Library Linked Lisa

As I am new to the library profession and therefore lacking in experience, I believe my greatest strength is that I am open to new ideas and looking for what is on the horizon.  I was intrigued to read about Messina’s idea of a Full Stack Employee (Stephens, 2016). I hope to be the type of librarian that has an appetite for new ideas and best practices, who will be curious, looking for ways to be more productive and happier, and wanting to make my mark.

The new horizon in librarianship is the technology at our fingertips. I think there was a time that we all believed that it was technology that would lead us to a better future where we are all connected, but the reality is that we brought our flaws with us on to the internet. In What World Are We Building?, we are confronted with our early visions of tech utopia. “In the late 90s, the hype around the Internet became bubbalicious, and it started to be painfully clear to me that economic agendas could shape technology in powerful ways” (Boyd, 2016). Boyd had an early notion, of what many of us have only realized decades later, that racism, sexism, and all the other isms are built into our data, so that data feeds models that become racist, sexist, etc.  

One example of this was Grok, Musk’s AI model, began referring to itself as “MechaHitler” and suggesting the Holocaust was a solution to dealing with “anti-white hate” (The Grok chatbot spewed racist and antisemitic content : NPR). This is a clear example of what Boyd described as “unchecked, new tools are almost always empowering to the privileged at the expense of those who are not” (2016).

Our challenge as librarians is to make connections, leveraging the power of technology, while resourcing our communities with information literacy. The technology is already in our hands, we need to work toward inclusive communities “by casting light on blind spots, advocating, opening people’s eyes, giving them tools to work with hidden biases, trying to understand the structures we are living in, put things into action and really start to dance with people who don’t look like ourself” (Do you want to dance? Inclusion and belonging in libraries and beyond, Lauersen, 2018).

Times are changing and everyone wonders what is next. While some look optimistically toward future innovations, many have a sense we are not prepared for the future that lays ahead, or worse that someone else is shaping our future without our permission. Some people fear that the billionaires have closed in, and they alone shape the products we buy, the news we consume, even the entertainment we enjoy. While none of us have a crystal ball, predicting and adapting to the future is an essential task for a hyperlinked librarian

How do we predict the future? How do we prepare for the future? How do we recognize trends to participate in them? How do we remain connected to our principles and mission but remain relevant? Can libraries exist outside of a profit-driven information model? What’s next? These are all questions I ask myself as I plan a career in public libraries. 

To prepare for the future, Library 2.0: A guide to participatory library service challenges us to start with asking, “Who are your current users? Who in your community is not using your library?” (Casey & Savastinuk, 2007, p.23). Meeting the needs of our community, whether they enter the library building or not, more fully addresses our mission as hyperlinked librarians. All planning must start with users. “This librarian understands that the future of libraries will be guided by how users access, consume and create content” (Stephens 2006). 

Mathews (2012) challenges us to Think Like A Start Up, recommending we “Don’t think about better vacuum cleaners, think about cleaner floors.” We can measure bodies that enter the building and how many books they check out, but how do we measure the connections they make and the knowledge and experience they gain. Mathews also asks us to consider, “What can we create today that will be essential tomorrow?” Rather than focusing on what was (a building full of books), we should focus on what can be. 

But it is essential that we understand it will not be a smooth path forward, it will evolve, and it will be chaotic. “We are now living in the chaotic world, and we do not have a choice regarding where we can position ourselves. Our choice lies in how we respond.” (Stephens, 2016, p. 22) We must be comfortable enough with the chaos to challenge ourselves and dive in. As Booth recommends, “Don’t just watch others with envy or read about it: learn by doing!” (Booth, 2013, p. 2). New technology can be intimidating, and it may not fit in with our preconceived notions, but we have to approach service model focused on the skills are users need, when they need them, not at some later date that fits with our plans.

Denning (2015) acknowledges that disruption is pervasive, but that just moving everything into the digital space without considering if it is useful is a mistake. Denning suggests instead that we approach change with the goal of delighting users and imagining the future they want. Consider what people already love and aim to do it better, faster, cheaper, more mobile, more convenient, more personalized for users. 

One other aspect of disruption is the ever-changing landscape of tech companies. There seems to be little warning when companies decide to no longer support their applications. Virtual Reality (VR) is a new technology that often requires equipment to experience, and like many new technologies before it, libraries have jumped at the opportunity to provide access (ALA, n.d.). One low-cost option was Google Cardboard which used a cardboard headset combined with the user’s cell phone to create a VR experience. Unfortunately, like many new technologies, Google ended the project suddenly after deciding it didn’t fit with their goals (O’Neill, 2024). Libraries that invest in new tech and attempt to look forward will sometimes be thwarted by tech companies themselves, which is just one more aspect to the chaos of evolving. 

Denning, S. (2015). Do We Need Libraries?

Casey, M. E., & Savastinuk, L. C. (2007). Library 2.0: A guide to participatory library service. Medford, N.J: Information Today. Please read Chapters 1, 2, 3, “An Open Letter to All Library Directors” in Chapter 4 on page 40, and Chapters 5, 7 and 8.

Mathews, B. (2012). Think Like A Start Up.

Stephens, M. (2016). Chapter 1: “The Hyperlinked Librarian: Skills, Mind-Sets, and Ideas for Working in the Evolving Library” in  The Heart of Librarianship: Attentive, Positive, and Purposeful Change

Booth, M. (2013). People and UTS Library.

Stephens, M. (2006). Into a new world of librarianship: nextspace_002

O’Neill, S. (2024, July 22) Why Google Discontinued Cardboard VR

ALA (n.d.) Virtual Reality | Center for the Future of Libraries

Crystal Ball

This is my third year in the MLIS program, I am taking the slow path to finish as I am wrapping up my first career as a homeschooling mom. My son is a senior this year, so I have nearly worked my way out of a job. I also have a daughter who is completing her Master’s this year in English.

Hyperlinked Library has been the most recommended course in the various iSchool Facebook pages I am a part of, so it has been on my to do list for a bit. And of course, we are all familiar with our professor’s contagious enthusiasm from our introductory course in the program.

As I will be returning to the workforce after quite a break, I have tried to choose courses that will challenge me and build my confidence to be a part of the library of the future. Over the summer I was really stretched by Prof Joey van Arnhem’s 287 course Libraries, Xtended Reality, Generative AI, and the Metaverse: What Does it Mean for Libraries Now and in the Future? I will admit that Roblox made me cry(ha!), but by the end I had created a VR space for a book club and had pushed myself to get comfortable as a tech learner. My plan is to keep pushing myself in this course.

My hobbies include going to the movies, hiking & camping, knitting, and Disney. I hope this photo captures my best self, as I am riding Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Disneyland with my family.