David Engwicht’s concept that “home is a feeling, not a location” resonates deeply with me. I’d like to share two experiences that shaped my view of information institutions: my job as student worker (where I found “home” as a student), and my first job after graduating (where I was allowed to build that “home” for others).
My time as a student worker at my university’s library was my first time witnessing how an information space can transform into a home. Due to a previous supervisor being very uptight and strict, our library had a bit of a reputation of not being the most friendly place to work. This was a catalyst to hire a new supervisor who approached her role not just as a manager, but as a community builder. She treated all of us like family; getting to know our goals, aspirations, and interests on a personal level. She had amazing rapport with each and every one of us, and would check in consistently that went beyond basic supervision– creating a support system that many of us needed during the drama of other friend groups and stressful classes. This physically manifested in the break room where student employees would hang out, socialize, study, or simply find peace from the rest of campus (which was very beneficial to the workplace because we always had a steady presence of backup, in case a shift got called off last minute!). This experience embodied what Ray Oldenburg describes in the lecture as a “third place” - a space beyond home and work that provides “a loose, interactive structure” where relationships develop naturally.
The Will Story
Right at the end of my senior year, as I was wrapping up my final semester working at the library
That being said, my first job out of college was quite literally the perfect follow up. In 2021, I was one of the first to staff a newly-established resource center (as a side, I found Michael Bierut finding different outrageous names for the library deeply funny. Our dean had the similar case of “branding gone wild” when she decided to name our center the “STEM Learning Zone”… anyways…)
Our only instruction from our boss was: “make this place as warm and welcoming as possible”. This was to serve the audience at the time: students who have lacked a sense of belonging after years of online learning. This approach echoes what the main lecture identifies as “place-making” rather than mere “space-making”– creating an environment focused on “community needs and goals, including health, happiness, and well-being”. We ended up creating what turned out to be the “living room” of the building, taking on a broad range of communal roles as we received feedback from the community. We would host club meetings, professor office hours, tutoring sessions. We were also a study spot, a computer lab, and proctoring center. The final product reminded me of the “learning commons” approach described in the lecture, which centralizes the library with other support functions.
Our ultimate vision was to be the one place a student could come to if they need help of any kind, ranging from classroom to community needs. I hold a lot of sentimentality for my role here! It was incredibly rewarding to overhear a student talk to a professor about their failing grade, to checking them in for weekly office hours and tutoring sessions, then personally proctoring the exam that they ended up acing. Not just a staffer for the desk, I became their cheerleader, confidant, constant support, and friend that witness their entire journey from struggle to success, and celebrated each milestone with them. This went beyond academic performance and extended to genuine safety and security. Probably the most rewarding interaction I had was when I was privately thanked by one student for building space they could felt truly safe in, revealing that their home environment was unsafe.
Having lived both sides, these experiences fundamentally transformed my understanding of the impact information centers can make. Mirroring words I’ve said over and over again: libraries can be more than repositories of knowledge– they are spaces that can anchor communities that foster belonging. Coming full circle, I am now a student supervisor myself for one of our campus libraries, and aim to embody what I’ve learned about the importance of developing personal connections and support, alongside work responsibilities. I find that getting workers personally invested in the workplace– by showing that we care– improves both morale and quality of service. And in a virtuous cycle, I hope this feeling of belonging then gets passed on to patrons as well.