Hyperlinked Symposium: A World of Words

As I reflect on the growth I have experienced this semester, specifically with this Hyperlinked Library class, I realized there were several themes I focused on. To better understand what these themes are and how they have shown up in my work, I collected all the writing I completed for this class and used (the aptly named) www.freewordcloudgenerator.com to narrow down these concurrences into a few words.

After filtering out filler words such as “one” and “salt” (for Salt Lake City), the resulting word cloud revealed some recurring nuances I unconsciously focused on. Of course, at the center of the word cloud are the words “library” and “libraries,” but words such as “patrons,” “community,” “human,” and “people” also stand out. It emphasizes to me that without patrons, community, or humans in general, libraries would cease to exist. Libraries are perhaps one of the few remaining human-centered institutions, and I am thankful for the opportunity this class offered to delve into how libraries can remain focused on people amidst change.