Participatory Service & Transparency
The participatory library is open and transparent, and it communicates with its community through many mechanisms. The participatory library engages and queries its entire community and seeks to integrate them into the structure of change. The community should be involved in the brainstorming for new ideas and services, they should play a role in planning for those services, and they should definitely be involved in the evaluation and review process.
—Michael Casey
Here we look at participatory service and transparency more closely. We consider what our roles might be in an artistry culture. It’s not out of the question to imagine these service models based on community enrichment and building open connections….The talking library has no secrets and gathers as much input as it can. The transparent library both listens and talks. The transparent library is connected, cultivating the expectation for open conversation. Note: Some of the readings are pulled from Michael and Michael’s “The Transparent Library” column in Library Journal.
You can download the collected columns as an e-book here: Tame the Web — The Transparent Library e-book.
Lecture Recording
Things to Read
Participatory Service
- Schneider, K (2006). The User is Not Broken.
- Boekesteijn, E. (2011). DOK Delft takes user generated content to the next level.
- Casey, M. (2011). Revisiting participatory service in trying times.
- Stephens, M. (2011). “Stuck in the past” in The Heart of Librarianship, p. 54
- Stephens, M. (2011). “The age of participation” in The Heart of Librarianship, p. 79
- Mack, C. (2013). Crowdsourced design: Why Los Angeles is asking the public to create the library of the future.
- Stephens, M. (2013). “Collection Bashing & Trashing” in The Heart of Librarianship, p. 99
- Kenney, B. (2014). The user is (still) not broken.
- Fons, T. (2016). Making Libraries Visible on the Web
- Kenney B. (2016). Three Ways Publishers and Libraries Can Work Better Together
- O’Brian, C. (2019). How San Francisco Libraries are Embracing Their Changing Role.
- Stephens, M. (2019). “Telling Stories” in Wholehearted Librarianship, p. 91
- Zulkey, C. (2019). Automatic for the People.
- Ferrell, J. (2022). 13 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do With an SF Library Card.
Transparency
- Zeigler, T. (2006). Chris Anderson Calls for Radical Transparency in Media.
- Casey, M., & Stephens, M. (2007). A road map to transparency.
- Casey, M. & Stephens, M. (2008). Embracing Services to Teens
- Sifton, D. J. (2009). The Last Taboo: Abolishing Library Fines
- Schmidt, A. (2013). Earning trust. The User Experience. PDF: SchmidtEarningTrust
- Kenney, B. (2015). Lesson’s From Seattle’s Failed Bid to Rebrand its Public Library.
- Library Journal (2022). 2022 Fines and Fees Survey.
- Urban Libraries Council. (n.d.) Fine Free Map.
Things to View
Participatory Service
- Erik demonstrates Surface & Flickr app (Early version of Surface app)
- Local Stories at DOK
- NC State University. (2013). James B.Hunt, Jr. Library.
YouMedia
Things to Explore
Participatory Service
- NYPL Space & Time Collections. (n. d.)
- NYPL Public Domain Image Collection (n.d.)
- Werner, Sarah. (2015). How to Destroy Special Collections with Social Media.
- Baltimore Public Library. (2015). Rocking & chatting.
- The Economist Essay. (2014). Future of the Book: From Papyrus to Pixels.
- Jones, J. (2014). New York Public Library Puts 20,000 Hi-Res Maps Online & Makes Them Free to Download and Use.
- Free, C. (2020). This Growing Trend Lets Kids Check Dolls and Games from a Toy Library.
- Rivenberg, R. (2022). What Can a Library Card Get You? Try a Popcorn Maker or a Ukulele.
- National Archives (2022). Citizen Archivist Missions.
- Local Tools (n.d.) Find Your Local Tool Lending Library.
Transparency
- Casey, M., & Stephens, M. (2007). Going to the field.
- Casey, M., & Stephens, M. (2007). Turning “no” into “yes”.
- Casey, M., & Stephens, M. (2008). Six signposts on the way.
- Casey, M., & Stephens, M. (2008). Six more signposts.
- Casey, M., & Stephens, M. (2008). Check your ego at the door.
- Stephens, M. (2011). “The Transparent Library School” in The Heart of Librarianship, p. 115
- TEDx Talks. (2011). TEDxOverlake – Susan Scott – The case for radical transparency.
- Coelho, S. (2021). Fine Free Libraries Trend.