Uncategorized – A Linked Knode

Learning is about living an Expansive Life

We’ve got formal learning down. Books and courses, even online courses with or without live instructors are more numerous than ever. But in today’s fast-paced and attention-demanding world, many people don’t have the time to focus on learning one skill at a time. So learning needs to happen when and where the skills and knowledge are needed.

Attract

Attract patrons to your services and programs by providing collections and programs that appeal to them in settings that they like and enjoy.

Serve

Serve patrons what they need. That may be around health (meditation, yoga, tai chi), connection through discussion, breaks for parents, and play for patrons of all ages.

Everywhere

Be where they are. Available on mobile devices, programs out in community settings like senior homes, laundromats, parks, day care centers, etc.

For more direct learning and teaching, I really loved learning about the collaborative and open experiment spaces in DOKK1. Having real-time sharing and inspiration between two different locations creating something is brilliant and even 10 years later a great use of current technology. Finding foundational skills within evolving technology to focus on can build programs that last and can evolve with the times.

With how fast our world is changing, we may not be able to predict what skills we will need next. As libraries we need to remain flexible, focus on what our patrons need now, and not be overly attached to those services and programs. They may not be relevant at all in 6 months. For this, I really like the idea of rotating themes and flexibility.

Oak Park Public Library (OPPL) did a great version of this with their Idea Box. It’s interactive and evolving, and even behind that there are themes or seasons. Depending on the library, the program, or the space, it might be something that rotates on a monthly of quarterly basis. Maybe it’s a wall that invites people to share what they’ve learned on a topic recently and reply to one another. Maybe it asks them to share fond memories.

All of this rests on understanding our communities and users well. Who are they? What do they value? Where do they spend their time and with who? What problems are they facing? Then we build services that aren’t perfectly packaged solutions, but containers for our communities to fill and decorate.

Living Books

Photo by Small Group Network on Unsplash

I absolutely love the concept of human books. @lauraskor shared in this post about holding conversations in the library through the use of book clubs and I think this idea exists in the same vein. Cultivating community is more than just having a space that many people inhabit at the same time. Conversation, especially about issues that directly effect us and our communities is vital to growing strong connections. It is also vital to growing communities that care.

I think these are programs that should be considered together. The Human Book concept is a great way to spark conversations around different topics, centered around real people within our communities. These events can be paired with tabling from organizations that support vulnerable groups in our community. Those conversations can then be continued on through things like book clubs, or discussions about upcoming elections or propositions. There is no set order to these things and every community will have unique needs and desires, but when I think about libraries helping to build community, I believe this is the work that must be done. (I also enjoyed hearing from Kylie and Felicity and I believe that librarians and library staff must be included in this on both ends! As people sharing their stories and as people hearing them.)

This module really made me think about how libraries exist to address universal human needs like connection, belonging, and meaning or fulfillment. Programs like these help communities meet these needs. But although the needs themselves may be universal, how those needs get met will be specific to individuals and communities. Like Michael Casey shared when he came to talk to our class, some ideas may not work for all communities. It’s important to try things and learn from them to find what works best for the specific population we are serving.

As a side note about the Human Books concept: I went onto the Human Library Organisation website and was surprised to find that in their model, they not only do not pay “human books,” they strongly discourage it, stating that they “do not believe readers will have the same confidence in the library if books were paid to be there.” (Human Library FAQ) I find this troubling considering that a primary goal for this practice is to help inform people about the lives and experiences of people who are stigmatized. Which means we are talking about marginalized people doing free labor to educate people. I think it would be far more appropriate to –when possible– offer people sharing their stories small honorariums like might be offered to speakers or research volunteers.

The Incomplete Library Model

The concept of “library” has been steadily transforming from a place of knowledge access to a place of knowledge application. Where we once lived in a world where information was scarce and difficult to distribute, we now live in a world of overabundance. Most people consume information constantly through their smartphones and other devices, let alone what they consume at school or at work. Consumption of information is easier than ever, but access to information alone does not lead directly to good outcomes.

In my personal experience, the bombardment of information in short-form videos like Instagram Reels or TikTok leads to minimal retention of information – even if I found it very interesting or even useful in the moment – and a huge resistance to moving from consuming to doing. More information does not automatically lead to action. In many cases I believe it leads to paralysis.

This is why I believe this shift that libraries are undergoing from spaces that contain information to spaces of creation and interaction is exactly what everyone needs.

Here I’m mostly talking about library spaces rather than services, although the same shift can be observed of services. Library services still include an abundance of access points including physical and digital books, magazines, and other media; but they also include experiences: tickets to local museums or access to recorded performances.

In her TEDx Talk from 2013, Pam Sandlian Smith quotes John Cotton Dana who said, “the purpose of the public library is the pursuit of happiness first, and education second.” This quote really stuck with me, because I believe that even on a practical level, learning and contributing to our communities is far easier when we experience a sense of safety and belonging, and having fun and amusement and opportunities for connection are what create that. I think its time we as a culture move past this idea that human beings are naturally ‘lazy’ and won’t work unless they are threatened. We know that when we our needs are met and we have time and resources, we love to create and share. We saw plenty of that during the first year or two of the COVID-19 pandemic.

What libraries need to be first and foremost are spaces that community members feel comfortable stepping into and playing with. Libraries should be malleable and lived in, not pristine and untouchable. A little mess and flexibility opens up possibilities and opportunities for creativity. A sense of incompleteness invites others to contribute.

Perhaps for services the same is true, that what we need aren’t answers but questions and a willingness to discuss.

Resources

What to expect from libraries in the 21st century: Pam Sandlian Smith at TEDxMileHigh https://youtu.be/fa6ERdxyYdo

The Hyperlinked Library: New Models Lecture 2025 by Michael Stephens

Welcome and Hello

Welcome to The Linked Knode!

My name is Yadir. I am a disability advocate and information nerd.

I’ve been thinking about the ways groups and communities create and use knowledge for several years. “Knode” is a word I coined and use on my personal digital garden site at https://yknode.link. Here is the definition I use for it:

knode noun (knowledge + node)
A point of intersection and perspective containing a unique collection of information, wisdom, and connections.

For work I support people with developmental disabilities in California advocate for themselves and coordinate support services that are personalized, rooted in community, and effective at meeting their needs. The Medicaid program that I work within is complex — has rules at the federal, state, and regional levels that need to be navigated –, involves many different players, and is constantly changing. It is my dream to create a centralized community platform to house and exchange information about the program, what people in the community are experiencing, successes and obstacles, and solutions. I imagine this might look like the combination of a forum and wiki.

Creating this living information hub and others like it is the kind of work I want to do. I can see myself doing this work directly in community settings and with community organizations, or through public libraries. I’m also really interested in growing my skills in organizing information to be most easily accessible, digestible, and useful to the people who use it.

Central to how I see my work as an informational professional are principles of:

- participation
- collective knowledge
- stewardship
- community empowerment

I want communities to participate in the creation and stewardship of knowledge, and to feel empowered to make use of the knowledge that already exists in their communities to solve problems.

I have been looking forward to taking the Hyperlinked Library course since I first applied to the SJSU MLIS program because I think it aligns so well with my values and goals. I am looking forward to getting to know and learn from all my fellow students.

In my free time, I love to read, watch, play, and listen to fiction — particularly sci-fi and fantasy. I recently enjoyed the latest novella in The Murderbot Diaries series, Platform Decay by Martha Wells; and the second novel in The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, Tapestry of Fate by Shannon Chakraborty. I also really enjoy Japanese manga and anime Haikyuu!! and Dr. Stone are two of my all-time favorites. I’m currently playing Sea of Stars on Playstation 4 and loving it, it’s got a retro feel and full of so much heart. And last but not least, I love listening to the Friends at the Table podcast, they tell such incredible, powerful stories.

I can’t help but think a lot about how we work with information and how we might be able to work with information in the future when I am listening to The Murderbot Diaries.