Gotham Gazette is an online publication covering New York policy and politics as well as news on public safety, transportation, education, finance and more.

The City of Hamilton is seeking public input on an Open Streets pilot project which would turn King Street into a Temporary Urban Linear Park from Gage Park to Gore Park.On one weekend day this fall, four kms of linear roadway space would be transformed into additional...

The books that aren’t quite in good enough condition to put back on the library shelves, but are far too good to throw away...

Library Innovation is Alive and Kicking! Check out the innovative work going on in libraries across the world.

As a DJ and the executive director of Friends of Big Marsh, Paul Fitzgerald strives to provide Chicagoans a space where congregation is encouraged.

Walking on local streets or into commercial areas is a bit different in this pause from the pandemic. Many people want to linger on the street and just talk or people watch. That in itself is different in North America from Europe.

Libraries are living institutions, constantly evolving to adapt to the technological, financial, and organizational changes that have occurred, especially in recent decades, and that has accelerated since the turn of the century. Therefore, there is always an open debate within the profession about the role that libraries should play at any given time, and the 21st century is no exception. Mogens Vestergaard identifies in an article published in Princh in 2018 a change in the model for libraries, the change from the transactional to the relational model. From our organization we were thinking about how we could make our contribution to facilitate this paradigm shift, but keeping in mind what libraries are and their traditional objectives. Library Laboratories is a project born in collaboration between Library Coordination at the Spanish Ministry of Culture and Sports and Medialab Prado, a citizen laboratory for the production of open cultural projects, linked to the Madrid City Council. Since 2017 we have been holding open debates in which library professionals talk with professionals from other disciplines about what the 21st-century library should be like, what demands it should respond to and what services it should offer to be a relational institution. A new methodology for libraries Medialab Prado had developed and perfected for 15 years a methodology that promoted citizen participation and that they had applied in different contexts. We really liked their work and started collaborating with them to see how we could apply it to libraries. The methodology is simple: a citizen has an idea to introduce an improvement in his community and he is joined by other people who want to participate in its development. The organizing entity, in this case, the library enables what can materialize. In 2020, when the pandemic hit, we decided to explore the possibilities that this methodology has for libraries. And we thought that a good way to do it was to explain the methodology so that any interested library can learn what it is and how to set up a citizen laboratory. We decided that the most suitable format was a MOOC, a massive and free online course. The course is divided into 4 modules that take place over 4 weeks. In it, 14 teachers teach the contents through videos and texts in Spanish. Subsequently, in a second phase, everyone is invited to put what they have learned into practice and set up the laboratory. The first two editions of the course had more than 5,000 participants from 34 different countries, and more than 100 laboratories were carried out in Spain and Latin America. This year we are going to celebrate the 3rd edition of the course, which will take place between May 16 and June 17. The second phase will take place between September and November. During both phases from the organization, we give support and support to those libraries that want to test this methodology in their libraries. This is the project website: https://labsbibliotecarios.es/ What possibilities does this methodology offer for libraries? First, libraries can promote such a process to help improve their environment. Host a laboratory focused on neighbours working on common projects. For example: make a community radio, or design a series of debates around issues that concern the neighbourhood. Libraries can open the management of their activities to the participation of their users. For example, a library wants to specialize in comics. Users can propose activities around that collection. They can apply this methodology in the library’s own management: workers can propose ideas for improvement in management or in their internal processes, that is, begin to manage horizontally. Libraries are highly hierarchical institutions. We would be very interested in learning about similar experiences in European libraries. Please, comment on this article or send us an email to info@labsbibliotecarios.es Diego Gracia is responsible for international cooperation at the Ministry of Culture and Sport in Spain, and the coordinator of the cooperation programme NAPLE Sister Libraries.

Brooklyn-based architectural design practice SITU and the Design Trust for Public Space have announced the launch of Turnout NYC, a community-oriented initiative that aims to transform underutilized spaces into vibrant and accessible venues for arts and culture, while highlighting...

This year’s World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, an annual event led by the International Telecommunications Union, focuses on the theme of ‘Digital technologies for older persons and healthy ageing’. This is a good occasion to reflect on some of the lessons and ways to maximise the impacts of library ICT-based services and initiatives aiming to help build an age-friendly and age-responsive environment. Ensuring a meaningful and equal participation in the digital society by older persons is a pressing priority – particularly in light of global population trends around ageing. As the World Population Prospects 2019 pointed out, people over 65 are the fastest-growing age group in the world – and are expected to make up one-sixth of the global population by 2050. This highlights the urgency of building a digital environment which is designed and well-suited to meet their information needs and support their wellbeing, rather than retrofitting existing solutions. The COVID-19 pandemic has provided a stark illustration of both the potential of ICTs for this age group, and the unique difficulties faced, and which must be kept in mind. As panellists in an opening session of this year’s dedicated WSIS Forum track pointed out, the past 2 years have seen an accelerated uptake of digital services and resources by older persons, spurred on by a growing appreciation of their value proposition. On the other hand, many in this age group remain digitally excluded, struggle with loneliness and social isolation, evolving health risks and needs. Today’s event also comes after the end of the first year of the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing. From telehealth to assistive technologies to lifelong learning, ICTs are a key element for delivery on the goals of this Decade. This is a good occasion to take stock of some of the insights, questions and lessons these policy dialogues can already offer – to help inform libraries’ continued work to meet the needs of their senior users. Breaking the stereotypes Ageism – from stereotypes, prejudices and a failure to take account of older people when designing products, all the way to outright discrimination – is an incredibly widespread problem. Earlier research estimated that 50% of the global population held moderately or highly ageist beliefs. Much like in other areas, this can significantly impact older persons’ interactions with ICTs – as a matter of self-confidence, trust, or feeling like this simply “isn’t something for me”, even dissuading them from engaging with tech. While there cannot be a single solution to an issue as complex as this, some measures libraries are taking can come a long way to gently challenge such beliefs. As a study based on an Ontario library digital literacy training for seniors illustrates, the library can be really effective in creating a safe space for tech learning and exploration for older users. This can help with facing their own fears and anxieties around breaking a device or making a mistake, boosting their self-confidence and comfort with tech – including through supportive relationships with the instructor and fellow learners. Perceptions of comfort and safety of a library digital skills training can therefore be really valuable in helping bypass ageist beliefs, whether societal or even internalised. A different approach to learning A related argument is that digital skills training may not be optimal when simply replicated for different target age groups, without sensitivity to their unique learning needs. For older users, this can manifest in different ways: exclusionary technical language, generation-specific tech terminology, or even the (in)ability of a younger instructor to fully identify to a perspective of an older learner, their tech needs, and the ways they approach learning. When outlining these considerations, one of the speakers at the WSIS session brought up the term androgogy, emphasising the differences between how children and young adults and older persons learn and acquire knowledge. For the countless libraries offering learning opportunities tailored for seniors (and adult learners), it is of course immensely valuable to keep track of the latest insights and findings in this field. In the meantime, the idea that peers from similar age groups may be better-positioned to understand each other’s learning approaches and tech skill needs is of course not new to libraries. This reflects the thinking behind such initiatives as, for example, the Cambridgeshire Libraries’ “Tea and Tablets”. As a follow up to a more formal course on using tablets, this social hour format let participants in their 70s and 80s regularly meet up and exchange tips and experiences amongst each other as they continue to explore ICTs. At the same time, another key point – as self-evident as it is crucial to remember – is that, as any other age cohort, ‘seniors’ cannot and should not be viewed as a monolithic group. Gender and geographic location are just a few of the factors shaping the ways people experience their senior years – and digital inclusion solutions should reflect this diversity. There are of course great examples of this from the library field. In New South Wales, the Tech Savvy Seniors programme for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) older Australians employed bilingual trainers, language guides and training materials adapted to be culturally and linguistically suitable for 9 languages apart from English. Seniors as co-creators and drivers of innovation, not simply users In the digital ecosystem, agency is a very pertinent question – and another point which has been raised in this policy discussion focuses on the agency of seniors in particular. To properly meet the needs of older users, technology should not be retrofitted but designed with matters such as accessibility in mind – and, of course, one of the best ways to do so is designing and co-creating tech solutions directly in consultation with older people themselves. This can be particularly relevant for discussions around emerging and transformative tech such as AI, and robotics. While there is a lot of excitement for their potential for long-term and integrated care, it is important to make sure that seniors are not just passive users of such tech, but active drivers of innovation. This can be seen in evolving library services as well. Advanced digital skills learning opportunities and “tech petting zoos” may not be new to libraries, but their value for senior users may be particularly relevant here. In Singapore, for example, the National Library Board’s approach to digital upskilling for older users is multifaceted, encompassing digital skills for both life and work. It includes, inter alia, deep-dive examinations of emerging and advances in tech like AI and cloud computing, as well as hands-on workshops where learners unleash their creativity in such fields as coding and 3D printing. All of these offers have proved very popular with their target audiences, supporting seniors’ engagement with tech innovation. Age-friendly environments Finally, it is always worth taking a step back and reflecting on the ways ICTs help build all-encompassing age-friendly environments. The latter is one of the main goals of the Healthy Ageing Decade, focusing on the full range of factors influencing the well-being and quality-of-life for people as they age: continued growth and development, health, safety, participation, autonomy. The World Health Organisation’s Age Friendly World platform includes a database of age-responsive practices and initiatives taking place on local and community levels. From Chile to Poland to Japan, it contains references to the many ways libraries, too, help build an age-friendly environment in different areas – such as culture, digital inclusion, combating isolation, or even civic engagement. ICTs, of course, play a key role in some of these library initiatives: from free audiobooks delivered for seniors with disabilities to different forms of digital literacy upskilling – e.g. walk-in, pre-booked one-on-one consultations, or formal classes. All in all, ICTs can be a powerful tool for building an empowering age-friendly environment for all. However, digital inclusion, equitable access to information and services, age-responsive tech design and tailored ICT-based services are all necessary to make this environment work for all seniors. Libraries around the world are already actively introducing services and initiatives leveraging ICTs to meet the needs of their older community members – and we look forward to seeing their further engagement with overarching and comprehensive strategies for healthy ageing and quality of life!

• — Hubbard Public Library (OHIO)’s “Toy Lending Library” and the Children’s Room Team: Mary Anne Russo, Dana Tirabassi and Amanda Balla have been named the 2022 winner of ALA’s Ernest A. DiMattia Award for Innovation and Service to Community and Profession.