Libraries are no longer spaces where you only go to read or do homework, working in silence and being deathstared at if you had a squeaky shoe . Instead they have become places of retreat, co-working, and connection.
Despite the increased use of technology in library services, there continues to be a need for humans to remain at the heart of libraries. This does not just mean the librarians and the library worker, but also the communities in which they serve. Participatory Services allows for the community to be heard and engaged with by the library.
Michael Casey (2011) writes, “[t]he participatory library engages and queries its entire community and seeks to integrate them into the structure of change.” This is a reiteration from his 2007 book Library 2.0: A Guide to Participatory Services. This idea caught my attention because having worked in a public library for the last ten years and seen a lot of ups and downs with patrons, therefore this idea can be a little intimidating to put into practice. But as libraries are meant to serve the community, participatory services are fundamental to understanding the needs of the people.
The challenge I have encountered with this idea has been the expectation that a change will happen and it should happen right away. There have been many times suggestions have been placed that are not a possibility for any number of reasons. We have had a suggestion made multiple times that we completely relocate computers so they would not distract their child from checking out books. Although we try to accommodate the suggestions that are within our control, these unattainable suggestions and requests tend to dominate the conversation. A question, therefore, I would like to pose is how do libraries continue to integrate the entire community and avoid becoming jaded and dismissive when unable to provide a solution that would satisfy those who pose an unattainable suggestion?
With that said, l believe that it is fundamental that libraries engage in participatory services. Stephens (2016) writes, “[b]reaking down barriers remains a goal for us all.” By inviting the community to engage with the services this allows for barriers to be stripped away and for the user to become part of the library instead of just a transaction. This helps to build empathy and humanize that community that is being served.
This is why I want to embrace participatory services as I continue to grow in my career in libraries. I want to explore different ways to engage with the community and break down the barriers between library services and the people. I am interested in the idea of creating a blog for the community to read. This would be a good way to share information and updates about the library, but also a way to invite users to also share and create a dialogue with librarians and other library workers as there is not always a lot of time to engage in a conversation.
Participatory services is a forever evolving task that requires commitment. The needs of the community change over time and therefore it is important to be able to adapt with them and keep libraries moving forward into the future with humans at the heart.
References
Casey, M., & Savastinuk, L.C., (2007). Library 2.0: A guide to participatory library service. Information Today, Inc.
Stephens, M., (2016). The heart of librarianship: Attentive, positive, and purposeful change. ALA Editions.
Stephens, M., (2019). Wholehearted librarianship: Finding hope, inspiration, and balance. ALA Editions.
Tame the Web, (20 October, 2011). Revisiting participatory service in trying times — A TTW guest post by Michael Casey. https://tametheweb.com/2011/10/20/revisiting-participatory-service-in-trying-times-a-ttw-guest-post-by-michael-casey/