Sorry, guys — today I’m taking a break from my usual fare of silly library stories to reflect on something just a little bit bigger.

A few days ago I gave a presentation in front of our library board.  Preparing it was a great opportunity to step back from day-to-day ops and reflect on the big picture of what I do.  I got to share my philosophy of public librarianship, which, in a nutshell!, is that public libraries are spaces for community-centered learning & dialogue.  And when I say learning, I mean it in the lovely Freirean sense of praxis: true peers coming together to act and reflect upon their world in order to transform it.  For me, public libraries can and should be all about the discovery, exploration, and creation of ideas that happens when people have access to information.

And from environmental action to LOLcats (or John Brown Paper Dolls…), this takes the shape of whatever’s meaningful to the community. Continue reading →