Tag: reflection

This module made me reminisce on the stories that I have read and that have stayed with me throughout my life. Stories have the power to change the course of other peoples lives. That is something that I believe wholeheartedly because I would not be here today if it were not for people sharing their stories.

To paint the picture, a little background on this. I have struggled with depression from a very young age. Fiction was my best friend then. Escaping into worlds to escape my own. My anxiety and panic attacks developed the second half of my senior year of high school back in 2013. Two years later I would drop out of community college because of my mental health and in 2017-2018 I battled suicidal thoughts. I did not necessarily want to die. I just really, really, really, wanted my brain to be quiet. I wanted peace.

When distracting myself with Marvel, Star Wars, and even reading stopped doing any good, I went to the internet hoping I could find others in the same boat as me. I remember doing a Google search for, “What do you do when you begin to get suicidal thoughts?” I cannot recall exact quotes of what I found, but I can sum it up in one word: hope. That Google search rendered a copious amount of results thanks to all those that decided to share their story on the internet. There were answers from those currently having that same battle and answers from those who had managed to overcome them.

I am now here, doing a Master’s program when back then I did not think I would even finish my Associate’s degree. My depression, anxiety, and panic attacks are still present, but I manage them and bounce back much faster than I used to. I am working at my public library like I had always wanted to. I learned to drive! I can stand in lines without falling into a panic attack. And most importantly, overall I am happy and excited about life. Emotions that once seemed so foreign to me. I owe, in part, my life today to those people on the internet because when I was shrouded in darkness, they helped me find the light. Helped me feel seen and understood. All because they shared their stories.

Sometimes we may think our lives are insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but I think we underestimate how impactful some of the stories we hold could be to those who need to hear them the most. Which is why we should share them.

Photo: Wi-Fi and charging station from Pioneer Library System

Every semester I have a moment where I just read or watched something for a class and afterwards I sit overcome in awe and emotion of just how amazing libraries are. How lucky we are to have these third spaces that we can enter at no cost. How incredible it is that things that can often be out of reach for members of our communities are accessible at no cost through the library. This semester, it was during this module that I had to take a moment because I was overcome by the beauty of what libraries can do for their communities.

Kanawha County Library Director Erika Connelly says that we are beyond the age of shushing in libraries, and we sure are (CBS Sunday Morning, 2022). As the needs of our communities change, so do some of the practices that libraries once held. And certainly, noise level has been a relaxed practice, just ask the senior patrons who often disapprove of the noisy atmosphere at the library where I work during after school hours. Change is inevitable, however, and libraries are changing to meet the needs of the majority of community members in order to get them to come through the doors in this fast and changing technological world.

With emerging technologies, we have seen a decline in physical book check outs in libraries (CBS Sunday Morning, 2022) as most of them now take place digitally. In order to bridge the gap between those digital users and lack of patrons visiting the library. more and more libraries are providing free access to things like 3D printers, podcast booths, recording studios, computerized sewing machines, and laptops to check out (CBS Sunday Morning, 2022). The library system that I work at itself has what is called a “library of things” collection which last year added hiking gear and Launchpad Tablets for parents to check out for children while in the library.

What is incredible to me, however, is that some library systems are extending this accessibility outside of the walls of their libraries. Furbee (2023) states that, “PLS (Pioneer Library System) is one of the growing number of libraries nationwide to install high-tech, solar-powered benches that offer more than just a place to rest; they also provide free Wi-Fi and charging stations.” How amazing is that? That people do not have to travel all the way to the library just to have Wi-Fi access or that travelers in need of Wi-Fi can stop at any of these locations for a quick stop. Or that those who are homeless can have access to these Wi-Fi and charging stations 24/7!

An article I also enjoyed reading was about ChatGPT. Papini (2023) declares, “we aren’t here making any decrees about whether ChatGPT is “good” or “bad.” Instead, we’re taking this opportunity to look at it through the lens of information literacy…the library is here to help you to learn and understand how these tools can be used and provide some guidance on when they should or should not be used according to our professional best practices.” I have my own thoughts about AI, and while I am wary of it, I do not believe that it is our place to tell someone that we think AI or any other form of technology is “good” or “bad.” Papini (2023) and the Krupp Library have a stance that I much prefer. It is better to educate people on how to use something and help them understand what are some good practices to follow when using it than to tell them if it is something that is either “good” or “bad.” That opinion should come down to the user. In many ways, I think libraries are here to broaden their community’s knowledge and one of those is ways is certainly to better equip them with the tools necessary to use these emerging technologies.

Libraries are amazing and innovative, embracing these changing tides as best as possible, and as we venture out into the future I am excited to see what lies beyond the horizon.

References

CBS Sunday Morning. (2022, July 24). Beyond books: The 21st century public library. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4QxDOCagxg&t=130s

Furbee, Bill. (2023, May 1). Sit and surf: High-tech benches bridge digital divide. American Libraries. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2023/05/01/sit-and-surf/

Papini, Allison. (2023, January 27). ChatGPT: A Library Perspective. Bryant University: Krupp Library. https://library.bryant.edu/chatgpt-library-perspective

In this module, an article that stuck with me was Cory Greenwood’s, Healthy Library, Healthy Life. The article explore the “Libraries for Health and Wellbeing” framework for Victorian public libraries, which boils down to libraries having the ability to develop partnerships with organizations that can in turn support their communities health and wellbeing (Greenwood, 2024).

Something that I love about libraries is how versatile they are. How they are not merely buildings that house books, but are places where members of the community can go when looking for information on resources or services available to them either through the library itself or through local organizations, among other things. Greenwood (2022) declares that “Libraries can play a critical role in improving some of the detriments of health (for example, employment, education, housing, socioeconomic status and access to technology) through programs and services that equip communities with the necessary skills, information and confidence needed to manage their own health and wellbeing.” I think many of us have the lived experience of not knowing where to start when searching for information on health and wellbeing resources or services. I am certain that many of us do not go or have not gone seeking for resources or services because we fear what the cost may be. I know I often fear the financial burden of things that are for my health and wellbeing.

Libraries are in a unique position where in developing partnerships with local organizations, they might be able to provide these needed resources or services that are cost free to community members. At the library where I work I have seen organizations provide free tax services, voter registration, family circles, and a multitude of flyers from different organizations that patrons can reach out to for a number of things. Going back to the idea of the participatory library and participatory service that I explored in Assignment X, by developing a partnership with local organizations regarding health and wellbeing, libraries can also be informed by these organizations on what it is that members of the community would be interested in terms of programming and services. After all, when looking out for the health and wellbeing of our communities, programming like crafts, knitting clubs, storytimes, etc., are a way to bring the community together and give people the opportunity to engage with others. Something that they might not do outside of their home.

Last summer I saw how kids who were not necessarily from the same grade or school became friends and spent the summer attending our programming and activities together. In recent months, our monthly Lotería program has a good number of attendees (including my mom who from what she has said to me, I gather that most, if not all, the women who attend enjoy it because they get to interact with other people. Our knitting club has also recently started to get a good a number of people and it is yet again something we offer that allows people to spend time with others.

Life is hard, but libraries have the ability to help their communities find resources and services that can help promote health and wellbeing. Perhaps making life just a little bit easier. Our biggest task after nurturing partnerships with organizations is making sure that the people of our communities know that we can provide them with the information or service.

References

Cory Greenwood. (2022). Healthy library, healthy life. In Incite (Sydney) (Vol. 43, Issue 6, pp. 24–24). Australian Library and Information Association.