I love the idea of the library as a classroom. Both my Innovation Strategy and my Inspiration Report fit perfectly into this model with gardening and food preparation workshops and with a technology lab that allows people to try out new technologies and build their skills with creation. I’ve said before that one of my passions related to librarianship is literacy: digital literacy, media literacy, information literacy, all of the literacies! I actually spent a time wanting to be a literacy specialist in schools. When I first decided to enter the program, it was 2020, the heart of Covid-19 and I was extremely bothered by the lack of information literacy…

The biggest thing that stood out to me in this module was the idea of technolust standing in the way of careful planning. As librarians, we must always keep our community top of mind. This means that while we want to provide access to emerging technologies, tech is not our purpose, but the people are. Doing our SWOT analysis and community scan are crucial whenever considering the implementation of new technologies in our libraries. It is also important to always refer back to our Strategic Plan. This is the document that we have presented to our board, our governmental leadership, and our community and is the commitment we have made…

Missoula Public Library Tech Lab

I was inspired by all of the ways libraries are incorporating kitchens, food preparation, and nutrition into their services. I had not gone through the New Models module before creating my Innovation Strategy and it excites me that libraries are doing this. I especially like the idea of the mobile kitchen going to local food deserts to teach food literacy and provide meals. This is how mutual aid and library services can blend. My biggest motivation for getting into librarianship is caring for communities. From mutual aid and social justice to the basic library tenet of services for all, I want my career in librarianship to be about people, equity, and…

For this “Choose Your Own Adventure” module, I was most inspired and impressed by the Memphis Public Library’s Cloud901 teen learning space. It is actually similar to my Inspiration Report and I will now have to integrate some of the information from MPL into my report. I love how libraries are expanding beyond the makerspace with recording studios and other creative technologies. The bigger picture here, however, is the connections Memphis teens are making in these spaces. From the aspiring hip-hop artist, Felix, to the already award-winning 18-year-old filmmaker, they have found mentors and friends at Cloud901 who will impact their lives more than anything else. This is the heart…

Yard to Table at the Missoula Public Library

What stood out to me most in this module was the idea that the purpose of using emerging technologies and innovative services is not simply to have the technologies or services, but the community that we foster with those technologies and services. Progress for the sake of progress isn’t the goal. Community is the goal. This tied in nicely with the idea presented in the Multnomah County Library video, that diversity for the sake of diversity isn’t good; equity and inclusion are the goals. Diversity is inevitable when you focus on equity and inclusion. In the same vein, progress is inevitable when you focus on community. I recently purchased a…

The library of the 21st century is more than books and an old woman with a bun and a “shush!” 21st century libraries are cultural centers, community hubs, and technological centers. This concept is born out of Denmark, the origin of the Four-Space Model of libraries. The Four-Space Model “illustrates a vision for the library. . . showing how the library can be developed from a passive collection of books and other media into an active meeting place to create connections between people, experiences, learning and inspiration” (Skot-Hansen, 2017). The four spaces, the inspiration space, learning space, meeting space, and the performative space, are centered around the idea of participatory…

Hi all. I’m Amy (she/her) and I am in my final semester in the MLIS program at SJSU. I’m from Texas but currently live near Missoula, MT with my 6 year-old miniature pinscher mix, Mia. I haven’t yet had the opportunity to work in a library, but I practically grew up in the public library and my school libraries. Until I can get my foot in the door, I register vehicles and collect property taxes for my county treasurer’s office. My career goal is to work in a teen library space, but I’m also looking at various library positions as well as non-profit organization work. My favorite things to learn…