Xoya's Hyperlinked Voyage

The library is emerging as a hangout for people of many different communities to socialize and network. This is especially true in the 2020s post Covid-19 world, that has changed the way most people socialize and network. The library is a place to connect with others, but it is far less intimidating than a dance club, bar or professional organization. It is a place where people are more likely to feel safe and comfortable. In fact, libraries tend to be very calm and gentle environments, which foster both wellness and community connection. Most modern libraries also strive to be judgment free zones and support diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB), which create a safe space for people to connect with others.

In the article, ‘Free, non-judgemental, accessible’: How your local library is a sanctuary of health and wellness, by Tareq Nurul Hasan, scenarios are described where libraries serve as a sanctuary and a catalyst for making unique connections. Examples range from the library serving as a place to find lost family members to being a place to alleviate loneliness. Hasan cites the webpage, Libraries Chane Lives as a place where one can read inspiring stories about connections like this (https://librarieschangelives.org.au/). The key point made by Hasan about libraries is libraries are home to more than just books, libraries are safe spaces can help people fight loneliness and find new friends and a recent survey shows 92 per cent of the people think of libraries as a safe place (Hasan, 2022).

On the website, Libraries Change Lives, as suggested by Hasan, there are countless stories and information about how this library campaign in Victoria, Australia serves various communities with an emphasis on creating spaces that foster health and wellbeing. In addition to supporting health and wellness, the campaign also supports culture and creativity within information community spaces. The overall goal of this program is to provide inclusive and well-designed spaces to bring various information communities together at libraries in Victoria (https://librarieschangelives.org.au/learn-more/).

To facilitate connections within these communities, it is important to have a model for spaces that serve as a place for these connections. The University of Copenhagen has developed a 4 Spaces Model, which helps to facilitate these connections and provide guidance. These 4 spaces are: the inspiration space, the learning space, the meeting space and the performative space. The model has been created on the basis of the researchers’ visits to libraries and interviews with library managers in Denmark, Norway and the USA, among other countries. (Skot-Hansen, 2017).  Having spaces in the library that are designed to enhance well-being and creativity, the library becomes the hangout that people use to connect with others and network.

References:

Hasan, T. N. (2022, October 22). “free, non-judgemental, accessible”: How your local library is a sanctuary of health and Wellness. SBS Language. https://www.sbs.com.au/language/bangla/en/article/free-nonjudgmental-and-accessible-how-your-local-library-is-a-sanctuary-of-health-and-wellness/t15blzsi9

Skot-Hansen, D. (2016, August 15). Library development: From collection to connection. https://humanities.ku.dk/collaboration/impact/library-development/

Libraries change lives campaign. Libraries Change Lives. (2020, January 20). https://librarieschangelives.org.au/

 

Empathy is a topic explored by the Library and Information Services (LIS) profession often these days. For this blog, let’s understand empathy as defined by the Merriam Webster dictionary, “the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another” (Merriam-Webster). For this discussion, I will focus on how empathy relates to participatory culture. A library succeeds at participatory culture when it goes above and beyond being a place to consume information and literature by inviting the community to be actively involved in creative processes. The Hyperlinked Library Model describes a participatory institution as one that welcomes user input and creativity and is built on human connections and conversations (Stephens, 2011). In this sense, empathy serves as a powerful tool and support system for a library’s culture of content and idea sharing.

In Michael Casey’s 2011 article, Revisiting Participatory Service in Trying Times – a TTW Guest Post by Michael Casey, Casey emphasizes the importance of engaging library users on social media platforms. The article points out that when libraries use social media solely for announcements and event notifications with no interactions with the users, they miss out on valuable community engagement opportunities. According to Casey, Facebook’s overall user base has increased from 50 million in late 2007 to 800 million by 2011 and the tools for social engagement have also improved. Casey suggests that some library staff should be trained to use available social media tools to engage users. While empathy is not specifically mentioned in this article, the concept of empathy is intertwined with Casey’s suggestions.

In the 2019 article by Casey O’Brien, How San Francisco’s public libraries are embracing their changing role, it becomes clear the library is changing its approach to participatory library services. Like the prior article, there is emphasis on community, but the focus is on in-person participation in a specific program at the San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) known as “The Mix.” In the prior article by Casey, there was focus on improving engagement with users on social media. In this article written years later by O’Brien, the public library is attempting to strengthen in person engagement while expressing concerns that online services are deterring users from in-person services. By making services free and allowing for direct community input, this program has become successful with bringing people in person at the SFPL. The Mix serves as a safe space and is open to the sharing of ideas, information and content. This program serves an example of empathy being a successful part of in-person community engagement.

By the 2020s many library programs mention empathy as part of their strategic planning. In the 2023 article, Practicing and Marketing with Empathy in Libraries, by Wren Daniel Ambroise, this trend of empathy is discussed as part of the library’s mission for participatory culture. Wren points out that while practices of empathy have always been intertwined with the development of libraries, it hasn’t been as widely discussed in the past (Ambroise, 2023). Now this topic is being explored in almost all aspects of librarianship and shows great promise in the areas of marketing, engagement and outreach. This article explores studies which have examined the impact of empathy on strategic plans and practices of various marketing campaigns. Long story short, approaching strategic plans and practices with empathy improved results and increased user participation in library services.

As libraries adapt to emerging technology, participatory culture is improving in both physical space and virtual space. In Michael Stephens’s article, The Hyperlinked Library: A TTW White Paper, we learned about participatory practices in the Hyperlinked Library model. The Hyperlinked Library model encourages use of web 2.0 applications and emerging technology in the library, but Stephens points out that, “the model is broader than just online communication and collaboration. It encompasses both physical and virtual space, as well as many types of libraries” (Stephens, 2011). The Hyperlinked Library model isn’t here to replace the physical library, but rather to expand the library’s services and create meaningful connections with users in all types of library spaces. The Hyperlinked Library model approaches library participation with empathy by welcoming user input and creativity.

References:

Stephens, M. (2011, February 21). The Hyperlinked Library: A TTW White Paper. Tame the Web. https://tametheweb.com/2011/02/21/hyperlinkedlibrary2011/

Casey, M. (2011, October 20). Revisiting participatory service in trying times – a TTW guest post by Michael Casey. Tame the Web. https://tametheweb.com/2011/10/20/revisiting-participatory-service-in-trying-times-a-ttw-guest-post-by-michael-casey/

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Empathy definition & meaning. Merriam-Webster. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empathy

O’Brien, C. (2019, June 24). How San Francisco’s public libraries are embracing their changing role. Shareable. https://www.shareable.net/how-san-francisco-public-libraries-are-embracing-their-changing-role/

Ambroise, W. D. (n.d.). Practicing and marketing with empathy in libraries. Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal). https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=15509&context=libphilprac

 

Hello, my name is Kristine Spencer, I am from Sacramento, CA. Xoya is a nickname of mine that I have had for many years, and I have been using it as my Blizzard battle tag since about 2013. As you can guess, one of my hobbies is video games, even though I rarely have time to devote to gaming these days. I also like to create art and do creative things, which I hope that I will eventually be able to incorporate into my work in this class. It can be difficult to find time for my creative outlets, because I am also a full time legal caseworker and mother of 3 kids and a cat.

I look forward to this class, as I feel it will touch upon many of my favorite things in information science, such as emerging technology, social media and networking. I look forward to getting to know everyone and hope that my posts get more interesting as I explore this site. I have used Word Press before, but it has been a while. Improving my blogging skills is high on my priority list as far as professional skills go, so I am grateful for this opportunity to explore, practice and learn how to get better.

For fun, here is a photo of my cat, Raven.