Lauersen’s blog post, The Necessary Nearness, An Ode to Bookmobiles, is a genuine plea asking people to read more for society’s sake. His concerns are valid: there has been a gradual but steady trend that indicates fewer Americans are reading for pleasure in spite of its benefits (Iyengar, 2024). Lauersen cites similar statistics in his native Denmark. A saving grace of the public library is the bookmobile, bringing accessibility to the community as well as a gathering place where there was just a vacant spot (Lauersen, 2025). I don’t know what it is, but people truly get excited when they spot a library bookmobile in the wild, and it’s not just kids. The Summer Stride reading program is in full swing at SFPL right now, and it’s always super popular and engaging (track twenty hours of reading and get an SFPL tote bag! And yes, I love this even though I have more tote bags than I can keep track of). I saw the bookmobile in the park while I was walking; it was a foggy and damp day, and yet there were so many people cheerfully hanging out with the library staff. And this brings me to Lauersen’s other point: it’s not just the bookmobile getting more people to read, but rather our connections to other people who are passionate about reading and discovering great books. Sure, the bookmobile might be there, and they might be handing out free books, too, but actually engaging with librarians and other community members makes a difference. 

Lauersen’s assertion that a strong reading culture is a societal investment ties into West’s article on the digital divide and those individuals who intentionally opt out of online usage, including email. Although this piece was written over ten years ago, it’s still relevant in regards to a large aging population. As scary as it is to face change and uncertainty, shunning the basics of modern technology can be isolating and can make one’s world smaller. We live in a highly digital society, and I cannot envision a future during which we would go backwards. West posits an interesting perspective I had not previously considered: online literacy is a civic responsibility and an “interactive tool” even though many of us use it for passive entertainment (2014). Given how much of our immediate world exists online, being socially active (in any capacity) can be an empowering thing. To be fair, no one is suggesting giving up in-person interactions. There can be a balance; community can have many facets just as reading can open up new worlds, and curiosity and learning can still foster human connections. How one gets there might be via social media or other online forums, but collective experiences can be transformative when discovering people have more in common than they realized.

References

Iyengar, S. (2024, October 03). Federal data on reading for pleasure: All signs show a slump. National Endowment for the Arts Blog. Retrieved from https://www.arts.gov/stories/blog/2024/federal-data-reading-pleasure-all-signs-show-slump

Lauersen, C. (2025, February 05). The necessary nearness – An ode to bookmobiles. The Library Lab. Retrieved from https://christianlauersen.net/2025/02/05/the-necessary-nearness-and-ode-to-bookmobiles/

San Francisco Public Library. (2026) SummerMobile 2026 [Screenshot]. Retrieved from https://sfpl.org/locations/bookmobiles-mobile-outreach/summermobile-2026

Stephens, M. (2022, August 16). The Hyperlinked Library – Hyperlinked Communities. [Lecture]. Retrieved from https://sjsu-ischool.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=3eacdb23-84fd-49e5-9975-aef3014b3ed2

West, J. (2014). 21st century digital divide. Retrieved from https://www.librarian.net/talks/rlc14/

        For Project X, an aspect of the hyperlinked model that stood out to me is that libraries can be “transformational for those who use them” (Stephens, n.d.). Although this isn’t specifically part of the structure of the hyperlinked library (it was an observation from the OCLC’s 2018 funding report), it is an outstanding feature that can combat the challenges that libraries face on a consistent basis. Stephens notes the importance of the library as a safe and comfortable space and what it brings to social movements. This also invites us to consider the significance of sociologist Ray Oldenburg’s concept of the “Third Place.” It is essential to have a place away from work and home where one can connect to self-identity and the community (Leferink, 2018). Of course, there are other places that serve the same purpose, such as coffee shops, restaurants, and parks. In her impassioned defense of public libraries, the author Zadie Smith succinctly gets to the heart of the library’s appeal: “well-run libraries are filled with people because what a good library offers cannot be easily found elsewhere: an indoor public space in which you do not have to buy anything in order to stay” (2012).  However, all libraries have opportunities to be more than just that: they can be beautiful community spaces while still meeting users’ needs and defying the traditional views of what a library “should be.”

        Advocates for the library often find themselves defending the right to exist as physical spaces within a highly digital world. In an era during which most of our interactions and transactions occur online, it doesn’t seem too farfetched to question if people really need and want libraries anymore (Denning, 2015). And yet, it is not the technology that stands as a barrier to using the library more, but how people use technology to improve their lives and engage with one another and if those same features can work in the same world as library services. People still want the library, but they want to access it in a way that is convenient and modern. We live in a world in which information  is everywhere and competing for our attention and time. The library is no different, but its engagement with users and non-users alike keep it connected with the community it serves. Some of the best social media posts I’ve seen on Instagram actively encourage people to come out to various library branches and check it out for themselves. 

        There is a library branch that I step in very infrequently, as it is not near my home and I have to cross a treacherous intersection to reach it, but when I do, I never regret it. During the past two springs, my daughter’s weekly softball practices took place at a field just a block away, and to kill time, I would often stop by the Merced Branch on the west side of San Francisco. What an utter joy it is to be in this library; the atmosphere is amazing, and I have no other way to describe it. There are no hushed voices as the librarians and staff engage in spirited conversation at regular pitched volume. Teenagers sit at fold-out tables near the entrance for study groups. I can hear children playing in their area while older patrons sit at the other end of the library, reading magazines and newspapers. The environment imbues a sense of community just by the diversity of the people actively using the space. Keep in mind that this is a compact library, so there is not a lot of room to work with. But small details make a difference. Trees and foliage line the perimeter of the building, and windows fully fold out on the rare warm days, so even gazing out the window while inside makes one’s experience contemplative and peaceful. A small courtyard also abuts the side of the building for studying or reading outside. While I cannot profess to know all the ins and outs of running a library branch, seeing and experiencing a vastly different atmosphere in contrast to a handful of other sites within the same side of the city has me convinced that the branch librarian most likely sets the tone and creates the culture for this community space.

        Stephens heartily extols the rare “loud spaces in libraries that might be full of collaboration and conversation” (p. 6, 2019). Radical trust in humanity, making mistakes, and the simple act of trying something new can be the keys to changing the format of traditional libraries. Libraries hold special significance to every patron, but for a myriad of different reasons. How can the library be everything to everyone at the same time? More importantly, how can every user “feel included in a community, backed by a support network that addresses their unique needs” without alienating others? (Mathews et al.). Keeping in constant contact with communities matter; people and their needs matter. Kenney notes, “it’s difficult to genuinely meet people where they are,” and although libraries generally try to anticipate patrons’ needs in advance, listening to and conversing with patrons will pave the way for a better library in the future (2014).

I’ve included an Instagram link below for a user’s quick tour of SFPL’s Merced Branch Library. This person decided to visit each of the city’s neighborhood branches. Enjoy!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSNnJr6D2qZ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

References

Denning, S. (2015, April 28). Do we need libraries? Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevedenning/2015/04/28/do-we-need-libraries/?utm_campaign=ForbesTech&utm_source=TWITTER&utm_medium=social&utm_channel=Technology&linkId=13831539

Kenney, B. (2014, January 27). The user is (still) not broken. Publishers Weekly. https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/libraries/article/60780-the-user-is-still-not-broken.html

Leferink, S. (2018, January 24). To keep people happy…keep some books. Next. https://blog.oclc.org/next/to-keep-people-happy-keep-some-books/

Mathews, B. et al. (2018, May 7). Empowerment, experimentation, engagement: Embracing partnership models in libraries. Educause Review. https://er.educause.edu/articles/2018/5/empowerment-experimentation-engagement-embracing-partnership-models-in-libraries

Smith, Z. (2012, June 2). The North West London blues. The New York Review of Books. https://www.nybooks.com/online/2012/06/02/north-west-london-blues/

Stephens, M. (n.d.). “Historic” Hyperlinked Library Model. [Lecture]. https://sjsu-ischool.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=a0569381-4d66-4e0a-a7fa-aab3010a8f3e

Stephens, M. (2019). Chapter 1: Past is prologue. Wholehearted Librarianship: Finding Hope, Inspiration, and Balance. ALA Editions.

Tayler [@taylesofthecity]. (2025, December 13). Visiting every SFPL branch – Merced. [Video] Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSNnJr6D2qZ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Hello everyone!

My name is Yolanda, but I prefer to go by Yoli. This is my fifth semester in the MLIS program, and while my journey started as a tentative step into the unknown, I’m so glad to be where I am now.

The decision to pursue an MLIS degree was probably one of the easiest to make, given my love for reading and libraries. As an undergrad, I was an English major, so I tend to gravitate towards good books/fiction, writing, and the arts & humanities. When I decided to return to school to pursue an advanced degree, I also made the conscious choice that I would like to be in a field and a career where I can (hopefully) make a difference and a positive impact. Ultimately, I’d love to work in an environment that will always encourage curiosity and learning. My career pathway isn’t very clear yet, but I’m leaning towards public or academic librarianship.

I’m taking 287 because this course was highly recommended by some of my classmates, and I’m always looking for a class that encourages reflection and creative thinking regarding the future of libraries and information access. I love how a library’s significance can mean something different to every type of patron; maintaining this special relevance takes ingenuity and empathy.

I live in San Francisco with my husband and daughter. In my spare time I enjoy listening to music, going for long walks, watching horror movies, crocheting, watching baseball, reading too many books, baking, and enjoying anything Muppets-related. 

I’m looking forward to the summer semester and being a part of this community.