Author: Krista Holmquist

        Public libraries are adapting to the growing and changing needs of modern library users by reimagining the library environment.  The library is no longer simply a place to borrow books; it is a community hub where people come to engage in creative pursuits, socialize, and collaborate. Innovative design and collection materials have become cornerstones of the efforts to modernize and redesign library spaces. Cultivating an environment of community, public libraries have officially “rebranded” (Grant, 2021).

         The public library has become an extension of the community it serves, and a place for “community vitalization” (Skot-Hansen et al, 2013). The programs, services, materials, collections, and overall design of the library building have changed to appeal to a sense of community consciousness, creativity, and entrepreneurial skills. In examples like The Hive in Spokane, Washington or Cloud901 in Memphis, Tennessee, we see wholly reimagined spaces that are dedicated entirely to developing skillsets and artistry through access to the necessary (and often inaccessible) facilities and devices. Here, we see music and photography studios, art and event spaces, sewing rooms, and much more. Makerspaces like these are cropping up in public libraries all around the world, showcasing the innovative modern library environment and its dedication to cultural and community revitalization through creativity, collaboration, and connection.

        When thinking of a hyperlinked library, spaces like these are exactly what come to mind. These spaces are fun and engaging for every age– they’re somewhere you want to come hang out, not just go to borrow books. Public libraries have taken the initiative to discover what their community wants and needs and have risen to the occasion in providing access to the necessary materials and equipment to fulfill these. Through the development of Library of Things in many public libraries, we further see this environmental shift away from solely books and into a broader and more fulfilling access initiative that works to serve the needs of the community.

Today’s Tool Lending Library in Berkeley, CA

The Tool Lending Library in Berkeley, CA in 2012

It is evident, then, that public libraries have come into a new role.  No longer simply buildings filled with books—the public library has been completely reinvented to a meeting space and one of the last remaining, true third spaces of the modern world.  While third spaces deteriorate and disappear throughout the U.S., we see libraries stepping into this role by revamping their spaces, programs, services, and materials. From “hushed book repository” to a fun, imaginative space to create, learn, and network—libraries have successfully completed the ultimate rebrand; and have become an environment where community can flourish and grow (Grant, 2021). It is amazing to think of how far public libraries have come, just in the last couple of decades alone!

“The real power of libraries is they can transform people’s lives. But libraries can also be fun”

-Keenon McCloy (Grant, 2021).

References:

Grant, R. (2021). How Memphis created the nation’s most innovative public library. Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/memphis-created-nations-innovative-public-library-180978844/

Skot-Hansen, D., Hvenegaard Rasmussen, C., & Jochumsen, H. (2013). The role of public libraries in culture-led urban regeneration. New Library World, 114(1/2), 7–19. https://doi.org/10.1108/03074801311291929

            Hyperlinked communities are an especially important part of library discourse, as it is libraries who help lead our communities by providing access to knowledge, resources, and safe spaces to build and grow diversity. As the United States faces an administration that is, seemingly, determined to undermine facts and to eradicate all efforts of diversity equity, and inclusion in our systems, it is more important than ever for libraries to take initiative and lead the way in building strong communities that advocate for its users, while providing equitable service and access. As Garcia-Febo (2018) explains, we need to be “creating institutions that expand minds and open futures” through love, empathy, and open hearts.

              At a time when American institutions are repealing rights from marginalized groups, libraries stand as a beacon of hope to our communities. As Jensen (2017) explains, “It’s impossible to be a neutral space with the goal of reaching a community”. The inherent nature of libraries is political—to educate, to stand up to injustice, to fight misinformation, and to provide free resources to the underserved. By providing equal access and equitable services to our communities, libraries provide a space to educate people from diverse backgrounds; to include and represent everyone. While the Trump administration takes away federal funding, removes DEI terminology from professional vocabulary, and censors and bans the books and information allowed in library spaces, librarians still fight back.

            Founded by Brooklyn Public Library, a network of libraries across the U.S. have come together to create Books Unbanned; a system inspired by the ALA’s Freedom to Read Statement and Library Bill of Rights, made to combat book bans across the U.S. (Books Unbanned, n.d.). Books Unbanned gives free digital library cards to teens and young adults, in the effort to give access to banned books in places where censorship and book banning laws have gone into effect. This equitable access initiative is a prime example of building a hyperlinked community. By using modern technology, namely e-book collections, libraries are fighting to keep all books accessible to all people.

            It is important for libraries to acknowledge all forms of access barriers and how to address these through services and community building. As we face increasing efforts to undermine education and diverse sources of information, it is more important now than ever for libraries to stand together in uplifting our communities through access initiatives, and diverse and inclusive materials.  I resonate deeply with the ideas mentioned by Garcia-Febo (2018) and Stephens (2016) in leading and learning from the heart with our work as library and information professionals. This notion will lead us far in our work and the ongoing fight for intersectionality, diversity, equity, and inclusion in libraries. When libraries strive to create spaces that include diverse materials with representations of all people, we are successful in creating hyperlinked communities.

References:

Garcia-Febo, L. (2018, November 1). Serving with love: Embedding equality, diversity, and inclusion in all that we do. American Libraries Magazine. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2018/11/01/serving-with-love/

Jensen, K. (2017, February 10). Libraries resist: A round-up of tolerance, social justice, & resistance in US libraries. Book Riot. https://bookriot.com/libraries-resist-round-tolerance-social-justice-resistance-us-libraries/

Stephens, M. (2016). The heart of librarianship: Attentive, positive, and purposeful change. ALA Editions.

       The concept of participatory service in libraries stands out as one of the foremost ways modern libraries engage in growing their communities. More than just a book repository, libraries have become community hubs—places for engaging in and sharing creativity. Participatory service is more than  library social media accounts or measured survey input, it is a dedication to growing and sustaining community engagement through interactive connection. As Casey (2011) explains, “The participatory library engages and queries its entire community and seeks to integrate them into the structure of change”. While public input is the catalyst for participatory service, it is only the beginning of a multifaceted system which aims to create a library culture of active involvement and community planning and commitment. As Casey & Savastunik (2007) describe in Library 2.0, the idea of a top-down service model has become obsolete; forcing libraries to evolve the way they structure their resources, and, ultimately, leading to the evolution of the participatory service model (p. 61). The importance of surveys, comment cards, and online input from patrons should not be understated—for it is this input which drives the development of participatory services within the physical library space. With this community input, libraries around the world can create programs, services, and daily interactions that increase participation in their physical library spaces; empowering library management to develop meaningful, quality services that fit the needs of their communities.

        As libraries have evolved, the resources available have become increasingly focused on developing a framework of active participation within the physical space of the library. Through interactive display features within the library, users can have daily engagement with varied forms of participatory culture.

DOK Library, Netherlands.

This can be seen in libraries like DOK in the Netherlands, where a large touchscreen Surface table is used to display Flickr photographs from the library account, allowing patrons to interact with the device by browsing and downloading displayed photos of library users (Stephens, 2011). DOK library also uses this Surface table in their interactive Heritage Browser, a tool that implements collaboration through photographic story sharing (Boekesteijn, 2011). These tools blends the online and physical community spaces of the library, allowing users to lend their photos, stories, and other ideas to this digital space to be accessed by other library users to exchange information through the Surface table interface. This blending of online and physical communing is a brilliant way to showcase libraries’ evolution of innovation in participatory service models.

         To take this idea of daily accessible forms of interactivity further, it is important to mention library makerspaces. These spaces are dedicated to fostering creativity and community, on-site, through their available resources. This is evidenced in spaces like YOUmedia at Chicago Public Library (Chicago Public Library, 2016) and the James B. Hunt, Jr. Library at NC State University (NC State, 2013). Through these supremely interactive spaces, library goers are encouraged to fully immerse themselves in the library space and its community. NC State describes their library space through experience,

OctaviaLab, LAPL

innovation, creation, collaboration, immersion, and education (NC State, 2013), encapsulating the true form of the participatory service model. LAPL houses the OctaviaLab, a maker space chalked full of creative tools and equipment, with a variety of learning opportunities available to users. These makerspaces are used as a means for community meeting and sharing. In these spaces, peer interaction and learning naturally lends itself to community development. By engaging in makerspaces and the programs and services they offer, community growth and participatory culture is fostered and encouraged through direct communication, learning, and creating with likeminded peers, as well as library staff. Extending these tools for makers outside of the library walls, library of things and tool lending libraries provide further participatory service to patrons. With these service forms, libraries once again blend their engagement from within and outside of the library’s physical space.

         Using community input to guide participatory service has led libraries to services that engage their communities online, at the library, and at home. No longer simply a place for books, libraries have become community hubs for creativity and peer-to-peer learning and networking. Libraries have transformed into places of interactive communication, where experience-oriented learning leads the way in participatory service and library culture (Rasmussen, 2016). Holding these concepts in high esteem, it is my professional goal to continue the work in implementing this model of open, creative participatory discourse and service– to ensure libraries  remain centers of culture, creativity, and learning in our communities for many years to come.

References:

Boekesteijn, E. (2011, February 15). DOK Delft takes user generated content to the next level. Tame the Web. https://tametheweb.com/2011/02/15/dok-delft-takes-user-generated-content-to-the-next-level-a-ttw-guest-post-by-erik-boekesteijn/

Casey, M.E., & Savastinuk, L.C. (2007). Library 2.0: A Guide to Participatory Library Service. Information Today.

Chicago Public Library. (2018, April 11). YOUmedia at CPL. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8G4nnlgKmk

NC State. (2013, April 3). NC state university’s James B. Hunt, Jr. library. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scyQPk6n0xA

Rasmussen, C.H. (2016, October). The participatory public library: the Nordic experience. New Library World. 117 (9-10) 546–556. https://doi.org/10.1108/NLW-04-2016-0031

Stephens, M. (2011, November 7). Erik Demonstrates Surface & Flickr App. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCpY5zTv2Xo

August 23, 2025:

I am currently reading The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien aloud with my 6 year old son. We have just reached the Desolation of Smaug, and are nearly finished with the book. I am thoroughly enjoying watching him experience Tolkien for the first time, and am so happy to see how much he’s interested in it!

August 23, 2025:

In my own reading, I am currently finishing up Slewfoot; a dark-fantasy novel about a witch and her demon companion, set in a Puritan colony in 1666 New England. I don’t usually enjoy fantasy novels this much, but I absolutely LOVE Slewfoot!

UPDATE: I finished Slewfoot, and I was obsessed. Such a good blend of fantasy and horror. I loved it so much. If you’ve read it, I must know!

September 2, 2025:

I just started East of Eden by John Steinbeck. Surprisingly, I’ve never read it before– so, I’m very excited to see what it’s all about. It’s been quite a while since I’ve read any literary classics.  Does anyone have any juicy opinions?

What are you currently reading?

Hello Hyperlinked Library peers! My name is Krista, welcome to my blog.

I  live in Long Beach, California with my husband, two sons (1 and 6), and our dog. Currently, I am a stay-at-home mom (in an anti-capitalist, raising-radical-critical-thinkers way) and I homeschool (in a dismantling-the-system way) my older son. In my, albeit limited, free time I enjoy crafting, cooking/baking, camping, reading, live music, and exploring new places with my family.

My road to discovering library work and the MLIS program has been a long one. After graduating with my BA in Philosophy way back in 2012, I took many years to explore my interests and passions. I dove deep into community work with DIY, anarchist and feminist organizations; learning from my peers and finding joy in the resilience and resistance of community. An avid lover of books and knowledge, I slowly began to find my way back to academia. I first started my back-to-school journey with child development courses and classes that fulfilled my artistic interests. While on the child development tract, I took a course on children’s literacy– this is what first sparked my awareness in library work as a career path for me. After becoming a mother and beginning to homeschool, I finally took the leap of faith and began the MLIS program here at SJSU.

This is my third semester in the MLIS program. In my first semester of the program, several of my classes introduced the Hyperlinked Library, sparking my interest in this course. I was very excited to see it offered this semester, and got lucky enough to get a spot very last minute. I think that being involved in community growth is a crucial aspect of library work, and I look forward to learning and discussing how technology can help libraries collaborate and grow our community involvement.

I am excited to explore this course and to learn from my peers through open discussion and reading each other’s blogs. I look forward to learning and growing with everyone this semester!