A Reflection on Libraries as Storytellers

“What is a person, if not the marks they leave behind?” ― V.E. Schwab, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

This musing of Addie’s is a rather reductionist take on humanity, but it nonetheless contains truth: we do crave to leave some sort of legacy. This is by no means a recent development. I remember my undergrad professor instructing us on the concept of kleos in the Iliad, this Greek idea that one can attain immortality by performing deeds worthy of being told in stories.

More than craving to leave a lasting impression, we also often yearn for deep connections with those living alongside us today. As Eberhart (2018) describes, the story-sharing capabilities of libraries can achieve all of the above: “Listening to [library-hosted interviews] has a ‘ripple effect’ that spreads from the interviewee to friends and family, the community, listeners, and ultimately to future generations.”

I find this to be a beautiful sentiment. I love the idea that libraries can be a platform for stories that would otherwise go untold or forgotten. It feels parallel to the CDs in Mairn and Terrana’s (2022) post that were practically locked away. The library initiative to gather and present the music in an interactive way increased visibility and engagement―and I think the same can happen with people’s stories. The same already is happening with people’s stories, like with the Chicago Public Library’s Library for the People project.

“We are born, we eat, and learn, and die. We leave a tracery of messages in the lives of others, a little shifting of the soil, a stone moved from here to there, a word uttered, a song, a poem left behind. I was here, each of these declare. I was here.” ― Michael D. O’Brien, Island of the World

Overall, this is another way to create hyperlinks between the larger community, not just those who use the library in traditional ways. It’s fantastic.

@valancy

References

Eberhart, G. M. (2018, February 10). Sharing people’s stories: StoryCorp partners with public libraries. American Libraries. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/sharing-peoples-stories/

Mairn, C & Terrana, J. (2022). A library’s listening lab.

Stephens, M. (2016). The heart of librarianship: Attentive, positive, and purposeful change. ALA Editions.