We all need a little (or a lot) more joy in our lives… People may not feel joyful in the workplace, the world, or even in their homes, but library programs can supplement a sense of joy and lightheartedness in everyday life.
-Jina DuVernay
We Need More Joy…Stat!
This quote from Jina DuVernay from her article about joyous library programming in Module 5 deeply resonated with me. It pairs well with Dr. Stephens’s writing about reaching all users in The Heart of Librarianship. As Dr. Stephens asks, “Are we reaching everyone we can? Are we giving them services they want to use? Are we giving them a reason to depend on us?”
How do we do that? I’d argue one incredibly effective way is to help people experience the joy of finding a community. Like DuVernay said, we all need a lot of joy in our lives, and discovering a community helps us do that. DuVernay adds that when new people come to programs she “especially enjoy[s] telling them they are among like-minded people and encouraging them to get to know one another.”
Community Through Common Interests
We all have something we’re passionate about, and I don’t know about you, but when I’m passionate about something I really, really want to talk about it with other people who share that passion (even if you don’t share that passion, I’ll probably still find a way to bring it up), whether that be through face-to-face or online interaction.
I loved this post from Goodnow Library in Sudbury, MA, about an event they held recently, and it all revolved around uniting people with similar interests. These people were able to shelter from the storm (the literal one and all the metaphorical ones currently raging in our lives) together and talk about what they love.
A Final Word
Love’s in need of love today.
-Stevie Wonder
This year is the 50th anniversary of Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life album (an all-time favorite of mine). These are the album’s opening words, and they feel so relevant in this moment. In order for feelings of love and joy to prevail in our communities, we have to have some intentionality in doing things that feed those feelings.
We in the library-verse have a massive opportunity to do that. When people show up to programs, we should take some time to ask them about their lives, to get to know them. We should celebrate them being there. We should have fun with them, laugh with them, and show them that there is joy in our work. Their day should be better because they came to the library.
I’ll leave with this question: How do we create and administer programs in such a way that more and more people feel like there is a place where they belong and are welcome in this world that is too often cruel and unforgiving to too many of us? I’d love to hear anyone’s thoughts and ideas.
References
DuVernay, Jina – There is Joy for All: Tips for Joyous Library Programming. https://programminglibrarian.org/articles/there-joy-all-tips-joyous-library-programming
Stephens, Michael – The Heart of Librarianship: Attentive, Positive, and Purposeful Change, 2016. ISBN: 978-0-8389-1454-0.