Establishing an emotional connection: the librarian as (digital) storyteller

Abstract

The offering of electronic content was once considered a value add to physical collections. Today, the majority of clients expect libraries – as well as other collecting institutions such as archives, galleries and museums – to facilitate access to digital material as a standard service. In response to these expectations, many different types of library services, and other information agencies, have worked to establish an online presence to complement and enrich a physical presence. The processes required to select items, digitise them and subsequently make them accessible online are essential to the development of any digital collection. This article argues that the usefulness of such collections can be greatly enhanced if digitised objects are presented as part of a story. Moreover, this article acknowledges that librarians have always been storytellers, while suggesting the need to build on this craft to ensure that storytelling takes place in both physical and digital settings. In particular, this article will look at the ideas of curating and choreographing, and will highlight how these concepts can work together to produce creative online environments that facilitate the establishment of a series of emotional connections between clients and collection materials.