Throughout our time this semester I’ve been consistently moved by this idea: libraries are there to provide access to information in all its forms. This makes them a natural fit for continued learning, for thinking of the library as a classroom. For most people, formal learning ends with formal schooling, but surely actual learning doesn’t stop then. We learn every day from the media and information we consume actively or passively, the tasks of everyday life, interacting with public and private services, the people we know.
The library was once the place for the “I have an information need” kind of learning, the acquisitive, and it still can be! As Brian Kenney discussed in “Where Reference Fits in the Modern Library” most of these simple question and answer information needs are probably, for most people, fulfilled by a Google search. Maybe that Google search is good enough, maybe not, but ultimately maybe it’s just making space for the library to be something else. I think the attitude we should start having overall towards libraries is not, “how are we being replaced?” but instead how do we now have the time and space to do something new, different, and exciting!
The library as classroom is just that sort of thing! Looking at Digital Learn I’m thinking about that for some people, these very simple technology tutorials could make a world of difference. It can be fun and wild and exploratory like all these examples. I love the idea of librarians themselves being actively guiding curriculum and pedagogy, of librarians as teachers, like Joan K Lippincott describes in “The Future for Teaching and Learning” and like Michael discusses in “YLibrary”.
I’m especially drawn to Joshua Block’s notion of “Embracing Messy Learning”! What a beautiful idea, to let kids kind of feel it out for themselves, to go at their own pace and work things out. School settings and formal learning can sometimes feel restrictive, punitive even for kids, after all, they have to be there. I think that in order for libraries as classrooms to be successful, embracing messy learning needs to be a founding principle. Joshua observes how the kids’ focus and engagement comes in waves, but with a little guidance and support, their project materializes. I think that if kids feel that sense of ownership without being corralled, they learn so much more effectively.
I want to explore the idea of libraries as classroom for people outside of formal learning age or settings more. Åke Nygren’s conference paper “The Public Library as a Community Hub for Connected Learning” presents a model for not just libraries hosting classes, but for creating an entire network of information and resources that can be earnestly used for learning. Leveraging non-profit foundation support, other libraries, other local institutions, corporations, libraries can create lasting connections that can provide services for learning with more access, more resources, and that are likely more resilient and sustainable to shifts in funding. I think if people know that it’s not just some one-off course in a library meeting room, but instead a consistent year-round programming series, there will be a lot more buy-in.
I think library as classroom is also an excellent way to draw in volunteers and individuals with their own unique expertise. Librarians could be in more of a support role, coordinating events, while community members, maybe some with past professional experience in whatever their teaching, or just professional-level hobbyist experience in something, share their knowledge with the community. Honestly I think about how many people there are out there who have turned their hobbies into productive, cottage-industry qua influencer work, and how natural they would be at leading community classes in a library classroom.
I think libraries could even form some kind of parallel academia on some level. There’s a lot of people out there who want the kind of engagement with heady-academic material that can be hard to access outside PhD programs. These programs are expensive, exclusive, and also, probably you don’t need to complete a dissertation to satisfy your budding interest in contemporary philosophy! Could the library as classroom also be a library as upper-level course? Could be an interesting space for generating thought.
I agree with you! Libraries have to “shape-shift” constantly to respond to the needs of a community. And you are right: as we shift how we consume information, we now have a brick-and-mortar building left standing… and we can fill it with programs and classes and other useful activities for the community, encouraging an engaging hub for info-exchange.