Hyperlinked Environments: The HyperLinked Public Library
Gateways to Innovative Technological Access @michael
For my Choose Your Own Adventure, I decided to take the Public Library route. Before choosing this adventure, it’s worth noting that I also browsed the other CYOA options and came across interesting articles and media that also provided pertinent and valuable information for what hyperlinked environments look like across multiple and diverse settings. I chose the public library because its my main point of interest for where I hope to continue my professional journey after completing the MLIS program, so I was eager to review where this adventure led. I was really amazed and inspired by the Memphis Public Library article, “How Memphis Created the Nation’s Most Innovative Public Library” authored by Richard Grant. The article highlighted the story of how the MPL system designed free innovative spaces for the communities they serve, and how those spaces have made a positive impact not only in those communities, but around the library world.
Reading about the different innovative tech and programs offered through MPL was fascinating, especially the Cloud901 Teen Learning Lab, which is a remarkable multi-purpose makerspace (i.e. art studio, music studio, robotics lab). This impressive space is located at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library Branch and was one of the first ambitious undertakings for the MPL director Keenon McCloy. McCloy also has additional plans for all the 18 branches that make up the MPL system, some of which has already been implemented. McCloy’s strategic and unique approach, along with unwavering determination, allowed her vision of what could be, come to life.
Grant did a phenomenal job shining a spotlight on the MPL’s efforts and successes in making their libraries gateways to innovative technological access. MPL is a great example of how hyperlinked environments can become a reality and be an asset to the user and the communities they serve. Below, I included two more examples, or innovation spotlights, that demonstrate how libraries can operate as hyperlinked environments and be gateways to innovative technological access.
Source: Cloud901 Lab image by Ariel Cobbert via Smithsonian
Innovation Spotlight: The Octavia Lab at the Los Angeles Public Library (Central Library Branch)
About Octavia Lab, as described on the website:
The Octavia Lab, named after the award-winning science fiction author Octavia E. Butler, is a do-it-yourself makerspace located inside the Los Angeles Public Library’s historic Central Library. Octavia Lab provides library cardholders free and unlimited access to state-of-the-art design, fabrication, preservation, and story-telling technologies (https://www.lapl.org/octavia-lab).
Source: LAPL
Source: LAPL
Instagram Reel Post of Patron using the LAPL Octavia Lab
Innovation Spotlight: Innovation Station at the Chula Vista Public Library
About Innovation Station, as described on the website:
Inspired by the Qualcomm Thinkabit Lab, the Chula Vista Public Library and the Chula Vista Elementary School District collaborated to open the “Innovation Station” at the Civic Center branch, located at 365 F Street. The Innovation Station was modeled after the Thinkabit Lab which fosters student interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) careers. The Innovation Station extends the hands-on learning to the community. The lab first opened to Chula Vista sixth grade students on August 1, 2016 (https://www.chulavistaca.gov/departments/library/innovation-station).
Final Thoughts
Hyperlinked environments are gateways to innovative technological access—they have the power to inspire, support, and foster creativity like never before. By providing communities with free access to innovative technology, the library gives users the opportunity to learn about and interact with tools that they might have thought were out of reach or unavailable to them. Access to innovative technology can empower any and every user and sends the message that they deserve to have a space designed to showcase what’s possible in the technological world, which then enables them to gain valuable knowledge and skills. I still remember the feeling I had when I used a computer and the internet for the very 1st time at my local library, it felt like magic. In Module 4 on Participatory Service & Transparency, Professor Stephens shared a quote that related technology to magic, and that’s a perfect descriptor for when you experience new technology (or digital capabilities) for the 1st time, or maybe every time you encounter it. I’m sure other patrons have felt this way too, or at least something akin to magic…some sense of awe or wonder happens. Of all the things the library is and can be, creating makerspaces that offers free access to innovative technology is always a move in the right direction and has the potential to be transformational and life-changing…and magical.
References
Chula Vista Public Library. (2017, June 26). Innovation station: Libraries Reimagined [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/qb11rhipoeY?si=ganpjrayrXVTQQmn
Grant, R. (2021). How Memphis created the nation’s most innovative public library. Smithsonian. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/memphis-created-nations-innovative-public-library-180978844/?fbclid=IwAR1KhgGc_cXHfCduhqGtJ1Wi5Y2jRho1yW1Q62QjCNC5o2Qs9eLeGnzqqIM
LA This Week. (2019, June 21). Octavia Lab at LAPL [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hM9MkAcc1kI
Los Angeles Public Library [@lapubliclibrary]. (2025, February, 18). The Octavia Lab is a do-it-yourself makerspace located inside of Central Library. Octavia Lab provides library cardholders free and unlimited access [Reel/Video]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DGO2XHSyX7a/?hl=en
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