Last Month at Zuccotti/Liberty Park...(Part 3)

Part 3: Interview with a Librarian

As I left the park, I ran into one of the librarians from the People's Library -- his name was Hristo and he was literally carrying a library around his neck. He was not allowed inside of the park (police rules) and was patrolling around the border instead, waiting for the current policemen's shifts to end. Apparently, the police had very random, mercurial attitudes about allowing the books inside the park, sometimes letting the librarians set up with books inside and sometimes barring them from entering at all.

(Thank you for the interview!)

Hristo was nice enough to take the time to answer some questions from me -- and soon from some other people who had gathered around. Below is a short video of him answering the question, "What does the People's Library mean to you?" (Transcript below the video, as well).



His answer:
"The People's Library is the free spreading of knowledge and information without having to have some sort of authority based on librarians, which is kind of weird, but in a normal library you have to get a library card, you have to go through a whole proccess. This library, all you have to do is take a book. And we ask that you don't let it sit in your bookshelf or just sell it to a bookstore, that you actually read it, spread the knowledge. Yeah, it's the best library in New York."

I loved what he said about the library being all about the free spreading of knowledge and information, but what I found a bit troubling was his categorization of librarians as a restrictive "authority." He explained what he meant in the video, of course, but the fact still remains that librarians are being viewed as "bouncers" -- as selective gatekeepers that create obstacles and boundaries for people in their community.

It just reinforced the idea that, as librarians, we still have a lot of work to do. Being a part of your community, involving yourself in social movements like Occupy and the People's Library, being aware and responsive to the issues your community is concerned about --- these are things we all can and should do.

I'm not saying that we all need to go out and protest until our voices burn out, but there is something that each of us can do to connect in some way to our communities.

Let's not be bouncers to this community club, let's be the DJs :)

In other words...Be radical: be a librarian!!

Last Month at Zuccotti/Liberty Park...(Part 2)

Part 2: The Experience

It was frankly disturbing to see that the police had erected metal barricades around the park and were stationed at every entrance point. Basically, it was hard to get in or out of the park without passing through metal gates and a wall of police.

(Protestors and people passing by, with a barricade dividing them.)

About two hours after I arrived and began reading, the drummers who had been playing constantly were ordered to leave the park. After a quick mic check, the drummers moved out of the park and began marching (and drumming) around the perimeter, outside of the metal barricades.

(Drummers inside the park, before ordered to leave.)

As the drummers played their way around the park, the read-in continued. Meanwhile, there was a line of spectators - tourists, New Yorkers on their way somewhere, students - observing and taking pictures. Inside the barricades, it sort of felt like I was putting on a show, and I definitely felt the distance between me and the people on the other side. Which was probably the police's intended effect.

Still, conversations and connections were happening. Some protestors held signs and faced outward, engaging with those that passed by. I noticed that though some discussions got heated, most were friendly and well-spoken.

(Some protestors leaning against the metal barricades.)

I have to admit that I was a bit taken aback by my experience at the park, if only because it felt like too much of a random jumble of different causes and purposes (or: an only slightly organized chaos)...Miiight just be the "librarian" in me, seeking order, order, order. Mostly, though, it was great to have the chance to speak to a bunch of different people about what they were doing and why they were there.

(Nearby, the construction at Ground Zero is going quickly.)

Next up: Part 3, interview with a librarian.

Last Month at Zuccotti/Liberty Park...(Part 1)

Part 1: The Read-In

There was a 2 hour "read-in" on Black Friday in protest of Mayor Bloomberg's midnight raid of the Occupy Wall Street movement. The raid resulted in arrests, evictions, police brutality, and the destruction thousands of books from the People's Library.

I had a chance to participate in the read-in, which was both a calming and an inspiring experience. We got there just as the read-in began, and it was amazing to see the crowd of supportive readers grow as time went on.

(Some of the people at the read-in)

(Part of the new, makeshift People's Library)

Some people were just reading silently, others were talking excitedly, and in the background was a constant, trance-like drumming from the other protestors in the park.

This just proved to me that a library is more than just the books that it holds --- it's all about the people who make the library possible, the community that contributes for the purpose of sharing, learning, and connecting.

A (very shaky, sorry - my hands were cold) video of the people at the read-in:



Next up: Part 2, the experience.

Now that I am a librarian...

Friends are suddenly asking me more questions. They know what I'm going to school for so they automatically assume that I am their answer-lady. Depending on the question, I tell them how to get to the answer or just the answer itself. People, I am running my own personal reference service over here.

Some of the questions I have answered in the past few days back home:
- Where is the Bloomingdales in Midtown? (There are several Bloomingdales in Midtown, but I found the one she wanted. Also, I have discovered that the store locator on the Bloomingdales site is horrible. An "answer only" question.)

- What is a good place to get centerpieces for my wedding? (One of my friends is getting married soon. We're still working on this one --- a "lots of follow-ups" question.)

- Where can my sister learn more about this K-pop group? (For those of you not-in-the-know, K-pop is Korean pop. I identified the group and pointed to some English language resources about K-pop. A "resources" question.)

- I really want to start reading again -- any suggestions? (A really difficult and picky "readers advisory" question.)

Yes, that is me. A librarian.

(Yes, really, I am a librarian.)

Readers Advisory

Readers advisory used to be something that scared me, but then I had the chance to explore it for my peer instruction for Jill's class. Turns out, there are TONS of readers advisory tools to help you find the next book, music, piece of art, etc., to expand your patron's experience.

As part of our instruction session, my partner and I created a Delicious stack for online readers advisory tools --> Click here for the stack.

Please feel free to add to the list by using the tag "IST605_RA"! I will be adding to the list, as well.

If you're getting someone a book for the holiday season, try using these tools to make your search easier :)

Getting with the system

I was upset at the horrible browsing conditions at one of the public libraries I visited recently. The fiction section (dewey...grr...) was not broken up into genres like sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, etc., making it extremely difficult to browse for new books. I ended up checking out two books by an author I already knew and then running out of there.

Here's the thing: why can't libraries be more like bookstores? Bookstores have got the easily browsable fiction thing down, and really - aren't we in the same business? (Well, sort of.)

Examples of better signage:

(In a library. Source)

(At Barnes and Nobles. Overkill? Source)

Basic things I want from the fiction section of my public library:

• Shorter shelves to open up my line of sight. My height goes from 5'2" (when I'm feeling honest) to 5'6" (when I use these) --> I need help seeing anything.
• Better signage along with the shorter shelves, so I can tell where I am immediately. Maybe fewer people will get lost in libraries, too...
• Separate, marked sections of different genres for easier browsing.
• Comfortable, clean chairs!
• (And while I'm at it: more international fiction, please!)

Of course, some libraries are already doing all of these things...I just wish that more of them were.

Happy break!

I'm staying with my friends for Thanksgiving break (the cons of family living in Korea: no family here for break; the pros: my friends are awesome).

Almost immediately, I noticed that I was super excited to talk about what I'm learning at library school. As we all updated each other on what we were studying or working on, somehow things about "librarians" managed to make it into almost every conversation.

Here are some things I've been conversing with my friends about:

- The Occupy Wall Street movement AND librarians' participation in the movement. We're planning on tracking down the People's Library later on this week and donating some books. Blog post on that later, if we manage to find it.

- I work at a medical library, so I was curious if my friends in med school used some of the databases I learned about at work. Med school friend's response: "We have databases?" Will proceed to show her Medline, Cochrane, and other goodies.

- Dogs! My friend has a dog, and I got into a conversation with her about Meg Backus and all the "libraries are not just about books" / "libraries for the community" work she has been doing! My friend was surprised that "librarians would be like that." I think it's about time to radically change their perceptions :)

Overall, my friends were amazed and excited to hear what librarianship is REALLY about - that I'm not just looking at books at all day, that I'm actually working towards being active in the community and facilitating social change.

Being outside of the classroom is inspiring me just as much, if not more!

NYLA and Community Creation

Last week I was fortunate enough to attend NYLA (my first conference!), and it was exciting to be around so many librarians who--mostly--seemed passionate about their jobs.

Although I know some people were disappointed that the presentations on "innovation" were not that new to us SU students, I was happy to see that some of the ideas that we had talked about in class were actually being presented to "real world" librarians. And, hell, I thought it was great that all these librarians were there with open minds and, hopefully, willing to implement some of these ideas for their communities.

And it's always nice to confirm that our program is really one that seems to look towards the future of the field :)

One of the ideas I thought was great was the move to incorporate more collaborative spaces in the libraries, where the community members can come in and create. In the presentation by Kim and Rob Cullin (one quote I loved: "Library as a kitchen, not a grocery store!"), some of the spaces they showed reminded me of the growing trend in Korea to have "rented meeting places" --> one such example.

These meeting places basically offer the tools--rooms, laptops, mirror boards, markers, projectors, etc.--for people who don't have the luxury of a stable office or study room to come in and do their thing. Small businesses that can't afford actual office space, for example, can use these "meeting places" to set up shop; students use it for group studying sessions; and some of the larger rooms can house small conferences or business seminars, as well.

Note the small library of helpful books! (source)

Everything on wheels, so the room can be rearranged to fit the purpose. (source)

It was such a good surprise to see something that I was used to in Korea be talked about in the context of libraries! I think it's a great idea to include these spaces in public libraries especially, where the community might have a greater need for them.

You need a graduate degree for that?

Answering the question we all field at some point in our librarian lives.



(I realized that I forgot to provide a direct answer in my video, so: Yes. Yes, you do.)

So a cousin of mine had a baby....

...and she had no idea what to do with it. On top of that, she and her husband moved to a new location, where she had a hard time meeting new people apart from the same rounds of grandmas she saw at the market (ie, she couldn't make new friends).

ENTER THE LIBRARY.

As it turns out, there was a program for young mothers at her public library! My cousin quickly made friends with others in the group and proceeded to 1) receive guidance from an experienced mom, 2) share information/baby complaints/baby brags with her peers, and 3) rock the hell out of motherhood.

My cousin had never stepped into a US library before this baby shindig. Now, she's one of the few relatives that don't stare at me with suspicious eyes when I tell them about my Masters program.

What's my point? A library is not just books, not just texts or information --> it's a means of sharing and facilitating knowledge between all of the library patrons, librarians, and (gasp!) non-library users. A lot of the lure of public libraries for me is that they seem to be/should be/could be centers of community engagement and connection.

And I think that part of our job (our new job?) as librarians is to revamp the type of knowledge that people associate with "libraries," to break assumptions that people hold about both libraries and us librarians. This is one way to bring more patrons over to our side, our community, and change the statistics of Dave's Chart of Library User Life and Death.

Our side: we have knowledge and Dark Lords. (Source)

This is why I'm here

I'm here to be inspired, and somehow I get the feeling that IST 511 at Syracuse will do just that.

Dave Lankes is like the Bill Nye of librarianship - possibly a little kooky for the field, but pro at ra-ra-ing and making everyone want to be, of all things, a librarian. (And for those of you who grew up on Bill Nye the Science Guy -- don't worry! According to Wikipedia, he's still alive...unlike...Mr. Rogers...)

Another similarity is their view of the audience: Bill Nye included everyone in his science-y thing, encouraging little kids, adults, reluctant babysitters to EXPERIMENT with SCIENCE and other all-caps crazy shenanigans. Dave, I think, (can I call him Dave? oops) wants to do the same for us and the patron/user/member/owner, except his keywords are: INNOVATION and LIBRARIES.

And it's awesome.


ps - Is anyone else curious about Dave's argument for the use of "member"? Consider the following (har har): one of my friends scoffed and said she preferred "user" because -> "Well, you say 'drug user', and...books are like drugs, right?" That's right, kids.