{"id":86,"date":"2026-08-08T00:44:22","date_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:44:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/revolvinglibraries\/?p=86"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:44:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:44:22","slug":"module-11-reflection-on-infinite-learning-slow-down-and-play","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/revolvinglibraries\/2026\/08\/08\/module-11-reflection-on-infinite-learning-slow-down-and-play\/","title":{"rendered":"Module 11 Reflection on Infinite Learning: Slow down and play"},"content":{"rendered":"

Greenwalt\u2019s <\/span>Embracing the long game<\/span><\/i> stood out to me this week. First, Greenwalt argues that real institutional change takes a long time. Rather than a one-and-done approach to implementing a new service or program, libraries should think of this work as continuous, ongoing and iterative. He encourages readers to think about significant changes to media, libraries and technologies as something that takes years to occur. He used the example of Ted Talks, a program that took decades to build an audience and materialize into what it is today.<\/span><\/p>\n

I think this is a great reminder as libraries begin to think about how to adapt to new technologies. Our fragmented and short-form information environment can make it feel as though these technological changes are happening rapidly and overnight. But widespread adoption and disruption from these technologies is gradual, and our responses to them should be to.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Greenwalt also inspires librarians to start small rather than get bogged down in large projects. Staff don\u2019t need a huge amount of money or resources to start making small changes. I have always acted with this in mind, but it\u2019s a useful reminder. Don\u2019t overthink too much and instead work in small bites on what arises naturally. Eventually, the rewards of these efforts will multiply and manifest.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another idea that struck me in this module was the role of play in learning. First, Scandinavia\u2019s risky and open-ended play structures are amazing and highlight the importance of intent in the built environment, (Dowdy, 2022). This prompted me to think about how the children\u2019s areas in my library system are designed, and what type of interaction they encourage. To be honest, most kids enjoy swinging from the low-hanging trees outside on the lawn! I would love to be a part of an interior design or architecture process for a library to learn more about how these decisions get made.<\/span><\/p>\n

Play was also mentioned in Kansas City Public Library\u2019s report on learning in libraries, (2015). The authors noted that play can contribute to participatory learning, a type of learning that incorporates actively doing something rather than simply receiving information. Due to their focus on print materials and reading, libraries have historically not recognized this form of learning even though it\u2019s a legitimate way to learn that can be more accessible to people with different learning styles. I hope to learn more about participatory learning programs libraries are doing. My library system, for example, hosts D&D games that are wildly popular. How can libraries begin to incorporate this style of learning while balancing the needs of the community with the priorities of their library leadership?<\/span><\/p>\n

References<\/span><\/p>\n

Dowdy, C. (2022, February). <\/span>What the Nordics can teach us about having fun<\/span><\/i>. BBC. <\/span>https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/culture\/article\/20220207-what-the-nordics-can-teach-us-about-having-fun<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Greenwalt, T. G. (2013, February 21). <\/span>Embracing the long game<\/span><\/i>. Public Libraries Online. <\/span>https:\/\/publiclibrariesonline.org\/2013\/02\/embracing\/<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Kansas City Public Library. (2015). <\/span>IMLS focus: Learning in libraries<\/span><\/i>. <\/span>https:\/\/www.imls.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/publications\/documents\/imlsfocuslearninginlibrariesfinalreport.pdf<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n



<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Greenwalt\u2019s Embracing the long game stood out to me this week. First, Greenwalt argues that real institutional change takes a long time. Rather than a one-and-done approach to implementing a new service or program, libraries should think of this work as continuous, ongoing and iterative. He encourages readers to think about significant changes to media, … Continue reading “Module 11 Reflection on Infinite Learning: Slow down and play”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":866,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-86","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/revolvinglibraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/revolvinglibraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/revolvinglibraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/revolvinglibraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/866"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/revolvinglibraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/revolvinglibraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/revolvinglibraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86\/revisions\/87"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/revolvinglibraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/revolvinglibraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/revolvinglibraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}