Author: Rahab Lawshea

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.

Business Resource and Innovation Center (BRIC) at Parkway Central Library in Philadelphia (Quinn, 2025)

What do you see when you look at the image above? If you said a lounge at a tech company, you would be wrong. This is the Parkway Central Library in Philadelphia. The image above reflects what I envisioned a library that “thinks like a startup” would look like. As you can tell, Brian Mathews’s (2012) white paper Think Like a Startup has planted itself in my mind and taken root. Upon reading the paper, my first reaction was to ask, “How does thinking like a startup help with the current library issues that we have today?” In the text, a startup is defined as “creating something new under conditions of extreme uncertainty” (p. 4), and right now, uncertainty is exactly what libraries in the United States are facing.

Startups are known for facing uncertain circumstances. As someone who has worked at a startup, this is not unfamiliar to me. In fact, Mathews (2012) states that studies suggest as many as 90% of startups fail (p. 5). However, we can learn invaluable lessons from the ones that don’t. Lean Startup methodology helps us understand the startups that succeed, which Mathews (2012) breaks down into seven principles (p. 5). The following six stood out to me:

Fail Faster, Fail Smarter: Startups build failure and adjustment into the process because they know failure is inevitable. By having libraries embrace the thought of failure and learning from our losses, we can shape our new programs or services accordingly. This is particularly useful for new libraries trying to find their footing and older libraries trying to reinvent themselves.

Good Enough is Good Enough to Start: As I dive into the hyperlinked library, I am learning that new ideas are encouraged. In The Heart of Librarianship: Attentive, Positive, and Purposeful Change, Michael Stephens (2016) notes that library directors want librarians who aren’t afraid to take risks, are innovators, and think creatively (p. 3).  This is no different in a startup. We should facilitate an environment where all staff members feel comfortable coming up with new ideas while accepting that not everything has to be perfect to try something new. As Mathews (2012) puts it, “everything is beta” (p. 5).

Feed the Feedback Loop: This principle is one that I believe all libraries can benefit from. Receiving and applying the feedback that we receive from our patrons should be a habitual practice in our libraries. By testing our ideas out in the library and letting our users’ feedback refine how we apply them, we can integrate our patrons into the process and discover early on what works and what does not.

Pivot Toward Success: Libraries have to be willing to pivot when a program no longer meets the needs of the community. According to Stephens (2016), this is an obstacle many libraries face due to the “we’ve always done it this way” mindset that many librarians have adopted (p. 14). By not pivoting when necessary, we can potentially stunt the growth of our library and our patrons.

Plant Many Seeds: This concept is about not waiting for the “perfect” idea to come and instead testing or “planting” multiple viable ideas to see which ideas will sprout. This principle is beneficial to libraries that may have a new demographic in their community and have several great ideas but are unsure which ones will benefit the community most. Using this concept, libraries can “plant” their best ideas and allow the patrons to tell them which ones have bloomed.

Seize the White Space: This principle is my favorite of the six because it centers around librarians actively looking for the unmet needs of their users. By taking time to ask ourselves what opportunities exist to help people in ways we have not thought of, what skills our patrons are trying to learn, and what resources we need to provide to allow them to teach themselves, we can focus on what the hyperlinked library is all about: thinking of innovative ways to serve our patrons outside of the traditional library boundaries.

Overall, thinking like a startup does not mean that libraries must operate like businesses. Instead, it means that libraries should embrace change, experiment with new ideas, learn from their failures, and be receptive to feedback. As an aspiring children’s librarian, this model has helped me understand how to approach the growing needs of a community that will undoubtedly keep me on my toes.

References

Mathews, B. (2012). Think like a startup: A white paper to inspire library entrepreneurialism. Virginia Tech.

Quinn, H. (2025, October 6). Building a startup, in this economy? Here are 6 free library tools that can help you cut costs. Technical.ly. https://technical.ly/entrepreneurship/free-library-resources-entrepreneurs-philadelphia-delaware/

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

Hello everyone!

It is a pleasure to e-meet you all.  My name is Rahab Lawshea, but you can call me Rae. I was born and raised in Texas and currently live in San Antonio, TX. I am in my third semester of the MLIS program here at SJSU and have already learned so much.  I work in a public library here in San Antonio as a library aide, but before that, I worked in a normal “9-5” corporate job.  During that time, I realized I needed to make a change to something I was more passionate about.  After volunteering at the library, I knew that this was the switch I needed to make, and I haven’t looked back since.

As a library aide, I get to see various programs from start to finish and help librarians implement them. I enjoy serving my community and look forward to the insights and skills this class will give me in providing the information my community needs. I am currently leaning more toward children’s librarianship, but I am open to learning more about the opportunities this degree will offer.  In my free time, I love to travel, hike, do yoga, garden, decorate my house, and read a good book.

Here is a picture of me in Bali!

If you read until the end, thank you for reading my post!  I can’t wait to learn more about you all during this semester.

Talk soon,

Rae