One of the things I've been thinking about a lot lately is library buildings, services, patrons (and non-users), design and the future. Bryce's thoughtful look at the ACE study (here) got the ball rolling for me on trauma-information library service and what that might look like and the two have been swirling around in my brain all summer.
This is my attempt at a "twist" cone, if you will, of the two concepts. I did a bad librarian thing and forgot to write down the citation information for one of the books, so I'll list all the resources I've read so far at the end in my feeble attempt to give credit where credit is due, albeit in a roundabout fashion.
Observation: Many of our patrons, young and old,
exhibit signs of having experienced trauma, either in the past or currently
Here’s a tiny bit about what researchers know about
trauma:
-Anger is a cover for feelings of despair and/or fear
resulting from these unresolved issues:
1) abandonment
2) betrayal
3) helplessness
4) shame
5) hopelessness
6) disappointment from broken
promises and unfulfilled assurances
7) sadness or depression
-When in a state of anxiety, the brain cannot recall
information processed and stored successfully during less stressful times
-Trauma impairs the ability to order things sequentially or
to use sequential steps to solve a problem --Reaching and Teaching Children Who Hurt: Strategies for Your Classroom by Susan E. Craig
-Parents who use corporal punishment rather than reasoning
to set limits for their children also spend less time talking to them.
Consequently, these children exhibit socially maladaptive behaviors such as
outbursts or meltdowns that occur when the cognitive demands of the situation
exceed the child’s capacity to respond appropriately. --Reaching and Teaching Children Who Hurt: Strategies for Your Classroom by Susan E. Craig
-Children whose early language experiences are more limited
have a harder time discriminating between important and unimportant stimuli in
the learning environment. They miss the point because they attend to irrelevant
stimuli. This leads to frustration and an inability to complete tasks in an
efficient and independent manner. --Reaching and Teaching Children Who Hurt: Strategies for Your Classroom by Susan E. Craig
Here’s what research has to say about children’s
environment and trauma:
-Environments conducive to emotionally responsive practice
need to have defined areas that contain invitations for expression
-Opportunities to play or participate in other role-taking
activities are essential to developing the ability to appreciate another’s
point of view.
-Games and puzzles require a systematic approach. Talking
about problem-solving strategies and applying them in play situations help
children develop the ability to think outside the box and generate a variety of
solutions to the same problem. --Reaching and Teaching Children Who Hurt: Strategies for Your Classroom by Susan E. Craig
-Language-rich family environments provide children with
opportunities to develop the vocabulary they need for using language to
organize their experiences and mediate their emotions. The result of families
with a more instrumental understanding of language is a roundabout discourse
style with the story parts ordered by emotional intensity rather than
procedural sequence. Children with an instrumental language style need a lot of
practice experimenting with words and learning how words can be used to build connections
between people and things. --Reaching and Teaching Children Who Hurt: Strategies for Your Classroom by Susan E. Craig
-“A play space created to achieve optimal learning would
encourage children to set their own goals, choose their own materials and means
to achieve them, and follow through on their plans.” –The Power of Play: Designing Early Learning Spaces by Dorothy Stoltz, Marisa Conner, and James Bradberry
-A clean and safe environment
-Supportive people
-A place to “vent”
-Respect
-Empathy
-Non-judgment
Philosophy for the Future?
-An active library invests in people’s success rather than
just the library’s success. That’s how it measures itself. The objective is to
focus on the complex dynamics of the systems around us to better understand the
types of engagements or improvements that are necessary. Rather than seeking
just to increase our current transactions (answer more reference
questions, teach more classes, support
more digitalization projects, the goal is to determine barriers that people are
facing (beyond just using the library) and then working to reduce roadblocks.”
–Encoding Space: Shaping Learning Environments That Unlock Human Potential by Brian Matthews and
Leigh Ann Soistmann
“While scientists once believed that brains were fixed, we
now know they are constantly morphing. As we interact with the world, our
brains respond, making each one of us unique. So, in libraries, we’re not just
helping people find and use information, we’re empowering them to rewire their
brains and changing how they relate to and experience the world.” –Encoding Space: Shaping Learning Environments That Unlock Human Potential by Brian Matthews and
Leigh Ann Soistmann
Design for the Future?
What would a library
look and feel like that was specifically organized and designed as a place that
reduces roadblocks to engagement and empowers people to rewire their brains
from their experiences of trauma?
How could projects like Building Dignity
serve as a model to inform the way we want to utilize our space?
I've got a legal pad full of notes on these two topics, so this is highly condensed, but I'm hoping this might spark some conversation in the comments! (Wink, wink, nudge, nudge). :)
Resources:
Creating Schools That Heal: Real-Life Solutions by Lesley Koplow
Starting Out Right: Nurturing Young Children as Peacemakers by Kathleen McGinnis and Barbara Oehlberg
Reaching and Teaching Stressed and Anxious Learners in Grades 4-8: Strategies for Relieving Distress and Trauma in Schools and Classrooms by Barbara Oehlberg
Ending the Shame: Transforming Public Education so it Works for All Students by Barbara Oehlberg
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