Reflection 4 on the power of story–A kind young patron’s letter to Gwanda

Image designed by Yiwen Liao via Adobe Express 

Gwanda, a Royal Goliath Beetle, arrived at the San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) Merced Branch in June 2023 and left us on March 8th, 2025.

Image by Yiwen Liao

She formed a strong connection with the library staff and patrons. I started my job at SFPL Merced Branch in April 2024 and fell in love with Gwanda and her other friends, such as Desert Millipeds and Sun Bettles, who live in a beautiful vivarium designed by the circulation supervisor, Ayaan.

Image by Yiwen Liao

User Participation
Gwanda played an important role in bridging the community by offering the opportunity to stop by the vivarium and engage in an entomology conversation. Since my first day working at the Merced Branch, I have spent my break time taking photos and videos from the vivarium.

On March 8th, 2025, Gwanda was found dead in the vivarium. Ayaan removed her and sadly wrote an email to the staff to announce our deep appreciation for Gwanda’s time with us. A few days after Gwanda passed away, a young patron stopped by the vivarium and looked for Gwanda as usual. The little girl couldn’t find her and asked her mother to look for Gwanda. The mother saw the post about Gwanda passing away and told the child. The young patron asked for a piece of paper and wrote a note to express her feelings: “I hope you have a good time in heaven.”

Narrative Inquiry
To document this story, I applied the Narrative Inquiry (NI) approach, to gather the story from interviewing personal experiences and perspectives about the young patron. According to Stephens, unlike a survey, the NI approach to the interview is compassionate, listening and learning toward the subject (2020). My interviews were conducted with Ayaan and other colleagues familiar with the young patron and her family to gather firsthand resources. Ayaan, who designed the vivarium, also is the major caregiver of the vivarium residents. She expressed deepest appreciation to the young patron and her family’s connection with Gwanda.  This approach allowed me to capture the depth of the community’s response to Gwanda’s passing and the significance of the young patron’s letter. This use of storytelling and user engagement reflects the principles of narrative inquiry, which encourage us to explore and understand human experiences through stories (Stephens, 2020).

There are many beautiful and powerful stories rising in the library. As a library professional employee, I was encouraged by the users’ participation. I proudly share the story after collecting my firsthand interviews with my colleagues. According to the DOK library in Delft’s mantra: “Keep stories, make stories, share stories” (Stephens, n.d.). The story of Gwanda and the young patron’s letter illustrated the library’s role in supporting meaningful connections and preserving community narratives. ​ By embracing user participation and employing narrative inquiry, library professionals can create and share impactful stories that resonate with patrons and inspire engagement (Stephens, 2020; Casey & Savastinuk, 2007).

References:

Stephens, M. (2020, April 9). Office Hours: Narrative Inquiry – Tame the Web. Tametheweb.com. https://tametheweb.com/2020/04/09/office-hours-narrative-inquiry/

Casey, M. E., & Savastinuk, L. C. (2007). Library 2.0 : A guide to participatory library service. Information Today, Inc..

Stephens, M. (n.d.). The Power of Stories [Review of The Power of Stories]. https://287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu/course-modules/the-power-of-stories/