Hacking the Public Library

Abstract

Public library staff worldwide are embracing the spirit of hackerdom by taking matters into their own hands and creating their own digital platforms, tools and content to better connect people and information. Libraries are creating online environments that connect the stories of their local communities. They are creating social layers in their catalogues. They are exposing their data to remix and repurposing. Hacking is a nimble, creative act of using existing elements to better serve a new purpose. Hacking includes the following practices - finding new uses and combinations for existing elements; exhibiting high technical skill and going beyond expectations; playing creatively; building freely on the efforts of others; and, finally, working collaboratively in community. In this keynote, Kathryn Greenhill examines what public librarians can learn from four of our colleagues who are already hacking the public library, and how these hacking principles can be used to repurpose our public libraries as we move from curation and access of content to collaborations with our local communities to produce local digital content.