Will “hygge” guide our services and interactions? Scandinavian countries have introduced libraries to some wonderful things in the past few years. Nordic Noir fiction, some beautiful new buildings to gather inspiration from, and perhaps the most interesting of all: the concept of hygge. Pronounced “hoo-ga,” it loosely translates from the Danish as “coziness,” but bloggers, news reporters, and folks sharing #hygge-tagged images are quick to say it is so much more. Some might argue that it’s a feeling, a vibe, a state of mind. Others say it’s about connections, conversations, and comfort. This definition shared on an Instagram post by […]
Daily Archives: June 27, 2017
6 posts
A MODEL LIBRARY “We designed our libraries for people, not books,” Østergård said. The collection remained the same size, about 325,000 items, but the new space is much larger. It’s based on the Four Space model developed by Danish Royal School of Library and Information Science professors: inspiration space, learning space, meeting space, and performative space that overlap and intersect. Action words for each sector of the model: Excite. Explore. Create. Participate. Do a deep dive into The Model Programme for Public Libraries and you’ll see intriguing and thought-provoking results in Denmark and beyond. Libraries become the center of urban […]
This column explores my three years working on the IMLS-funded Institute for Research Design in Librarianship. Since 2014, academic librarians from across the United States have gathered at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) in Los Angeles to be part of an immersive learning experience—the Institute for Research Design in Librarianship (IRDL). My colleague from the School of Information, Dr. Lili Luo, and Greg Guest, a cultural anthropologist working in Durham, NC, designed the research skills–focused curriculum and served as lead instructors for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)–funded program. For nine days in the summer the selected participants, IRDL […]
This column explores the future of LIS education as part of Library Journal’s 40th Anniversary celebration. LIS programs have moved online quickly since my own program went 100 percent online in 2009 with varying degrees of success, some relying on “read and respond” pedagogy while others embrace new technologies. (See The Transparent Library School and Our Common Purpose.) A couple of decades from now, online graduate education may mean something different than a web-based learning management system. Logging in might involve a version of virtual reality that replicates the “face-to-face” classroom so closely the technology involved falls away. Class experience, […]
Dozer, Cooper, Compassion & Empathy: A common punch line in the librarian oeuvre pertains to the number of cats a particular librarian may own. We all know that librarians are dog people, too, as evidenced by the multiple Facebook photos I see of various canine biblio-companions. I am sure librarians also keep various other mammals, reptiles, and birds, but there is a natural fit between our love of four-legged friends and our calling to the profession. Here is a video about Dozer from Silver Muzzle Cottage
This “Office Hours” column suggests some interview questions we might incorporate into interviews. This column was prompted by an email from Kit Stephenson, head of reference and adult services at Bozeman Public Library, MT: “I am trying to find the best questions to find a full-stack employee. A couple of attributes I require are compassion, team player, and thrives on change. I want someone to be a conduit, connector, and a discoverer.” Please consider the following as part of your potential discovery sets for future interviews. How do you keep learning? Describe your personal learning network (PLN). This gets to the […]