Hello everyone!

Here is the link to my Inspiration Report, which I created using Canva. My objective was to present an opportunity for the Burcham Elementary School community to learn and grow by sharing personal stories in the library and a library website through creative outlets, including writing, drawing, crafting, photographing, and video recording. 

Best,

Wendy R.

Hello everyone!

Here is the link to my Innovation Strategy & Roadmap slideshow, which I created using Canva. My plan focused on incorporating makerspaces in one of the elementary school libraries I work at.

Best,

Wendy R.

 

When some think of libraries, what comes to mind are books and databases, as well as the experts that help people navigate such information resources. Libraries still embody these characteristics, but also others that many have adopted over the years to enable them to continue assisting with the acquisition of knowledge in this technological age. Learning practices have evolved in this era, and libraries have had to, too, for “in the networked society, learning is everywhere” (Nygren, 2014, p. 4). With the abundance of opportunities to learn, libraries, as learning institutions, have expanded their offerings.

The main purpose of the library has been and continues to be to promote meaningful learning. Libraries have implemented a variety of initiatives, like the Cleveland Public Library, which created an ArtLab where children are encouraged to unleash their creativity with the materials made available to them in a designated area (Bookey, 2017). There is also the Richland County Library, which has a LIT Room, a room that comes alive during story time with its visual, audio, and sound effects (Bookey, 2017). These programs are enjoyable learning experiences that will likely make community members return for more.

I am going to do what Professor Stephens encouraged us to try and tell a story using emojis. Here it is:

My emoji story is based on what I thought about in the mini exercise Professor Stephens had us do at the beginning of his Power of Stories (n.d.) lecture, when he asked us to close our eyes and imagine ourselves as a kid in the summer. What I saw were the faces of my maternal grandmother and siblings in the interior of my neighborhood public library in the year 2004 in Long Beach, California. Inside, the library was full of people. Outside, it was a hot, bright, sunny day. We were sitting on plastic chairs in the community meeting room, the AC keeping us cool, watching a large snake being held by two reptile zoo workers. I loved those days. Visiting the library in the summer gave my family and me respite from the heat outside and inside our home, which had no AC. It also supplied us with free entertainment through its live events, internet, and many books, all blessings for my low-income household.

When I think of my stories—the stories of my life that make me, me—and all the stories I have heard or read that have expanded my knowledge and empathy, I cannot help but think of the multitude of stories out there that people carry within them and others that are recorded in some format, that are just waiting to be heard for the first time, or again. In the words of Professor Stephens, “Every voice should be heard. Every story told” (Paxaman, 2019). Fortunately, libraries have made and are still making efforts to ensure that there are sharers and listeners.

It is remarkable that libraries are creating room to accommodate the stories of everyday individuals, especially of those belonging to marginalized groups, through programs like the Human Library, in which certain people are referred to as “human books” for their desire to share their life stories with others referred to as “readers” for their willingness to listen to them. The project has been impactful, with readers communicating how their outlooks toward others have changed profoundly (Arne-Skidmore, 2021). Libraries have concluded that whether stories are shared in the written or spoken form, they all have the potential to alter lives. That is the inherent power of stories.

Those in the library and information science field are often reminded to be aware and learn about new technologies and user trends. This knowledge is essential to our work, guiding us on how to maintain our relevancy in the eyes of the public. While modern technologies like AI are fascinating and valuable, they also have disadvantages. Experts, including innovators and researchers, have expressed how the greater reliance on technology during the pandemic generated changes with positive and negative outcomes, from a widened focus on social justice to the proliferation of misinformation (Anderson, Rainie, & Vogels, 2021). As library professionals and paraprofessionals, we can help by providing the services, tools, and resources necessary to guide the public to a path where the good outweighs the bad. We must think of how we can help people become information literate in this rapidly advancing world and encourage them to be model digital citizens.

ChatGPT is a relatively new software that has received mixed responses. The purpose of the AI tool is to assist with questions, “but its responses to questions and tasks are very formulaic and, not surprisingly, machine-like. They lack voice and personality, and they lack creativity and insight” (Jackson, 2023, para. 8). I recently had a brief conversation with one of my coworkers about ChatGPT. He told me he uses it to complete his writing tasks at work, simply telling it what he needs and making edits to the text that ChatGPT generates. He only highlighted the upsides of the software and none of its downsides. This interaction supports some concerns people have—particularly those in academia—about the AI tool regarding potential student use for writing assignments, biases, inaccuracies, and lack of citations or references. However, instead of avoiding and discouraging the use of ChatGPT, professionals in academia and libraries can learn and teach others about its complexities and how such technologies should be approached (Papini, 2023). I have never used ChatGPT myself, but I can say that I feel better prepared to make decisions on when and how to use it after learning more about it.

I have only been working in school libraries for a little more than a year, and what has been made abundantly clear to me is that school libraries, at least the elementary ones within my school district, are in need of further modernization. I work at the same school district I received my K-12 education from and have thought about how, in the past, my school libraries always appeared with the times, with their Apple desktops, connection to the Internet, easy access to the library catalog, and social activities. Now, working in the elementary library I frequented as a child, I am saddened by its current state, with its limited schedule, worn collection, and absence of computers. This can largely be attributed to budget cuts that date back to the Great Recession, ever since many public school districts nationwide, including mine, have made decisions that redirect library funds (Sparks & Harwin, 2018). While some elementary libraries in my district are faring better than others today, they can all benefit from additional investments.

The idea of the school library learning commons intrigues me. I believe it truly takes into account the interests and needs of this generation of educators and students, who must engage in knowledge building in such a fast-paced information, digital world. Characteristics of the learning commons are being embraced in school libraries, but they are not yet fully in the libraries where I work. Reading stories like Gwyneth Jones and the makerspaces she created in her library to incite the creative and innovative spirits of students (Luster, 2018) is inspirational, giving me hope that my district can make the elementary school library a place where students do not just need to be in but want to be in. A key aspect of the learning commons is participatory learning, in which people come together to take part in the exploration, learning, creating, and sharing processes, given some encouragement, motivation, tools, and resources (Jenkins, 2013). It is by incorporating the learning commons idea that the school library can become the learning center of the 21^st century.

In some ways, the district seems to be heading in the right direction. In the last two years, the annual budget of elementary school libraries has increased from a few hundred dollars to $1,000. Last year, the Library Services department partnered with the Technology Services department to program a few Chromebooks to the library catalog for student use. This year, we were notified that the district would be adopting Sora, a reading app that gives teachers and pupils access to a district digital book collection and that of their local public library system. These changes are needed and welcomed, but there is so much more that can and should be done to transform the library to the caliber of the learning commons, which “serves school curriculum but also is known as a place for experimenting, playing, making, doing, thinking, collaborating, and growing” (Loertscher & Koechlin, n.d., p. E3). It is this environment that can further get educators and pupils excited and committed to growing their minds through the different learning opportunities offered by the school library.