.  According to the Regional History Project website, an “Oral history is a method of conducting historical research through recorded interviews between a narrator with personal experience of historically significant events and a well-informed interviewer, with the goal of adding to the historical record” (n.d.). Oral histories are a spoken account, aka a “story,” reflecting the subjective personal experience of an event; they are not an objective, comprehensive, or factual recounting of history. Used alongside secondary sources of information, an oral recounting can provide deeper insight and understanding of a historical event (Regional History Project, n.d.).   

Often, oral histories make room for the voices of groups that may have been excluded from mainstream historical records, such as marginalized and oppressed people. Within the Regional History Project at UCSC, there is an ongoing documentary history project titled “Out in the Redwoods” dedicated to recording Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered History at UC Santa Cruz over the last four decades. The university has a deep history as a center for LGBT culture and activism that the University Library aims to document with a multigenerational oral history project asking its community members the question, “What was it like to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered during the past four decades at UC Santa Cruz?” (Introduction, n.d.). Giving a platform for historically marginalized and oppressed groups to tell their stories grows the collective consciousness toward acceptance, inspires empowerment and belonging, and allows people to see themselves as part of the world.

References

Paxaman, M. (2022, October 23). Challenged but not dying, the public libraries are more relevant than ever. Jutland Station.

Stephens, M. (2019). Wholehearted Librarianship: Finding Hope, Inspiration, and Balance (p.91). ALA Editions.

Stephens, M. (2024, January 20). Module 10: The Power of Stories [Lecture]. San Jose State University School of Information. https://287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu/course-modules/the-power-of-stories/

The UCSC University Library (n.d.). Out in the redwoods. Introduction. Retrieved February 24, 2024, from https://library.ucsc.edu/reg-hist/oir.exhibit/introduction

The UCSC University Library (n.d.). Regional History Project. Regional History Project. Retrieved February 24, 2024, from https://library.ucsc.edu/regional-history-project

Assignment X: Participatory Service

Assignments, ,

“The user is the sun. The user is the magic element that transforms librarianship from a gatekeeping trade to a services profession” – K.G. Schneider, 2006

Participatory Service describes a service model for libraries that embraces participatory culture as the guide for developing library programs, services, and interfaces. Librarian Michael Casey describes a participatory library as open and transparent, communicative, engaged with the community, and seeking to integrate patron ideas into library development by involving the community in the dreaming, planning, and review of library services (Stephens, 2024).  In other words, participatory service puts the library into the hands of its community, prioritizing the development of community-driven content generated by and for library users. 

A library operating with a Participatory Service model acts primarily in service to the user’s wants and needs and allows the library user to determine how the library is used. In his book The Heart of Librarianship, librarian Michael Stephens asks how libraries can continue to be inviting spaces for people to visit in a world where information is available from anywhere with the click of a finger or a simple voice command. His answer is that information professionals must embrace an active, visible role within their communities, not as the designers but as the facilitators of the community’s desired experience (Stephens, 2011). Library access and learning occur at the behest of the user, and the “guests” are invited to become the “hosts” of library services and activities (Stephens, 2011, p. 80). Contribution, collaboration, and collective knowledge are key to the success of every library’s Participatory Service model. 

However, participatory culture requires more than simply asking for patron input; it is about empowering library patrons to create, support, and develop collective experiences of their own making. Facilitating participatory service requires providing guidance not on what patrons do but on how they do it: Technical skills, expert knowledge, equitable access to tools without restrictions on time and cost, and ethical frameworks are the best tools and services libraries can provide. Henry Jenkins, a Professor of Communication, Journalism, and Cinematic Arts, formally defines five core concepts necessary for participatory success: Low barriers to expression and engagement, strong support for creating and sharing, informal mentorship, meaningful contributions, and social connection (Gaddis, 2016). Librarians adhering to this framework should find success in creating a healthy patron-driven culture of participation within their libraries.  

Libraries are a perfect space for learning and cultivating a strong sense of community through exchanging thoughts and information. Moreover, they can be a safe exploratory space for people to play with new ideas, instruments, and challenges. Knowledge can be shared through the informal mentorship of community members, library staff, and peers. People will benefit from the experience of being once the novice and, eventually, the expert. Participatory culture builds leadership and technology skills and nurtures soft skills like confidence, creativity, communication, navigation, self-learning, and adaptation to new situations and ideas. It makes people feel valued and empowered, giving them a sense of ownership and belonging (Gaddis, 2016). 

Participatory Services are another way of expressing that libraries provide human connection. Even from their earliest beginnings, libraries have existed to “preserve, transmit, and develop” the skills and ideas that would come to shape people’s lives across history (The Economist, 2014). In today’s world, libraries are contending with adaptations to technology that are reshaping how we communicate. The same technology that threatens to make library services unnecessary is also a tool that allows libraries to break down barriers between people and foster situations to engage and develop participatory practices in their communities. For example, social media can and should be viewed as a point of entry for patrons to engage with library content and participate in generating content for their community. Library staff and patrons can use social media tools and technology to direct their patrons to services relevant to their unique wants and needs (Smeaton & Davis, 2014). When libraries employ their community members to break down barriers and learn from each other’s experiences, they can generate new knowledge by providing access to wisdom, local history, and artistic heritage embedded within their community (Dobreski & Huang, 2016).

References: 

Dobreski, B., & Huang, Y. (2016). The joy of being a book: Benefits of participation in the human library. Proceedings of the Association for Information Science & Technology, 53(1), 1–3. https://doi-org.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/10.1002/pra2.2016.14505301139

Schneider, K. G. (2006, June 3). The User Is Not Broken. Freerange Librarian. Retrieved February 6, 2024, from https://freerangelibrarian.com/2006/06/03/the-user-is-not-broken-a-meme-masquerading-as-a-manifesto/

Smeaton, K., & Davis, K. (2014). Social technologies in public libraries: exploring best practice. Library Management., 35(3), 224–238. https://doi.org/10.1108/LM-09-2013-0087

Stephens, M. (2011). Age of Participation. The Heart of Librarianship: Attentive, Positive, and Purposeful Change (pp. 79-81). ALA Editions.

Stephens, M. (2024). Module 4: Participatory Service & Transparency [Lecture]. SJSU. https://287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu/module-4-participatory-service-transparency/

[T Gaddis]. (2016, December 2). Participatory Culture Related and Applied to Teen Services in the Library [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSqCGgi_SxA

The Economist. (2014, October 11). The future of the book: From papyrus to pixels. 413(8908). https://www.economist.com/essay/2014/10/11/from-papyrus-to-pixels

The Hyperlinked Community

Reflection Blogs

In thinking about Hyperlinked Library communities, I’m most intrigued by the idea of how libraries bring people together. In everyday life, we’re so isolated from each other. Most people will tell you they only interact with the same few groups of people regularly – immediate family, some extended family, people at work, a friend group, and maybe a hobby or two. Especially here in the U.S., we have a strong lack of third spaces – those areas that aren’t work or home, places where people can spend time without having to make financial investments or other commitments for entry, where one can find groups and opportunities beyond their normal path. Libraries are uniquely situated to be a perfect third space, reach into multiple parts of an extended community, and draw people together. The hyperlinked library engages people “via technology tools, place-based meet-ups, and engagement strategies designed to enlighten and entertain” (Stephens, 2024). This may look like inviting photography students to practice taking photos for other community members, such as headshots, merchandising photos for small businesses, or family portraits. Or perhaps a high school art class could come to display their art in the library and get tips from local museums and galleries on how to exhibit their designs best. A library has the room, the connections, and the time to bring disparate communities together for everyone’s benefit and create opportunities they may not have otherwise had. 

Those are just a couple of examples of how the library could use its partnership and outreach services to cultivate a library community that has nothing to do with books. As librarian Maarya Rehman describes them, “The library is a space, and the best libraries are like the TARDIS in Doctor Who: they can shift and expand to meet your expectations and needs in strange and wonderful ways’ (TEDx Talks, 2019, 0:03:10). The options are endless, especially if a library is willing to involve its users in developing the kinds of programs and services they would like to have. Really listening to the wants and needs of the library community and being willing to take risks, be creative, and get involved are essential to the success of a hyperlinked library community. Let the community take over and build the community they want to find in the library. After all, the library doesn’t belong to the librarians but to the people who use it. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6b_a7FMLz4


[TEDx Talks]. (2019, November 13). Libraries – the good (third) place [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6b_a7FMLz4