When I read the Knight Foundation’s special invitation to libraries for submissions to the Knight News Challenge, I didn’t run to put a submission together myself. Instead, I made a vow to keep an eye on the submissions. You see, I’m a librarian on the front lines of library service. I don’t always have a say in what equipment gets purchased or what programs get implemented in my library. I can make suggestions and write proposals, of course, but ultimately, the final word comes from the administration and board of directors at my library. And you know what? I’m cool with that. The fact is, there is a spectacular amount of freedom and creativity on the implementation-side of librarian work.

So when the proposal started pouring in, (Whoa! There are 680 library submissions! YAY LIBRARIES!) I decided that, rather than submit my own proposal, I’d try a thought experiment: What would I do with my favorite Knight News Challenge Project?

The first step was to read through as many submissions as I could in a reasonable amount of time. I chose a few of my favorite project ideas, and started brainstorming. Then I had to pick my pony, and run with it. In the end, there was one submission that got my library mojo going. It was this entry submitted by Phil Shapiro’s entry: Video Booths at Libraries to Create Charlie Rose Style Interviews to Capture the Best Ideas From People Who Are Not Famous.

Video booths are a fantastic idea for public libraries, and I think there many ways we can put them to use. Building one from scratch is feasible, but a huge endeavor for a small library. Being a children’s librarian, I’m usually thinking in the youth services context, but I think it’s a flexible concept that could be riffed on for a wide variety of purposes and audiences. The main objective is largely influenced by my two major professional and personal heroes: Fred Rogers and Vivian Paley. This summer, I dove into two interrelated research projects. I find that their ideas have shifted the foundation of my day-to-day world, and allowed me to deepen my connections to the community in which I work. Moreover, my research lead me to develop two experimental library programs based on the work of these early child development visionaries.

I wrote about Little Authors in an earlier post. It’s a story dictation program for kids 3-8. Kids tell stories to an attentive adult who writes down their story verbatim. I think a video booth would allow this program to grow in unimaginable ways. One of my “crazy, over-the-top goals” would be to develop a community-based web series like Written By A Kid. If you haven’t had a chance to watch it, I recommend watching Scary Smash ASAP.

Of course, once you start thinking what it means to collect family & community stories, there is no limit to what a library can do. The Atlantic published a story on the importance of family storytelling on young children. What Kids Learn From Hearing Family Stories had a big impact on me. I talk about this article with in storytime, and encourage the parents who attend my storytimes with their children every chance I get. Here are a few more ideas for implementing participatory projects designed around public library video booths:

2) The Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood of the 21st Century starts in the public library

The simplest way is simply to pose simple, specific, yet open-ended, questions-of-the-week to parents who frequent the library, and request informal, off-the-cuff answers in 30s or less. Here are just a few examples of good questions to “ask your neighborhood”.

• Ask about memories…
  • What was your favorite toy/book/story as a child?
  • What is your earliest autumn/summer/winter/spring memory?
  • Did you ever help your sister/mom/dad/teacher do something that made you feel especially proud?

• Ask about parenting experiences…

• What questions does your child ask you the most?
• What is your child most curious about?
• What is the single most important piece of advice you can offer a 1st-time parent?
• What is single most important piece of advice you can offer a parent who is about to have kid #2?
• What is your best parenting lifehacks!
• What is their weirdest question your child has ever asked?

• Ask the neighborhood about work/jobs/hobbies (hopefully some of them actually love their work)
  • Can you describe your job in under 10 words? (e.g. I often describe being a children’s librarian as “I read picture books for a living”)
  • What is the most interesting/funniest thing you’ve ever done or seen at work?

I have one BIG DREAM public service project that might be ideal for a video booth. Actually, it doesn’t require video so much audio, but I assume the video booth could be developed with audio-only recording in mind, as well. Like I said, this is a highly speculative project since the technology is still in the development stage. But, after all, so is this Knight Foundation grant proposal. I figured, why not blend these two speculative ideas together? You can learn more about this incredible technology on the VocalID website.