Week two at the Mortenson Center brought another full week of rich, hands-on experiences that stretched my thinking. The week opened with a visit to the Sibel Center for Design, where our cohort had the privilege of meeting Dr. Wolf and Dr. Bohn. Their work sits at the intersection of design thinking and human-centered design, and they came prepared to give us more than a lecture. They facilitated a workshop introducing us to AI personas, a concept entirely new to me. Dr. Wolf and Dr. Bohn had created AI personas representing library users, and our task was to interview these personas to better understand their needs. The exercise was a creative and surprisingly effective way to practice gathering user feedback. I found myself genuinely engaged in the process, and it got me thinking about the broader possibilities. What would it look like if a professor set up an AI persona for a specific role, with a defined perspective and deliberate limitations, and then had students interact with it? I left that session eager to find out whether any faculty members at my institution are already experimenting with this approach, and whether there might be an appetite for incorporating AI personas into teaching and learning at GU-Q.
From the Sibel Center, we made our way to the Innovation Studio and Media Hub, which turned out to be one of the highlights of my week. Two fellow cohort members and I had the opportunity to record a podcast together, reflecting on our experiences in libraries and with AI. For me, this was more than just a fun activity. It was a professional learning moment. Back at my home institution, our Innovation Lab houses two podcasting studios, and I have been reimagining how we use the space. Seeing the Media Hub’s setup, understanding how the studio is configured, and learning about the equipment, cameras, and microphone arrangements gave me a lot to consider. One particularly useful discovery was an open-source tool called OBS, which the Media Hub staff introduced me to for recording and live-streaming podcasts. It is the kind of practical, accessible solution that could make a real difference in what we can offer.
Midweek brought something altogether different and genuinely heartwarming. The Altrusa group, made up largely of community members and retirees in the Champaign-Urbana area, welcomed us into their home for a Thanksgiving-style dinner. The warmth in that room was immediate. Over plates of food prepared with obvious care, we shared stories about our backgrounds, our cultural traditions, and the places we call home. It was a very nice community building activity.
The week ended on an extraordinary note, one that was both professionally significant and deeply personal. We traveled to Chicago, the city where I was born and where so much of my story began. Long before I ever worked in a library, I was introduced to the value of libraries through my work with a local nonprofit organization. It was a librarian there who first suggested I consider librarianship as a career, and in those early years, I partnered with libraries by using their community spaces for programs and meetings. Returning to Chicago as a library professional felt like a full-circle moment.
We experienced Chicago authentically. We took public transportation from downtown to the South Side of the city, then walked to our destinations alongside Chicagoans through the hustle and bustle. Moreover, we participated in a walking architecture tour that provided us with a chance to take in the city’s legendary skyline and learn the stories behind the buildings. And of course, no visit to Chicago would be complete without proper deep-dish pizza. There was something genuinely joyful about seeing Chicago in the eyes of my international library colleagues, many of whom were experiencing the city for the first time.
We visited the American Library Association Headquarters, where we met Executive Director Daniel Montgomery and Program Manager Delin Guerra. Hearing about the ALA’s advocacy work and its reach across the international library community was genuinely inspiring. We also had the chance to meet the librarian who manages the ALA’s internal library, a gem within the organization that I did not know existed.
Furthermore, we visited the MacArthur Foundation, where I was struck by the scope of research support provided by its sole librarian. It was a compelling example of how a single, skilled information professional can serve an entire organization at a high level.
The visit to the Harold Washington Library Center was something I had been looking forward to for a long time. I had heard about the YouMedia Center for years, and seeing it in person did not disappoint. The space is a vibrant, creative digital learning environment designed specifically for teens, complete with a recording studio and resources that support artistic expression and exploration. The Chicago Public Library as a whole left a strong impression on me. The breadth of social and educational programs it offers, particularly those centered on the arts and community wellness, reflects what a public institution can be when fully committed to the people it serves.
The University of Chicago was our final stop. After touring the library and seeing the underground book storage facility, I was amazed by the engineering and logic behind the system. Robots navigate the underground stacks to retrieve materials on demand. I left impressed by the system and the investment made to create this dynamic service for storing collections.
Week two ended with a literal bang, complete with tornado warnings and fallen trees near my childhood home in Chicago. Amid the chaos, it was a week rich in incredible idea-sharing. It was a true privilege to take in so much knowledge. This experience has deepened my belief that whether we are interacting with AI, listening to a podcast, or watching robots retrieve books, the spaces where we learn are changing beautifully. Librarians serve as the essential architects of these modern landscapes, guiding communities through discovery, education, and innovation.
