What I loved about this module was the emphasis that “hyperlinked libraries” do not mean strictly, literally digital libraries. The keyword is linked, and this module explored many ways libraries are creatively linking up and connecting in novel ways.
I was particularly moved by the “Wash & Learn” pop-up library from IdeaBox Collections. There is a vibe to the laundry mat that only those who have often been compelled to use a laundry mat understand. It can be loud, broken, boring, and sometimes a little weird, but also, it’s a space where community collaboration is appreciated and where people are receptive to others helping out. I witnessed this behavior over the summer while using the laundromat at a hotel. A kindly woman notified me of the machines that were working, and importantly, the one to avoid! Of course, I passed the information along to other patrons in a “pay it forward” style. She could have remained fixated on her Kristin Hannah novel and let me suffer when I walked up to machine #4 with the broken spinner, but she didn’t. She helped, and we all got out of the laundromat sooner, happier, and without wasting our time and money because of that intervention.
I thought this sweet pop-up resource, the Wash & Learn event, embodied that same spirit, and then some. This wasn’t just helping save people time and quarters, but REALLY getting to know the people they were sharing space with and providing them with resources to help them out in life. Not just standard resource lists, but tailored resources you only get from active listening. The fact that someone had the idea to combine this pop-up in a laundromat was brilliant. Who wouldn’t want to participate when you are essentially a captive hostage waiting for clothes to dry? Supply met demand, and I could see by the enthusiasm of the young librarians that they were pleased to be able to really help.
Michael Stephens writes in the conclusion to his “Reaching All Users” section in The Heart of Librarianship that “an important theme is finding balance for our services and projects. Cultivating thriving virtual learning communities with broad, beyond-the-walls outreach managed by future-thinking professionals…”. I think this speaks to the broadening definition of what it means to be a librarian beyond the traditional stereotypes. I think librarianship should meet its community where and when it is, instead of relying on people in the community who they are not serving to come to them. Get out into the streets and show the community what you’re worth. Set up a table at a local park, food truck rally, or outdoor event and help community members where they are. Public libraries, especially, have evolved so much in the past decades; many citizens may be pleasantly surprised not just by the expansion of digital services like e-books, video games, and 3D-printers, but for health and wellness programming that offers free yoga, tai chi, or dancing classes. How are the citizens who don’t use the library supposed to find out about these services? We have to go to them and connect face-to-face. Let them know that the library belongs to them, and get them signed up for a library card! No excuses, just action.
Takeaway: Be receptive and listen. People will tell you what they want- you have only to find them where they are and listen. Hyperlinking/connecting with your users and future users can be an interactive, puzzling, adventurous, and sometimes challenging task, but librarians who care will leap forward and lead libraries into the future with balanced programming and beyond-the-walls outreach.
References:
“Wash & Learn” Pop-Up Library Program in the Bronx. Oak Park Public Library. (n.d.). IdeaBox Collections.
Stephens, M. (2016). “Reaching All Users” in The Heart of Librarianship
Hi Chelsea,
I appreciate how you summarized Module 5 at the beginning of your reflection: “This module explored many ways libraries are creatively linking up and connecting in novel ways.” These “novel ways” are necessary for reaching out to pockets of the community that don’t step foot into a library, and for communicating the library’s services and resources. I agree with you that there is still largely a lack of knowledge about what the library actually offers. The old image of the library is still firmly rooted in people’s minds. Outreach, such as the “Wash & Learn” that you mention in your post, is a great way to meet the community where they are.
Absolutely- thank you Miss Jenn. For so many, it’s not just that they wouldn’t rather be at a library enriching their lives during passive “adulting” time, but that the reality of time, space, and SES circumstance that denies accessibility when the many don’t have the perceived luxury of time or practice to get through the doors of their local library.