{"id":20,"date":"2026-06-25T23:43:52","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T23:43:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/jfeltis\/?p=20"},"modified":"2026-06-25T23:43:52","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T23:43:52","slug":"blog-reflection-hyperlinked-communities-and-inclusion-in-libraries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/jfeltis\/2026\/06\/25\/blog-reflection-hyperlinked-communities-and-inclusion-in-libraries\/","title":{"rendered":"Blog Reflection: Hyperlinked Communities and Inclusion in Libraries"},"content":{"rendered":"

Inclusion has been a hot topic in education over the last decade, and, honestly, throughout the rest of the world as well. Lauersen’s presentation on inclusion discussed how inclusion for the sake of saying you\u2019ve done inclusion is not effective unless you look at the community being represented and learn what they need. (Lauersen, 2018). In “The Heart of Librarianship,” Stephens (2016) explains that reaching all users begins by asking who is currently benefiting from the library, being transparent throughout the process, and finding a balance between services and projects to ensure a program meets<\/i><\/span>\u00a0all users’ needs. That is how the process of inclusion should begin, with asking the hard questions and finding accountability.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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CK Group, n.d. [Photograph of inclusive library programming and community engagement]<\/em><\/p><\/div>The TEDx Talk, <\/span>The Magic of Libraries,<\/span><\/i> reminds us that the library is a remarkable place and that the best libraries are the ones that adapt and respond.\u00a0 I think this means responding to the times, to current events as they happen, and, most importantly, to the patrons they serve. Several of this week’s readings discussed an aging population, increasing loneliness, and dealing with fake news (Greenwood, 2022; Hasan, 2022; Williams, 2021). These are all prevalent community issues in which libraries should be helping support.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Atlanta-Fulton Public Library Foundation. (n.d.). Inclusion at your library.<\/p><\/div>\n

It has been reiterated time after time that the library is for everyone. It\u2019s for the young and the old, the majority populations, and, perhaps even more importantly, the minority populations within a community. This also includes providing technology support because, to all because as Stephens (2019) reminds us in <\/span>Wholehearted Librarianship<\/span><\/i>,\u00a0 technology is no longer just an add-on to library services. Technology is a skill that helps people learn and live. That is a big part of inclusion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Overall, I have found that the Hyperlinked Library is all about creating meaningful and innovative ways to support the whole community. Not just offering the new hip thing or doing things the way they have always been done, but instead it is about listening to the community and building connections so that all are truly welcome.<\/span><\/p>\n

References<\/b><\/p>\n

Greenwood, C. (2022). <\/span>Healthy library, healthy life<\/span><\/i>. Public Libraries Online.<\/span> https:\/\/publiclibrariesonline.org\/2022\/02\/healthy-library-healthy-life\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Hasan, T. N. (2022, November 30). <\/span>‘Free, non-judgemental, accessible’: How your local library is a sanctuary of health and wellness<\/span><\/i>. SBS News.<\/span> https:\/\/www.sbs.com.au\/news\/article\/free-non-judgemental-accessible-how-your-local-library-is-a-sanctuary-of-health-and-wellness\/3v3p3frh0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Lauersen, C. (2018). <\/span>Do you want to dance? Inclusion and belonging in libraries and beyond<\/span><\/i>.<\/span> https:\/\/christianlauersen.net\/2018\/06\/07\/do-you-want-to-dance-inclusion-and-belonging-in-libraries-and-beyond\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Ralph, S. (2021, October). <\/span>The magic of libraries<\/span><\/i> [Video]. TED Conferences.<\/span> https:\/\/www.ted.com\/talks\/stephanie_ralph_the_magic_of_libraries<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Stephens, M. (2016). <\/span>The heart of librarianship<\/span><\/i>. ALA Editions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stephens, M. (2019). <\/span>Wholehearted librarianship<\/span><\/i>. ALA Editions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Williams, A. (2021, March 17). <\/span>Libraries are bridging the digital divide<\/span><\/i>. Internet Society.<\/span> https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/blog\/2021\/03\/libraries-are-bridging-the-digital-divide\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Inclusion has been a hot topic in education over the last decade, and, honestly, throughout the rest of the world as well. Lauersen’s presentation on inclusion discussed how inclusion for the sake of saying you\u2019ve done inclusion is not effective unless you look at the community being represented and learn what they need. (Lauersen, 2018). […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":860,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","post-preview"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/jfeltis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/jfeltis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/jfeltis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/jfeltis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/860"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/jfeltis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/jfeltis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/jfeltis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20\/revisions\/23"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/jfeltis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/jfeltis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/jfeltis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}