SCD (Siebel Center for Design)

At the Siebel Center for Design, I learned about Human-Centered Design (HCD). It was full of interesting things, like learning what HCD is and practicing library patron service using a Chat GPT AI agent.

The most memorable part was a session where we shared questions about the challenges we are currently facing from three different perspectives: data, user, and strategy. Since I have to redesign my workshop program next year, I talked about this topic with Amirah.

Thinking about library services from these three angles was a totally new approach for me. It was really useful because I could think from perspectives I hadn’t considered before and get different insights by sharing with others. I think it will be really helpful to use this method at work in the future.

Media Hub: Podcasts

At the Media Hub, we actually recorded a podcast! It was my very first time doing something like this, so I was pretty nervous. The staff prepared some great questions, so we could comfortably share our thoughts. Mary, Lucy, and I each talked about one thing we wanted to apply when we go back to our own institutions.

Thanks to Mary and Lucy leading the conversation so well, we wrapped up the recording successfully. The sound equipment there was so good that I could hear my voice and the other associates’ voices really clearly. It was fun to try out professional gear, and I think I’ll remember it for a long time.

Government Information Literacy

On Wednesday, we got to hear about the work of various librarians. Among them, “Civic Literacy” was a totally new area of information literacy for me, so it was really impressive.

Things like understanding the government system and voting rights are so important for citizens to know. But maybe because they are considered too basic, I wondered why they aren’t usually taught as part of university education. Sanga, the librarian in charge, explained that because we live in an age of information overload, the library—which is open to everyone and trusted—is the right place to offer this education.

Right now in Korea, issues related to the June elections are making a lot of noise on social media. Reading through all the different opinions, there are moments when it gets confusing to tell what’s true. Looking back, I realized that I never received this kind of education after becoming an adult, and that’s why being exposed to so many opinions was making me confused. I totally agreed on why this education is needed and why the library should be the one doing it.

It was also amazing to see a Korean librarian in charge of such an important topic. In Korea, it might actually be hard to even mention these topics because public institutions have to stay politically neutral. But I thought there’s definitely a need for educational institutions, like schools, to teach civic literacy.

Altrusa Dinner

On Wednesday evening, we had the Altrusa Dinner at Natalie’s house. Her place was so beautiful and cozy.

To let us experience Thanksgiving culture, the Altrusa members prepared turkey and lots of other dishes for us, even though it’s June! Natalie and the other members welcomed us so warmly. The food was incredibly delicious. With pumpkin pie for dessert, it was a perfect meal. After eating, we all gathered around and talked about how different countries celebrate Thanksgiving. It was a fun and meaningful time because we could understand each other’s cultures better.

Trip to Chicago

The next day, our schedule started at 4 AM to head to Chicago.

I was surprised to see that the Amtrak was a double-decker train. It was also my first time sitting in seats that face the window. At first, all I could see were cornfields, but it was nice to watch the scenery change as we got closer to the city. When I got off at Union Station and stepped outside, it really hit me that I was in a big city. The tall buildings, people walking by busily, and the clear, bright weather were my very first impressions of Chicago.

ALA

Our first schedule was visiting the ALA headquarters. Delin Guerra from the International Relations Office welcomed us. She introduced ALA’s mission, along with their various divisions, round tables, and committees. I was amazed by the scale of ALA, running dozens of different activities across different fields.

Having a librarian community with a 150-year history really shows how much this country has valued library culture. I hope the Korean Library Association can grow like this too. I was glad to see that Delin seemed very interested in Korean culture. I’m looking forward to seeing her at the WLIC in Busan this August.

We also had some time to talk with the Executive Director, Dan Montgomery. It was surprising that the head of the biggest librarian community in the US is a former teacher. I was curious how a non-librarian views ALA, and he shared his various plans with us. He hopes ALA becomes an even stronger and more influential organization, and I’m really curious to see what changes will happen during his term.

The deep-dish pizza we had for lunch was the best. The view from the dining area was also amazing. We ate together while looking out at downtown Chicago, and continued our conversation with Dan. I was so grateful that they prepared the dish I was most curious about in Chicago.

University of Chicago

At the University of Chicago, we focused our tour on the Mansueto Library.

This library uses a closed-stack system. Because of this, the user area only has study spaces and no bookshelves at all. It had a very calm and neat atmosphere, so I thought students would really love coming here to study. All the materials are stored in an underground depository. When a request comes in, they find it down there and send it up. It looked familiar because the National Library of Korea also has so many books that they only keep the newest ones on open shelves and use a closed-stack system for the rest.

But the biggest difference is that we use people to find the books, while they use machines here.

When I went down to the basement and saw the actual depository, I was overwhelmed by its size. Metal boxes were packed tightly into 49 levels of shelves. Inside each box were books, and I was surprised to hear they are sorted by size. Usually, libraries classify books by call number, so I thought this was a very practical idea.

Also, it was impressive that the machines used in this depository were adapted from regular cargo warehouses. I heard this method was introduced when the space was first designed. It made me think that maybe this was possible because it was approached from an architect’s perspective, rather than a librarian’s.

A thought I had a lot during this tour was that it’s easy to just assume the way I’ve been doing things is the only right way. Seeing and experiencing different examples of how things are run in a new place gives me a good kind of stimulation. It really helps by giving me a chance to think about how I can provide better services to our users.