As learning goes on the move, librarians not only must keep up with significant changes in education environments but aim to become connectors and collaborators within our users’ learning spaces.

-Michael Stephens, The Heart of Librarianship

Libraries are spaces that create and facilitate connections between individuals, organizations, and businesses. They offer support, discovery, and engagement options for various experiences and objectives. As such, they are an ideal environment for providing all learning opportunities, including exploring, playing, creating, and peer-to-peer collaboration. These critical aspects of the creative classroom research model lend themselves well to the infinite learning service model for library environments. An Infinite Learning Service model encourages library programs and services that are fresh, evolutionary, innovative, flexible, and high quality (Stephens, 2024). 

Infinite learning in libraries goes beyond hosting familiar services and programs like maker spaces, cooking classes, or tech tutorials. Libraries must also consider the tools, resources, and partnerships they offer their patrons to encourage infinite learning experiences within their institutions. Helping others curate a learning experience, expand their space, try new things, and create personalized learning opportunities is an important aspect of the library’s role in infinite learning practices. Sometimes, patrons will want help with brainstorming and planning, settings or configuration, pedagogy, or selecting technology and tools, and libraries must be prepared and thoughtful in accommodating those needs (Mathews, 2013). 

The mandate to create and facilitate connections is elaborated on in the context of the connected learning movement, which is about libraries offering “interest-driven, peer-supported, and academically oriented learning for youth by promoting the core values of equity, participation, and social connection” (Nygren, 2014, p. 1). The movement comprises coupling formal and informal learning organizations to make learning more passionate, engaging, and relevant to provide personal achievements, stakes, and qualities. The emphasis on connections can mean connections between peers and mentors, the learner’s innate and developed interests, or academic subjects, institutions, and credentials. Learning is accelerated and more powerful when people share a purpose and production and have ways to get organized, motivated, and supported (Nygren, 2014). 

Libraries interested in supporting infinite learning by thinking of their space as a classroom can use the connected learning approach to guide decision-making and best practices in their space, programs, and services. A key aspect of the model is to build a network of connections across boundaries with professionals and peers of similar interests. Libraries should include members of their physical and virtual communities and encourage “maker culture” with events designed to support creativity and exploration. Controversially, libraries should consider not blocking software, online services, and social media, not using internet filters, not allowing more than one operating system, and only providing proprietary software in the library; these hinder the effective creation of personal learning environments. Lastly, a balanced mix of partnerships between academia, the public, and industry sectors should be found to meet the needs of the library community (Nygren, 2014).

As this YouTube creator explains, our unique relationship to information gives it value in an era of information abundance. Sharing and collaboration may be the strongest learning tools that we have.

References 

[Aidan Helfant]. (2023, May 23). Your Infinite Library [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1F4zryuz0M

Mathews, B. (2013, September 5). Curating Learning Experiences: A Future Role For Librarians? The Chronicle of Higher Education: The Ubiquitous Librarian. https://www.chronicle.com/blognetwork/theubiquitouslibrarian/2013/09/05/curating-learning-experiences-a-future-role-for-librarians/

Nygren, Å. (2014). The Public Library as a Community Hub for Connected Learning. IFLA LYON. chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://library.ifla.org/id/eprint/1014/1/167-nygren-en.pdf

Stephens, M. (2024, January 24). Hyperlinked Library Library as Classroom [Lecture]. San Jose State University. https://sjsu-ischool.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=c716d09f-f8cf-4a08-bef8-af34011f855e

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

The world ahead is one that will be defined by technology, from education, medical, social, and to jobs. AI, 3D, and integrated tech will be nearly indistinguishable from human resources and production. Libraries will need to help people contend with bridging digital and technological divide, misinformation and information literacy, more than ever before. – Michael Stephens

The information landscape is ever-changing, and information professionals must keep an eye on the horizon to prepare for how new and established technologies will impact library service. Trendspotting helps to assess social, technological, economic, environmental, and political factors that may change what libraries and information centers will do in the future. When asked what they believed life would be like in 2025, nearly a thousand visionaries, entrepreneurs, executives, scholars, and advocates said they believed that technology would become even more integrated into people’s lives. They predicted that the human dependency on technology would grow as more people turn to digital means for work, education, healthcare, routine commercial exchanges, and social connections. (Anderson et al., 2021).

Generative AI and ChatGPT

Generative AI came a little sooner than 2025, but the predictions of that Pew Research poll have proven true. Currently, libraries are contending with many emerging technology tools of generative AI. While there are general concerns about these tools’ moral and ethical uses, libraries are committed to helping their community access and use information according to the ALA’s promise of intellectual freedom. Intellectual freedom protects library users’ right to read and receive information and resists censorship. Intellectual freedom “encompasses respect for the inherent autonomy and dignity of the individual and their right to think independently and form their own ideas and opinions through free and open inquiry” (Caldwell-Stone, 2022, p. 472). Furthermore, Article VII of the ALA Code of Ethics states, “We distinguish between our personal convictions and professional duties and do not allow our personal beliefs to interfere with fair representation of the aims of our institutions or the provision of access to their information resources” (The American Library Association, n.d., para. 5). While maintaining the respect for copyrights, it is in the profession’s best interest to get onboard with generative AI and learn how it can best be implemented into library service in a manner that aligns with our values and responsibilities. 

Some libraries, such as the Krupp Library at Bryant University, have approached ChatGPT and generative AI through an information literacy lens. The ACRL Framework for Information Literacy is an effective resource for helping library patrons make informed choices about how they use information. For example, the ACRL Framework describes contextual authority as a tenant of Information Literacy. Librarians can explain to their patrons how this concept applies to generative AI; if ChatGPT can’t explain where it got the information, it lacks authority and can’t be considered a credible or scholarly source of information (Krupp Library, 2023).

https://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework

The current conversations about generative AI are the perfect example of why information professionals must keep an eye on the horizon to prepare for how new and established technologies will impact library service. Most experts agree that generative AI is here to stay, and information professionals must help people learn to think critically about this new information infrastructure. We must proactively determine what happens to our knowledge environments rather than reacting to sudden change. As information professionals, we are stewards of the importance and meaning of accuracy and authority, and it is up to us to hold society to those standards in the face of changing digital technology and tools. Going forward, “the ability to discern truth from the glut of plausible-sounding but profoundly incorrect answers will be precious” (Fister & Head, 2023). Finding ways to teach Information literacy may be the most important thing that information professionals can implement in their institutions as generative AI continues to expand its reach.

References

[AJE – Journal Experts]. (2023, November 1). 5 Ways Artificial Intelligence Impacts Libraries [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DddRJEqPi9w

The American Library Association (n.d.). Code of Ethics. Retrieved April 20, 2024, from https://www.ala.org/tools/ethics

Anderson, J., Rainie, L., & Vogels, E. A. (2021, February 18). Experts Say the ‘New Normal’ in 2025 Will Be Far More Tech-Driven, Presenting More Big Challenges. Pew Resarch Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2021/02/18/experts-say-the-new-normal-in-2025-will-be-far-more-tech-driven-presenting-more-big-challenges/

Caldwell-Stone, D. (2022). Intellectual freedom. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today: An introduction. (3rd ed., pp. 471-485). Rowman & Littlefield.

Fister, B., & Head, A. J. (2023). Getting a Grip on ChatGPT. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/views/2023/05/04/getting-grip-chatgpt

Krupp Library (2023). ChatGPT: A library perspective. Bryant University. https://library.bryant.edu/chatgpt-library-perspective

An academic library is more than a repository of books or a place to work; it reflects its community and their hopes, dreams, and ambitions. 

-Michael Stephens

Academic libraries continuously evolve to remain at the forefront of education and research trends to unite people with similar intents worldwide. This requires an active and dynamic use of space, intentional choices for creative and relevant tools and services, and consideration of how communication and information sharing are taking place. Today’s institutions are “interdisciplinary waypoints” that provide technology-rich, flexible, and competitive information services for students, faculty, and researchers (NC State, 2013). These library users are tasked to work more collaboratively than ever before and utilize a wide range of digital resources and technology in producing their projects. Academic librarians guide them through the vast informational landscape of scholarly literature and research, delivering the best storage, access, and discoverability technological strategies. This also accounts for the information-seeking behavior of the modern student and researcher, who prefers not to interact directly with librarians or physical collections and a hybrid setting of physical and digital resources and study spaces (LSE Impact Blog, 2017). 

An exciting example of the metamorphosis of the academic library over time is the revival of the Library of Alexandria. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina is a modern library conceived in 1974 and opened in 2002 in Alexandria, Egypt, sitting approximately on the same site the original library is believed to have been. The project’s vision was to resurrect the legacy of the Ancient Library of Alexandria, considered the ancient world’s first and greatest scholarly library (Fineberg, 2006). The new library needed to simultaneously represent the intellectual ideals of the past and embody the finest academic pursuits of the modern age. The project’s stakeholders and designers had to grapple with the concerns of any modern information institution, such as justifying building a library to hold eight million books when printed materials are less relevant and how to design the material space of a timeless library environment for the Internet age (Stille, 2000). 

The library’s architectural design reflects the project’s objectives to revive and modernize an aspect of cultural heritage without simply reconstructing a historical monument.  The building design aimed “to bear witness to the deep roots of Egyptian civilization and a pearl in the crown of the culture of tomorrow.” The final design is crafted as an inclined cylinder to evoke the sun and reflect light, like scholars reflecting light onto knowledge. A large granite wall is covered in sculpted symbols reminiscent of letters from the world’s many alphabets to evoke its role as a universal exchange center for knowledge between cultures worldwide (Ministry of Culture, 2003). The building is topped with a large circle resembling a microchip, an homage to its past as the “container of all the eastern worlds’ knowledge” while conveying its modernity’s conductive, active element. The physical appearance of the new library is not meant to mirror the ancient library literally but to symbolically honor their common ambitions to be more than a repository for books and attract scholars from all disciplines to debate, discover, and innovate knowledge (Journeyman Pictures, 2018). 

The interior design of the information environment balances the needs of a modern academic library while still honoring the legacy of the ancient institution. The Ancient Library of Alexandria accommodated half a million papyrus scrolls, the largest collection of written knowledge at the time. The stakeholders for the revival felt it was essential that the modern library have a robust digital collection but specialize in large physical collections focused on Mediterranean cultures and rare manuscripts to honor the traditional ideals of progress, enlightenment, and freedom of expression (Journeyman Pictures, 2018). Like the ancient structure, the library is vast and includes many ancillary areas for various pursuits, like conference halls, observatories, and refectories. The modern library has added a documentation and research center, a library for the blind, a children’s library, an exhibition of manuscripts, and an exhibition of calligraphy, maps, and photography. Expanded areas for scientific and educational programs include a science museum, an astronomical research unit, restoration laboratories, and an archeological museum. As of 2003, the library housed one and a half million physical books and the best digital and computerized tools available at the time (Ministry of Culture, 2003). 

The greatest example of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina honoring the mission of the Ancient Library through cultural adaptation is its contributions to the World Digital Library. The ancient library was known for its function as a vital connection for educational and cultural exchanges between Egypt and the rest of the Mediterranean. To contribute in a similar capacity, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina participated in founding the World Digital Library and contributed many of its collections to the project. In 2009, the World Digital Library was established by UNESCO and the U.S. Library of Congress, with the participation of libraries, archives, museums, educational institutions, and international organizations worldwide. Its purpose was to protect and disseminate meaningful cultural artifacts and enhance access to important historical documents to stimulate research, scholarship, and utilization. The WDL established an easily accessible online collection of the world’s cultural wealth, fostering cross-cultural awareness and understanding (Library of Congress, n.d.). The WDL was a modern means for the Bibliotheca Alexandrina to encourage universal access to knowledge, culture, and education to scholars worldwide, much as its historical predecessor did in ancient times.

The new Alexandria library exemplifies how academic libraries stay true to their values and still evolve to remain at the forefront of trends. Through active and dynamic use of space, intentional choices for creative and relevant tools and services, and consideration of how communication and information sharing are taking place, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina honors and improves its legacy in its ability to provide universal value, unites the past and the present, and provides for the informational heritage of the future (Ministry of Culture, 2003)

References

Fineberg, G. (2006, August). Reviving the Bibliotheca Alexandrina Library of Congress To Partner with Revived Library of Antiquity. The Library of Congress Information Bulletin, 65(8). https://loc.gov/loc/lcib/06078/alexandria.html

[Journeyman Pictures]. (2018, November 2). The Ambitious Recreation of the Library of Alexandria (2001) [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d8ow1cLBOQ

Library of Congress (n.d.). Collection: World Digital Library. About This Collection. Retrieved April 20, 2024, from https://www.loc.gov/collections/world-digital-library/about-this-collection/

LSE Impact Blog. (2017). Reimagining the role of the library in the digital age: Changing the use of space and navigating the information landscape. LSE Impact Blog. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2017/02/15/reimagining-the-role-of-the-library-in-the-digital-age-changing-the-use-of-space-and-navigating-the-information-landscape/?platform=hootsuite

Ministry of Culture – Supreme Council of Antiquities (2003). Alexandria, ancient remains and the new library. UNESCO. https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1822/

[NC State]. (2013, July 30). The Hunt Library Story (updated) [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Okr78MUrImI&t=1s

Stille, A. (2000, May 8). Resurrecting Alexandria. The New Yorker, 90. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2000/05/08/resurrecting-alexandria

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