This “Inspiration Report” imagines a program for the Mendocino County Library system, which is my local system, in which multi-generational participants engage in a four to five session workshop to create community education kits. These kits would kits be about the local area, local people or even themselves for other members of the community to learn from.
These kits would be added to the library’s collections and available to borrow. My vision is that they would act as both as educational tools and time capsules. The program would foster an mutually beneficial learning atmosphere for all participants and encourage participants to act as assistants and teachers in future workshops.
A key action area of the American Library Association is that of lifelong or “continuous” learning. Learning does not end with childhood or secondary education or higher education or job training. As the world continues to evolve around us, we must continually learn along with these changes. We learn to keep up but we also learn in order to drive the change itself. Many libraries incorporate programs to assist adults in keeping up with specific skills, resume building and technology, lest we fall behind in our employability in the constantly shifting world of work. These are vital and essential components of library programming. But there is something more fundamental to learning as an adult, to lifelong learning. It is not just about the need to keep pace on the hamster wheel, I believe there is an inherent biological need we all share for intellectual stimulation and the learning of new things.
Some people are incredibly adept self-directed learners–perhaps it either comes naturally to some and perhaps for others they learned to adapt when the world around them was only feeding their minds specific cookie-cutter bits of knowledge. But not everyone has or learns this practice. I believe that libraries are a crucial resource for offering learning for everyone. Not just the young, not just the job seekers, not just the crafters or the new language learners. As we age, it is important to keep our minds fed and our hearts engaged.
Image via Pixabay
Many lifetimes ago I worked as a child advocate in a family court system. Frequently parents who were forced into the system because they were deemed poor parents (in nearly all cases poor in a more literal sense was almost always the culprit) and they would be instructed to take certain classes, parenting or similar, in order to be approved to allow their families to remain intact. Numerous times I watched these adults thrive when being provided learning opportunities and numerous times I heard the courts say, “Well, of course they do well because they’re trying to prove they can. As soon as these classes end, they regress.” But I disagreed. I believed what I was seeing was a deep human need being met, one that was otherwise closed off to them due to poverty and other life situations, and that was the inherent hunger for intellectual stimulation. I left that world and moved into adult education after that.
Libraries are the solution to feeding this need. Stephens imagines opportunities “in which stakeholders, library staff, community technology leaders, the public, the curious, and everyone in between might come together to experience all the possible avenues to creativity and discovery available within our virtual and physical library spaces.” And who are the curious? All of us! It is the very nature of being human.
The famous adage tells us that old dogs can’t learn new tricks. That may be true but only because people stop teaching them. In the end we will all age, we will all be curious, and we will all be old dogs. Nevertheless, we will keep learning because we have our libraries and our libraries will keep our hearts and minds fed.
Image via Pixabay
References
Stephens, M. (2014). Making the Case for the Library as a Space for Infinite Learning. [Presentation]. https://www.dropbox.com/s/p46kkmbkvwpdsng/YLibraryInfiniteLearning.pdf?e=1&dl=0
Stories are what connect us. Stories let us know that we are not alone, that others have been where we are now or want to go where we are going. Stories help us understand our past and help us understand our present. Stories come in so many different forms–the written word, music, movies, podcasts, pictures. A quilt can tell a story. So can wood carvings. And murals.
Image via Pixabay
Libraries play a pivotal role in helping us find each other and ourselves through stories. Storytime at the library for young children is a staple and a time-honored tradition. Ghoting writes that
Skillful, thoughtful storytime practitioners are key to the role libraries can play as anchor institutions within a broader community learning infrastructure. When storytime providers are intentional in supporting early literacy, interact with participants, and take time to assess their programs, then early literacy behaviors increase.
And there are many highly trained librarians who offer guidance and tips about how to pack the most educational nutrients possible into these cheerful, energetic sessions.
An innovative and inspiring concept many libraries are exploring is that of the “human book.” The concept began in Copenhagen in 2000, with a four day event in which volunteers were available to be “checked out” for specified time periods to share their stories with the people who checked them out. This event blossomed into a full-fledged organization that now has thousands of volunteers and a global reach. In 2020 it even launched a physical location, the Human Library Reading Garden. Today many libraries are exploring this concept, such as this library in Wilton, CT, which hosted a Human Library branded event, or this project in Wollongong, Australia, which has developed their own repository of “living books.”
Image via Pixabay
Stories help us to understand those around us, which helps us understand our world, whether these stories are read, heard, or visualized. Storytelling is a powerful, transformative form of communication that long predates the written word and remains no less relevant today. Libraries are the caretakers and champions of our stories, no matter what their form, and therefore are a key to our essential human understanding.
Indigenous languages across Northern California are deeply endangered. Indeed many are dormant. With this project, I assumed that the Mendocino County Library (MCL) system in Northern California, has received funding for an innovative project. There are already nascent Indigenous language revitalization programs underway in the county. With such funding, the MCL system could be pivotal and crucial support for the expansion and longevity of these efforts.
In the last post, I talked about taking the library outside of its physical location and infusing the ability to access it digitally throughout communities. In this post I would like to bring that back around and focus on the physical environments of the structures themselves. The evolution of libraries away from repositories of books guarded by a staff who required a monastic silence within the walls of the structure, to one of a community resource for gathering, learning, and sharing began in the latter half of the last century, and has only accelerated with the rapid transition to remote working and learning that is occurring right now.
Communities are reimagining their libraries both inside and out. VerKuilen, a “library design architect,” calls for others of her professions to “gain inspiration by diving into the library’s vernacular, accessibility, community composition, and population projections.” (2023). She asks “who” questions about the communities–without understanding the cultural, ethnic, or the ages of a community, determining how to make a library serve it is impossible. She notes that libraries within a community center should seek to be “walkable” and “accessible through public transit.” while those in a suburban or rural area might think about implementing “drive-up” services, in addition to their digital options.
Internally, libraries of today are seizing the opportunity to remodel and incorporate play spaces, teen meetings spaces, and makerspaces, adding more space to freely move and comfortable, inviting seating that welcomes people to sit and enjoy themselves. The Hyde Park branch in Cincinnati recently added “booths and larger furniture [to] welcome visitors to bring coffee and enjoy natural sunlight.” (Kraemer, 2024). It also includes a spacious children’s area incorporating room for play and a puppet theater. Mizokami blogs of libraries creating space where teens can cook and Jessie reflects on libraries to providing areas for toddler learning spaces and STEM labs. The city of Sacramento took the idea of the library as an enclosed space and put it on the move, creating a “read and ride” Rolling Library Train, that functions both as public transportation and as a library, offering riders with library cards access to “ebooks, audiobooks and magazines, but also find free online classes in Libby’s Extras section to learn how to play musical instruments, decorate cakes, sew, and more.” (SacRT, 2023).
Architect Ole Scheeren suggests that “great architecture should tell a story” and imbues his projects with designs that will maximize the space for people to congregate and interact with one another, “central spaces for the community,” while also increasing the ecological footprint of the space, rather than building over it. (2016). Reimagining the physical space of a library provides an opportunity not only to transform the social structure within it but a means of lessening the environmental impact of the built environment. One such example is this new library that will be coming to the Bronx in 2025.
Ashikuzzuman writes of “Green Libraries” and notes that this can involve “energy-efficient design,” “renewable energy sources,” such as incorporating solar and wind power, as well as heat pumps, and constructing with “sustainable materials” and much more. (2024). He states, “Green Libraries are more than just buildings; they symbolize hope and progress in an increasingly fragile world. Through their commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship, these libraries are reducing their ecological footprint and inspiring communities to embrace a greener way of living.” The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) similarly promotes Green Libraries and has web space dedicated to promoting them.
Writer Eric Klinenberg poignantly expressed that “Infrastructure isn’t just building a sea wall or a bridge. It’s also building the places that shape our interactions and that make our society work.” (2018). As our communities evolve and change around us, libraries can continue to provide this shape that energizes our society by reconstructing, inside and out, in ways that empower our journey into the future.
Peet, L. (2018). “Eric Klinenberg: Libraries and Social Infrastructure.” Library Journal. https://www.libraryjournal.com/story/181003-Eric-Klinenberg-QA
VerKuilen, C. (2023). “Centering Your Library Around the Community.” Library Journal. https://www.libraryjournal.com/story/centering-your-library-around-the-community-lj230207
If there is one thing the early years of the pandemic shutdown brought into sharp relief is the fact that location is more of a sense of space than one of place. Jobs, schools, services, and resources moved from physically fixed to virtually available en masse and it was no different for libraries, big and small, across the United States. The hyperlinked library model left many library systems well-poised to embrace the need swiftly and capably. As noted by Stephens,
“Hyperlinked library services are born from the constant, positive, and purposeful adaptation to change that is based on thoughtful planning and grounded in the mission of libraries. Librarians embracing the hyperlinked model practice careful trend spotting and apply the tenetsof librarianship along with an informed understanding of emerging technologies’ societal and cultural impact.” (2014).
But just as physical places are limited by the ability of patrons to access them, virtual spaces are no different. A physical place might be in a transportation desert or have inadequate provisions for people who use wheelchairs, but virtual resources require both equipment and a signal. Ford writes that in the 21st century information has become a “commodity” itself and that without “access to information and the knowledge of how to use it, people will become second-class global citizens.” (2028). The Pew Research Center found in 2019 that there is a huge disparity in mobile phone ownership globally.
Across the country, libraries noticed the dearth of access and have risen to the challenge. In Las Vegas the libraries had an amazing solution. In 2022, the library system received grant funding to create a “Cellphone Lending Program.” These devices “are being loaned for an 18-month period, have unlimited calls and 5G hotspot capability. Each phone was programmed with more than 50 social service provider contacts, offering easy assistance for food, health care, housing, and other general services, as well as five of the most used library apps.” (Watson, 2023). At the end of 2023, they published outcomes based on client surveys and found that 80% of clients use these to access social services, 78% have used them to apply for jobs, and for 82% it is their only link to the internet. (Pew Research Center).
Similarly, Pew more recently found that in the US, ownership has increased significantly to 97% of the population own either a cell phone or smartphone but that of smartphone owners, 15% of U.S. adults are “smartphone-only” internet users – meaning they own a smartphone, but do not have home broadband service. (2024).
The ability to have consistent access to reliable high-speed internet, or broadband, is just as critical as having devices that can connect to the internet at all. This access is essential for everyday life needs such as schoolwork, employment, banking, medical information, engaging with friends, family, and community, and so much more. There is an enormous lack of digital equity in the US.
Libraries have been on the forefront of ensuring access for their patrons and their communities. The Anaheim Public Library (APL) found that during the Covid lockdown “families were gathering outside branches to use library Wi-Fi, particularly during school hours.” (2021). In “APL expanded Wi-Fi hours to 8 a.m.–10 p.m. A grant from the Samueli Foundation and support from the Mobile Family Resource Center Project helped APL outfit its Mobile Library to serve as a Wi-Fi hotspot in neighborhoods identified as high priority because of low internet access.”
Among the most impacted by digital inequity are rural communities. The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) stated in 2017 that “rural libraries serve approximately 30 million Americans.”
Rural Libraries Infographic (IMLS)
In 2020 California passed legislation to address the disparity across the state, Broadband for All, which includes a Digital Equity Plan, and many library systems in rural CA participated in assessment and planning efforts.
Some libraries have come up with truly innovative solutions for addressing the need for reliable high-speed service, such as these efforts in parts of Oklahoma, Michigan, and Louisiana which installed solar powered wi-fi benches around their communities which “provide free Wi-Fi and charging stations. In this case, benches also advertise library resources via QR codes, which direct users to a digital collection of popular ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, and other media available on the Libby app.” (Furbee, 2023).
The American Library Association (ALA) has developed the Libraries Transforming Communities grant initiative for small and rural libraries, funding 310 libraries since 2023. Though not exclusively focused on issues of digital equity, these provide an ideal opportunity to explore innovative solutions such as these benches that bring the library to the community, anywhere, anytime.
Solar Flower Charging Stations (IDEA)
While physical places will always be central to the mission of libraries–people need places to mingle and interact and even take refuge from the chaotic world at times, after all–libraries can further their mission of providing resources and information to their communities that expand beyond such fixed locations. Taking leadership in the push for digital equity in their areas and creating innovative solutions to leverage these resources to help community access flourish are critical steps libraries can take to elevate lifelong learning and remain essential to the heart of their communities.
References
Ford, B.J. (2018). LIS Professionals in a Global Society. In K. Haycock & M.J. Romaniuk (Eds.), The portable MLIS: Insights from the experts. (pp. 416-473). Libraries Unlimited.
Furbee, B. (2023). “Sit and Surf: High-tech benches bridge digital divide.” American Libraries. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2023/05/01/sit-and-surf/
Peet, L. & Schwartz. M. (2021). “Anaheim Public Library Is Here for You | Gale/LJ Library of the Year 2021.” Library Journal. https://www.libraryjournal.com/story/libraryoftheyear/Anaheim-Public-Library-Is-Here-for-You-Gale-LJ-Library-of-the-Year-2021
Watson, K. (2023). Libraries on Call: Smartphone lending program bridges technology gaps. American Libraries. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2023/03/01/libraries-on-call/
I found the material in this week’s module especially motivating and inspirational. In a world where AI is all the rage and even professors are outsourcing their lectures to ChatGPT, reading an article about the necessity of humans to make a resource work the other humans want it to, rather than algorithms, is a comforting balm. I realize the article is more than seven years old now, but I think there is still a case to be made. I think that people are frustrated and left dissatisfied with most forms of social media we’ve all come to expect to take up a big chunk of our daily lives. What passes for engagement might go up, as the algorithm pushes us to click and click and click until we notice it’s no longer light outside and we haven’t fed the cats yet, but so has discontentment and irritability.
I particularly like the readings from this week because while many of the works we’ve read or viewed so far look at how to push the library boundaries beyond the traditional four walls, sometimes deep into the digital realm, many of the works this week focus on how being inside the physical spaces of libraries themselves can ground a community. Libraries are not just about services provided, they are about community and communities need meeting spaces. Spaces for learning and spaces for play, as some of the articles touch on, but it was especially inspiring to read about recent efforts to leverage them as sites to aid in the health and well-being of their community members.
I like to think that books will always be a central element of libraries, they are after all just as much a sanctuary for literature as they are for people, but I do think people are starting to envision a world where that is not the only thing people associate with libraries when asked about it and I find this an exhilarating movement to be a part of.
Change comes for every organization, whether the leadership of that organization is ready for it or not. Change is a naturally occurring component of all forms of life and from an organizational perspective, what socially constructed habitat could be a more vibrant manifestation of human life than a library, a microcosm of any community filled with people seeking knowledge, entertainment, enlightenment, understanding, engagement, comfort, and simply even shelter?
Sunrise, Mount Desert Island, ME
As with many other institutions, however, library leadership and staff can be resistant to change. Noted psychologist Kurt Lewin, generally considered to be the father of social psychology, wrote extensively of this phenomenon of resistance, summarized by Jost as a process in which “social norms, standards, and institutions become like ‘vested interests,’ insofar as we become highly protective of them. The individual, in other words, is embedded in social groups, and social groups are embedded in the social system” (2015).
In Library 2.0, Casey and Savastinuk put a lens on this within library organizational structure noting that “libraries tend to be strong and solid structures that, although designed to withstand the difficulties of modern government institutions, are not necessarily well situated to quickly and efficiently change to meet new market demands.” (2019). At the same time, the authors describe the imperative for change within library systems identifying three essential necessities for the health and longevity of a system, engaging “new users,” developing “new services,” and “[r]esponding rapidly to changing customer demands.”
Casey and Savastinuk describe a reality for many libraries in which they respond to the inevitability of change by embedding a cyclical response system into their structure. The authors note this “sporadic” or “intermittent” process for change can be both onerous and demoralizing for staff, as processes are expected to be removed and replaced wholesale time and again with each new leadership directive.
Exhausted critter
Instead the authors suggest embedding responsive change directly into everyday operations in a nimble, iterative, and incremental manner that keeps process, systems, and programming constantly evolving along myriad pathways in reaction to changing user, community, and staffing needs. The benefit of this is an ever-adaptive atmosphere centered around the holistic needs of the library organism, as opposed to the culture shock of removing a stable large scale process and implementing something entirely different with little regard to the adjustment needs of staff and users. Whether the process was truly stable or not is irrelevant, what matters in this scenario is the perception of stability within the library culture.
Casey and Savastinuk describe a “three-step cycle” for implementing change:
Brainstorming for new and modified services
Planning for services and success
Evaluating those services on a regular basis.
To manage this process the authors identify a structure of three branches to manage these steps, an “Investigative Team,” a “Planning Team,” and a “Review Team.”
Wandi wrote of change management within the Copenhagen library system and devised recommendations for a proactive approach. Similar to Casey and Savastinuk, she particularly points out the importance of staff engagement, stating, “…we learned to connect the implementation of changes closer to staff members’ work” finding “it was easier to explain why plans and changes were being made” and “helped us avoid the communication gap that so easily divides managers and staff.” (2019).
No library can avoid change but, more importantly, no library should want to. Libraries are part of the heart of the communities in which they are centered and a library that ceases to adapt in synergy with the community evolving around it, ceases to serve its most basic elemental purpose. Libraries, therefore, should not fear or oppose change, but instead should embrace it. It is a library’s willingness to adapt to the needs of its community that will keep it relevant, vibrant, and essential in a world where fear of change stymies community building. In this way, libraries become not only a shelter or a haven, but a beacon.
References
Casey, M. E., & Savastinuk, L. C. (2007). Library 2.0: A guide to participatory library service. Medford, N.J: Information Today. pp. 37-56.
Jost, J. T. (2015). RESISTANCE TO CHANGE: A SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE. Social Research, 82(3), 607–636. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44282124
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Wandi, C. (2019). Change Management in Public Libraries: Seven Recommendations from Copenhagen Libraries. Journal of Library Administration, 59(8), 915–926. https://doi-org.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/10.1080/01930826.2019.1661746
Hello and welcome, one and all. My name is Matilda and I am in my final semester of the MLIS program here at San Jose State. I live in a small rural town in Northern California and work as a software project manager for a renewable energy company. I began my master’s degree studies in the fall of ’22. I did not choose a concentration but my courses have mostly focused on information architecture, UX, and archives and records.
In my personal life I am an avid reader of books of all kinds and tinker around with writing essays and fiction from time to time. I have also recently applied for an appointment on the Library Advisory Board for my county library system. In my household I live with two teenagers, three bossy kittycats, and one very opinionated dog.
I have had my eye on this course for the entire time I have been in the program and I am very excited to have the opportunity to take it. I am very interested in the concept of participatory service and I look forward to taking a deep dive into the materials and the assignments.
