New Models in Libraries
New Models
Library in Burundi, retrieved from https://ebookfriendly.com/modern-libraries/
That libraries are transforming so much is simply amazing to watch. I’ve enjoyed this unit, but I’ve also been enjoying reading people’s blog posts about their own libraries (speed dating in the library—who knew). One thing that really caught my attention in this selection of readings was the Putnam (2016) essay, and the quote
“I believe we have a responsibility to be partisan on the side of democracy, human rights, social inclusion and social justice.” Mark Hudson
These new models aren’t just good for invigorating the library, but they can be vehicles for social justice and social change, for democracy and freedom of information, for inclusion and support. They can be both Hygge (Stephens, 2016, 2017) and business centers. Really, it seems like libraries can be just about anything someone can imagine them to be. In a very real way, they can be the google of space and information. Most of us can’t go to google as a place to belong but we can go to libraries for that (and we can get information!). As I was “participating” in the e-conference today, Tech Knowledge, the keynote was emphasizing that one of the best ways libraries can make a difference is in providing a space for conversations to occur (google cannot). Mathews (2015, 7 classrooms) notes the importance of space, how its used and how it can “invite spontaneous encounters and conversations that wouldn’t have happened otherwise” (this article provides images of the transformation of his library spaces).
(Is there a tension between the call to “get out of the building” (Mathews, Think like, 2015) and Hygge? Can we be both and more?)
In Putnam’s (2016) essay, she provides several ideas for how libraries are meeting the need not just for providing current news stories but for curating and collecting that information and for including others in that process. I like the idea of bringing in the interests of the community to the creation of the library guides and the news guides. Democracy and social justice are pretty important ideas for all of us, but I am struck not just by these “big picture” approaches, but by the idea that we don’t have to have librarians as gatekeepers to the “big pictures”, we can involve communities and help them develop their own important webs of information, current events, news stories. We can help them find the best that is written, said, visualized, drawn, etc. in the areas within which they are interested. And, that’s exciting to me.
I don’t “do” facebook, so I couldn’t check out this link, but it sure seemed interesting: a facebook group, “Libraries improving public participation and democracy,” with members from seven countries.
I usually write really long posts, so I am trying to keep this one short. But I did do a bit of research on libraries and democracy and public participation:
Resources I found:
Biblioteket tar saka #librarycase. How a public library can improve public participation and democracy. Retrieved from https://bibliotekettarsaka.com/2015/07/02/how-a-public-library-can-improve-public-participation-and-democracy/
(This site is in Finnish (?) but the post itself is in English)
I love this idea, the public library as 4th estate,
Book, M. Library Activism: What it ought to become. Retrieved from http://www.kaapeli.fi/book/Activism4HKD.pdf.
This issue of Information for Social Change is focused on re-visioning libraries. One of the articles, “The New independent Norwegian ‘debate libraries’ by Anders Ericson talks about the role that both Swedish and Norwegian libraries have taken to provide debate opportunities in their libraries. And, while the library director selects the topics, the emphasis is on using themes that engage local citizens.
References
Mathews, B. (2015, April 6). Think like a startup: 3 years later. The ubiquitous Librarian. Retrieved from http://www.chronicle.com/blognetwork/theubiquitouslibrarian/2015/04/06/think-like-a-startup-3-years-later/.
Mathews, B. (2015, April 10). 7 Classrooms: Library as pedagogical incubator. The ubiquitous Librarian. Retrieved from http://www.chronicle.com/blognetwork/theubiquitouslibrarian/2015/04/10/7-classrooms-library-as-pedagogical-incubator/.
Putnam, L. (2016). How libraries are curating current events, and becoming community debate hubs. Mediashift. Retrieved from http://mediashift.org/2016/05/how-libraries-are-curating-current-events-becoming-community-debate-hubs/.
Stephens, M. (2016, March 23). The Hygge State of Mind. Library Journal. Retrieved from http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2016/03/opinion/michael-stephens/the-hygge-state-of-mind-office-hours/.
Stephens, M. (2017). Lecture. Hyperlinked Libraries. SJSU.
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