I was really intrigued by this week’s module on sharing stories, especially the New York Public Libraries oral history project. I think that books have always been a way for people to gain new perspectives and step into someone else’s shoes. Podcasts and oral histories take this even further, especially if it connects people to those in their community. Through these stories can create empathy towards others and I think in ways it can also make room for catharsis by hearing struggles similar to ones own. I found this especially topical since I am taking an oral history course this semester in our MLIS program. In my oral history course, I had to make a project proposal for an oral history project. I chose to focus on people who have lived abroad and decided to return to their home country after many years living overseas. Though they do not experience the exactly the same struggles as those who immigrate to the US, I thought that this proposed project could create more global stories and empathy to those facing challenges in a new place.
I think people are already eager and curious about people’s stories to begin with. I am reminded of the social media posts from Humans of New York which has over 12 million followers. The stories are so varied and unique. A similar approach could be used at the library. It doesn’t necessarily have to be on social media but could be a way for people to read about and connect to those in their community. I had an idea of library patrons creating book recommendations like the handwritten ones seen at bookstores. Similar to the human library (Wentz, 2013) in some ways, this could be a program in which readers not only hear about book suggestions (or music and movies) but also about the person recommending them. These recommendations could also be connected to the patron’s story in some capacity. Perhaps their name and photo could be on the recommendation and readers could look for their story posted online or somewhere in the library. In this sense, I would like to connect the stories found in books to the shared stories found in the library.
Wentz, E. (2013). The human library: Sharing the community with itself » public libraries online. https://publiclibrariesonline.org/2013/04/human_librar/
Hi Tara, thank you for sharing! I like your idea of inviting library patrons to make book recommendations and then linking these to their personal stories. Whenever I see a staff pick at a bookstore or a library, I always wonder about the person who chose it.
Do we have anything in common besides liking the same books? What made this person choose this particular book?
What were their life experiences?
Encouraging patrons to share their own stories helps build connections in the community. This can be a fun way to celebrate what we have in common and learn about our differences that make us who we are.