For this module I focused on how public libraries build communities beyond the walls of their buildings. As an employee of a public library, this is a relevant topic that feels important to acknowledge as we try to reach out to younger generations and stay safe during pandemics. A lot of patrons of the library interact digitally these days; e-books are on the rise and digital content is how many people seek their information.
With the pandemic that now started over five years ago, many libraries have made an important shift to focus on digital and asynchronous learning environments. Things like Discord channels for book clubs, digitizations of local content, and Ask a Librarian chat rooms are all methods that seem to make information more easily accessed and more appealing to younger generations. It is unfortunate that it took a pandemic for this realization that libraries need to keep up with the accelerations of the internet to come about, but I do believe the community impacts of this shift have been positive within the negative.
An article within this topic that interested me was Libraries are Bridging the Digital Divide, by Williams and Muller (2021). While I did not work at a library during the first years of the pandemic, I have seen the many ways that communities rely on the library. This article covers the ways that some libraries went out of their way to help their communities while not being able to let them in the building. Since WiFi is a resource that is sought out by many library users, some libraries used “antennas or routers” to extend their signals to outside the doors (Williams, 2021). Other libraries further developed their available digital content and started digitizing what they physically had in-house.
What I liked about this article is that it highlighted the ways that libraries act around the needs of their community. The library I work at started offering curbside pickup when they could not open the doors, added book-lockers, and as well they shifted funding to e-books and digital resources. Although the pandemic made it hard to connect with communities, the extension of digital resources acted as a community of its own.
References
Williams, A., & Muller, C. (March 17, 2021). Libraries are bridging the digital divide. Internet Society. https://www.internetsociety.org/blog/2021/03/libraries-are-bridging-the-digital-divide/
One thought on “Digital Community Building (Module 5)”
@tylerlazzareschi you shared some excellent examples of what’s possible with extending the digital reach of the library. I remember before the pandemic when some library felt they had to turn the Wi-Fi off when the building closed. I don’t really understand that. I’m very happy that many of the things libraries did during the pandemic have carried over post pandemic because they are useful and desirable.