Reader Rendezvous: A Discord Book Club (Red Deer Public Library, n.d.)
Of all the enlightening content that I reviewed, the question raised in Michael Stephens’s The Heart of Librarianship—“Are we reaching everyone we can?”—is what lingered in my thoughts (Stephens, 2016, p.41). Why? Because it made me ask the same question about my library, and I unfortunately came back with the answer: no. Naturally, I had to ask myself why, and after reviewing this module’s materials, the reason became much clearer. We are a library that has a website, but we are not a library that is hyperlinked. As I understand it, hyperlinked libraries are what Stephens describes as institutions that move “across virtual and physical planes” (Stephens, 2016, p.41). After watching the video “Watch & Learn” Pop-Up Library Program in the Bronx, I realized that we are not taking a “beyond-the-walls” approach to reaching our community (Stephens, 2016, p.43).
For instance, while I was at the dentist this week, the dental assistants and hygienist were discussing how they wanted to get back into reading because of recent movies that were based on books such as Homer’s Odyssey. This made me think: How do we bring libraries to those who may be working during library hours or can’t attend the programs? A hyperlinked idea that came to mind was using online platforms such as Discord. Creating a book club on a Discord server gives busy people a chance to still socialize online with librarians and other patrons, encourages patrons to borrow books from the library either digitally or physically, and allows people to respond on their own time.
Working adults are busy. It is unlikely that they will use their valuable free time to peruse our library websites when we are competing with platforms like YouTube, Netflix, and TikTok for our patrons’ time and attention. We have to remind them that libraries are still here to meet their needs. We can do this by following the approach we use in schools and taking a trip to surrounding businesses to conduct surveys, hand out infographics, or even just stop by to say hello. This keeps the library in mind when potential users are “trying to get back into reading” and also creates opportunities for partnerships and new program ideas.
Overall, this module taught me that people recognize that libraries are still integral to the communities they serve. In The Heart of Librarianship, Stephens (2016) shares findings from the Pew Research Center’s (2013) study, How Americans Value Public Libraries in Their Communities. The study found that 90% of respondents said the closure of their local public library would affect their community. However, when it came to personal impact, only 29 percent of respondents claimed it would have a major effect on them and their families (Pew Research Center, 2013, as cited in Stephens, 2016). This study shows that it is up to us to stay aware of the ever-changing needs of our patrons. Libraries that do so will continue to remain a pillar in their patrons’ lives from childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. The key is to stay hyperlinked.
References:
Bibliothèques Sans Frontières. (2017, October 11). “Wash & learn” pop-up library program in the Bronx [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HM7pQiqDZY&t=2s
Pew Research Center. (2013, December 11). How Americans value public libraries in their communities. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2013/12/11/libraries-in-communities/
Red Deer Public Library. (n.d.). Reader Rendezvous: A Discord book club. Retrieved October 3, 2026, from https://rdpl.org/reader-rendezvous/
Stephens, M. (2016). The heart of librarianship: Attentive, positive, and purposeful change. ALA Editions.