Libraries as social hubs: How to combat library anxiety

 

https://www.artsprofessional.co.uk/news/libraries-should-capitalise-on-appeal-as-community-hubs-report-recommends 

Transformative Measures in Maintaining a Welcoming Environment in The Library
by Anna DiValerio

Libraries have always been a welcoming community for all who enter, focusing on the wellbeing of its patrons and how best to suit their needs. It tailors its function to the needs of the people and what helps uplift the community. However, change is an ever-present demand in any place, let alone a library setting, and continues to make itself known. Libraries take initiative in understanding the space they hold and what they need to accommodate to make its patrons feel at ease. 

This article I found was really interesting to me, as it describes library anxiety felt by students, how it manifests, and what a library can do to help diminish it. Libraries, whether local or academic, present a social aspect to its operation, and I feel that this article shows many interesting ideas pertaining to what that means and what can come from it. When reading this, I felt an immediate connection with their description of “library anxiety.” This article is informative and sheds light on some steps libraries can take to maintain their social status within groups and communities, continuing to be that open social space for people to enjoy.

Larsen, D., Wallace, S., Parker, A., & Pankl, L. (2019, April). From Cubicles to Community: Reducing
Library Anxiety Through Critically Reimagined Social Spaces. Oclc.org; New Review of Academic Librarianship. https://research-ebsco-com.palomar.idm.oclc.org/c/3wabvt/viewer/html/aoiwr3orxr

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How Libraries conflict Social Networking websites

         Social networking is something important for many different types of careers, especially as some take both your skill set but also who you are as a person into a mix of hiring. This is further increased due to the introduction of social media, where there are a plentiful amount of social networking sites out there for people to socialize online. Libraries come into play with this, as in order to stay connected with its community, it needs to be able to adapt to societal changes include online social networking.       This comes quickly into clash with how the library functions, and even regarding public safety. According to the periodical volume titled  Social Networking and the Library,  there was "...  a law that would have made it necessary for libraries that received federal funding to block social networking sites from minors in the same way that the Children's Internet Protection Act requires that certain librari...
Read more

Library Services for the Homeless

 In many ways, a library can be a safe haven for homeless people. Some go as the last resort to rest from the outside conditions and some go to access information they would have never been able to at any other place for free. I feel like more programs specifically for the homeless should be considered by all public libraries. Of course there are policies and free internet access in place for everyone to freely use but specific programs can be helpful for homeless people that need more guidance and knowledge when it comes to for example, job searching and resume making.  I discovered an article that tackled just what I've been saying.  Here is the link: The Problem is not the Homeless  The article, "The Problem is not the Homeless", talks about library services for homeless, model approaches, and how we can sustain programming efforts. "Vikki Terrile, coordinator of young adult services at New York's Queens Library", states " Those visits remind her tha...
Read more