In this moment I am extremely grateful for the flexible due dates in this course, as life has taken more than one unexpected turn for me in the past few weeks. It’s a bit daunting to catch up on weeks’ worth of educational content, but watching Ciara’s Eastell’s TED Talk: “How Libraries Change Lives” helped to calm my thoughts and reminded me why I am choosing to pursue the MLIS and this career path. While donning possibly the coolest necklace I have seen in sometime, Eastell describes the library as a third space is the most succinct of ways: when you come to the library, you “cease to be a consumer, you’re here as a citizen”. I think this concept is at the core of the hyperlinked community concept. When there is no capital to be produced, money to be exchanged, what do people bring to this environment? When people scoff at the relevance of libraries, sometimes I wonder if they have forgotten how to be a citizen. Forgotten how to turn towards someone when they ask the hard questions like Eastell was asked: “when will my grief end?”
The work that I have been able to do in libraries (that I personally find to be the most meaningful) echo that interaction that Eastell describes. Helping a regular user with dementia use Google Maps to try and remember where they used to live, for example, was something I did on a semi-regular basis. At the time, I wrote the following poem while reflecting on the interaction:
This module’s content has reminded me that although I could not solve the larger mental health issues that this patron faced, I could share that time with them. The brooding tone of the poem was true to my feelings at the time; but now I can see the dual sides of the experience, too. There was no charge for internet access, no tip required for my services. Acting as a fellow citizen, I used my computer skills to help someone try to find what they were looking for.
TEDx Talks. (2019, June 13). How Libraries Change Lives | Ciara Eastell | TedxExeter [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/Tvt-lHZBUwU?si=GmH1yglASVKI7Few
Author’s Note:
Creative detours were taken in the making of this blog post. Screenshots of Eastell’s glorious jewlery were subjected to my (unimpressive) photo editing skills. Apologies to all graphic designers everywhere, but I had fun doing it:
Hi @staciwright — thanks for sharing your beautiful poem!
I also love that you highlighted Eastell’s idea that library patrons become more than just consumers — they are citizens. Because our day-to-day work at a public library does not involve any monetary exchange, nor do we expect patrons to return a favor to us, the core value of our jobs is truly to treat each other with humanity. By this, I mean empathy, care, and grace.
This might be a hot take, but in my opinion, I think society has become less empathetic. Perhaps this is, to some extent, due to social media and the interconnected nature of the internet; we’re constantly inundated with all of the worlds’ tragedy and presented with constant echo chambers that only spotlight perspective similar to our own. This is why in a world facing a potential empathy decline, we must stay true to the core values of what a hyperlinked community stands for.
Hi Staci – Thank you for sharing your poem. I was very moved by it. My grandma is in the advanced stages of dementia. She is no longer mobile, but I sincerely hope that others were as kind to her when she was out in the community as you were to your patron. Moments like these are good reminders of how important our library work is.