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How we got here
To me, when I first read the term “radical community engagement,” I felt like it was too vague for me to intuitively work with. What constitutes as radical? Is outreach or programming not already community engagement? This assignment served as an opportunity for me to explore what other libraries were doing to subvert the traditional programming framework where a librarian designs a program, markets it, hosts the program for patrons, and collects feedback for future programming. It took some creative searching to find examples of library services that fit what I was looking for. I used keywords such as radical community engagement, codesign, and library programs and scoured sources such as the American Libraries Magazine, Programming Librarian, and various library websites. Ultimately, I found three examples that exemplified the idea of radical community engagement in different ways.
Reflections
When I used to work in healthcare, a common phrase we used to share was to always work to “meet people where they are at.” If a patient was uncomfortable, we would work to ease that discomfort by checking for consent in various ways, at every step of the process. Since I worked with street medics, this also meant that our services were physically brought to the patients. Schneider’s advice of meeting people where they are is not novel to me, but I hadn’t fully conceptualised it within the library space.
Exploring examples of radical community engagement helped me to see how creative this practice can be and has inspired me to bring that flexibility in my own journey as a librarian. What I most appreciated about all of these examples was that the library staff often worked with materials and technology that are already accessible for patrons and staff. They did not acquire the most updated technology, book an expensive space, or purchase entirely new materials for their work. In fact, Seattle Public Library’s previous co-design initiative for teens involved virtual reality (VR) headsets that the teens found hard to operate and maneuver (Angevine, n.d.). The Nourishing Minds initiative was an adaptation of their co-design principles, applied with accessible, on-site materials such as posterboard, markers, and pen. Knowing this, I think that I will feel less limited to plan programs based on my preconceptions of what materials or resources I need to have to engage with my community.
Sources
Angevine, Colin.(n.d.). Seattle Public Library: Nourishing teen mental health. Connected Wellbeing. https://connectedwellbeing.org/case-study-seattle-public-library/
Braun, L.W. (2024). Designing for equity: Steps for an effective and inclusive codesign process. American Libraries Magazine. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2024/09/03/designing-for-equity/
Palo Alto City Library. (n.d.). Game On! https://library.cityofpaloalto.org/game-on/
Programming Librarian.(2018). Civic Lab. ALA. https://programminglibrarian.org/programs/civic-lab
Reboot Room. (2020). Twitch Stream 11/12/2020 – Teach a Librarian to Play Minecraft! [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiSuNYsdzDU
Schneider, K.G. (2006). The User Is Not Broken: A meme masquerading as a manifesto. https://freerangelibrarian.com/2006/06/03/the-user-is-not-broken-a-meme-masquerading-as-a-manifesto/
Skokie Public Library. (n.d.) The Civic Lab at Skokie Public Library: Overview and FAQ. https://library.alaska.gov/documents/webinars/dev/civics/civic-lab-faq.pdf
Stephens, Michael.(2016). The Heart of Librianship: Attentive, Positive, and Purposeful Change.
Great post Mimi! I can see now where there’s crossover in what we were both looking at for this assignment.
The VR things is where I keep getting stuck and it’s why I’m really happy to see movements to return to basics. The Nourishing Minds Initiative sounds fantastic! I think we both game so it’s one of those things where we have an idea of the limited scope and accessibility of something like VR for your average person.