Month: June 2026

For my reflection on Hyperlinked Communities, I prepared a slideshow about the Wash & Learn Initiative in the Bronx, NY and the collaboration between The Underground Museum and MOCA in Los Angeles, CA. Drawing on my previous career and deep knowledge of art museums, particularly those in LA, I reflected on the hyperlinked community-building efforts of the library and the museum. Here is my favorite slide with personal photos I took at The Underground Museum over many years. I look forward to reading your comments and feedback.

Watch & listen to Hyperlinked Communities at the Laundromat Library & Art Museum Satellite (subtitled).

Download the slides.

References

Libraries Without Borders. (2017, July 17). “Wash & Learn”: Creating pop-up learning spaces in laundromats in the Bronx. https://www.librarieswithoutborders.org/2017/07/17/wash_and_learn_bronx/ 

Libraries Without Borders. (2017, July 17). “Wash & Learn” pop-up library program in the Bronx [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/9HM7pQiqDZY 

Libraries Without Borders US. (n.d.). Laundromats into libraries. https://www.librarieswithoutborders.us/welcome/ourwork/our-programs/laundromats-into-libraries/ 

Libraries Without Borders US. (n.d.). Wash & Learn Initiative (WALI) one-pager [PDF document]. https://www.librarieswithoutborders.us/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2025/09/One-Pager-WALI.pdf 

Miranda, C. A. (2015, July 17). An unassuming storefront. A major museum. A collaboration that takes museum art to the people of L.A. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/miranda/la-et-cam-underground-museum-noah-davis-showcases-works-from-mocas-collection-20150717-column.html 

PBS SoCal | Artbound. (2016, May 31). Beyond museum walls: The Underground Museum [Video]. PBS. https://www.pbs.org/video/beyond-museum-walls-the-underground-museum/ 

Scripps News. (2023, May 1). Laundromats and libraries are fighting book deserts. https://www.scrippsnews.com/us-news/education/laundromats-and-libraries-are-fighting-book-deserts 

Stephens, M. T. (2016). The heart of librarianship: attentive, positive, and purposeful change. ALA Editions, an imprint of the American Library Association.

Wonderful Museums. (n.d.). The Underground Museum LA. https://www.wonderfulmuseums.com/museum/the-underground-museum-la/ 

I was preparing to write a blog post about self-service libraries then decided to follow the spirit of experimentation to try something new (for me) and recorded a podcast episode!

Listen to Exploring Participatory Service & Transparency through Self-Service Libraries.
Download the podcast transcript.

The topic of self-service libraries was surprisingly rich and inspiring, and I did a lot of reading and thinking to create an outline to then riff from instead of a strict script. My final podcast episode clocks in at 11:00 despite my rigorous (and technically rudimentary) editing. Hope that’s OK and that listening to the episode feels like an informed and open-ended conversation with your pal Nancy.

References

American Libraries Magazine. (2019, September 3). Automatic for the people: Are self-service libraries a threat to the profession or an opportunity to better serve patrons? https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2019/09/03/automatic-people-self-service-libraries/

Bibliotheca. (2021, March 2). Customer story: Gwinnett County Public Library | open [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/qAQxJw2H_tw?si=uEy3GymWaO1C2GdX 

Bibliotheca. (2025, September 1). In Belgium, the library that hardly ever closes: Open+ in action at the B3 Resource Center. https://www.bibliotheca.com/belgium-b3-library-open-plus-extended-access/ 

CBC News. (2018, October 2). Innovative self-serve program extends library hours in rural Hamilton. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/innovative-self-serve-program-extends-library-hours-in-rural-hamilton-1.4847083 

Left Lane. (2018, November 26). Freellton | Open Plus | Bibliotheca [Video]. Vimeo. https://vimeo.com/302741173 

Schmidt, A. (2013, November 5). Earning trust | The user experience. Library Journal. https://www.libraryjournal.com/story/earning-trust-the-user-experience 

Stephens, M. T. (2016). The heart of librarianship: attentive, positive, and purposeful change. ALA Editions, an imprint of the American Library Association.

My name is Nancy Lee (she/they), and I’m from Los Angeles, traditional lands of the Tongva people. I’m more than halfway through the MLIS program and interested in public librarianship. Previously I worked in art museums doing PR for 15 years and am excited for a second career as librarian. I chose this course because the emphasis on open-ended and playful adaptation resonated with me. I’m looking forward to thoughtful discussions about how libraries intentionally and ethically engage and evolve, especially in light of AI’s widespread impact in nearly every industry.

I’m a fiber artist (crochet and knitting) and Korean language interpreter. I love when my varied interests and passions come together, and everything feels cohesive for at least a brief moment. One example is a finger-knitting workshop I taught at my local library makerspace. The participants ended up being multilingual so I was able to instruct some folks in Korean and English. Other bilingual attendees were able to help teach monolingual Spanish speakers, and everyone enjoyed themselves while making scarves. The friendly atmosphere of neighbors gathered for a fun and free activity embodied that library magic of third place and community accessibility for me.