Assignment X – Participatory Libraries

Colman-McGaw, C. (2021, February 23). Teens: How to volunteer virtually with the library [Photograph]. The New York Public Library. https://www.nypl.org/blog/2021/02/23/teens-become-virtual-volunteers

Patron participation helps make the library a more welcoming place. This is particularly important for children and teenagers who are finding themselves. The library can be an excellent place for them to learn and grow as individuals. Participatory libraries help patrons exchange “knowledge without curriculum and administrators” (Stephens, 2011, p. 81). Patron participation allows everyone to be heard.

The videos from Module 4: Participatory Service & Transparency excited me about technologies libraries have found to seek input from patrons. The Surface and Flickr App gave children the opportunity to express themselves. They could decide to forgo including their pictures if they wanted or add comments to let others know about their experiences. The Local Stories exhibition at DOK is a local history lover’s dream. Interactive media like this exemplifies how “building collections and seeking ways to engage the public and promote curiosity challenge us all” (Stephens, 2011, p. 80). This library opened my eyes to choosing global libraries as spots to visit when I travel to learn how others live and seek information. I can apply what I see to my branch when I become a librarian. I could envision my mom excitedly exploring photos, letters, and more on the touch screen. DOK looks like a museum and a travel destination.

“YOUmedia” at CPL is such a wonderful space for teens to collaborate and explore. I think a space like this should be at every library or, at the very least, in every major city. “YOUmedia” gives me hope that libraries can be truly inclusive spaces. I’ve never seen so many creative resources like cameras, sewing machines, and recording equipment. I want to learn more about the grants and funding they get to operate a program like that. San Francisco Public Library’s Main Branch also has a creative center for teens called “The Mix.” This space was created by community input (O’Brian, 2019). Teenagers worked with architects to build the space. It was all made possible by grants provided by the MacArthur Foundation and the Institute for Museum and Library Services. Creative spaces for teens like “YOUmedia” and “The Mix” illustrate how libraries are “rethinking [their] role as the digital age has expanded people’s access to information while in many ways weakening community ties” (O’Brian, 2019). Teens can learn new skills while meeting like-minded people.

I was also curious to learn more about how participatory libraries create programs. In my research about participatory culture in libraries, I found an excellent article called Designing the Library of the Future for and with Teens: Librarians as the “Connector” in Connected Learning by Mega Subramaniam (2016). It explores participatory design research from 1995 to 2015 in finance, psychology, and broadcasting and includes Subramaniam’s research. Subramaniam uses the frameworks of Radical change theory by Dresang and The Connected Learning Framework. Radical Change theory addresses the teen librarians’ shift in focus from what they think teens want to actually speak with teens to see what their interests are. The Connected Learning Framework embraces new technology to create a learning environment where educational experiences can be based on interests, with the support of peers, and focused on academics (Subramaniam, 2016). Subramaniam used five cooperative inquiry techniques to co-design programs with teens. One example is “Layered Elaboration” (Subramaniam, 2016, p.9). Teens break off and work on their ideas on pieces of paper in permanent marker. They come together and present their ideas. A transparent film is used over their papers to cross out ideas or add to them while maintaining the original work’s integrity (Subramaniam, 2016). This would shift the librarians’ role from expert to facilitator for collaboration and help “information professionals play an active, visible role in our communities” (Stephens, 2011, p. 80). This article highlights the importance of using participatory design to uplift teenagers from marginalized communities since their voices rarely get heard.

Overall, the idea of incorporating the voices of the community through participatory initiatives and changing the librarian’s role from an expert to that of a design partner is innovative. I would be honored to promote participatory libraries and make them the golden standard in the future.

@kazuko

References:

Colman-McGaw, C. (2021, February 23). Teens: How to volunteer virtually with the library [Photograph]. The New York Public Library. https://www.nypl.org/blog/2021/02/23/teens-become-virtual-volunteers

O’Brian, C. (2019). How San Francisco Libraries are Embracing Their Changing Role.

Stephens, M. (n.d.). Module 4: Participatory service & transparency. INFO 287 – The

Hyperlinked Library. San José State University. Retrieved February 11, 2025, from https://287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu/module-4-participatory-service-transparency/

Stephens, M. (2011). “The age of participation” in The Heart of Librarianship, p. 79

Subramaniam, M. (2016). Designing the Library of the Future for and with Teens: Librarians as

the “Connector” in Connected Learning. Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults, 7(2), 1–18.