13 Association of Research Libraries Research Library Issues 303 2022 life. Through the examples of new or renovated public library spaces (the NYPL, the Brownsville Public Library in Brooklyn, the Elmhurst Library in Queens, the Hunter’s Point Library, the Greenpoint Library in Brooklyn, and a quick detour to the Tenerife Library on the Canary Islands), he discussed the importance of the community context in which a library is situated, the need for accessibility and inclusiveness, and the role libraries can and should play in bridging the gap between the natural world and the built environment. Through the examples he gave, Moore positioned library spaces as part of the social infrastructure, and advocated for spaces that encourage diverse types of interactions and mindful reflection, cultivate knowledge and respect for the environment, and mix programs and people through meaningful partnerships, e.g. with an environmental education center (Greenpoint) or an arts and culture center (Tenerife). In response to a question from the audience, he also cautioned against the “paradigm shift narrative” of completely remote work environments, which is rife with issues of equity and access and concluded that the pandemic has shown that public infrastructure, i.e. shared common physical spaces, need investment, care, and innovation, as much as the virtual world does. Shrey Majmudar opened with some student trends—current college students are more diverse and nontraditional in every respect, including having a variety of academic and learning needs they expect a greater emphasis on mental health and well-being they are accustomed to hybrid and online learning and they expect and are interested in new technologies. Prior to the pandemic, the traditional and unique uses of academic libraries by students included individual study, non-academic-setting learning, collaborative work, conversations with fellow students and faculty, organized gatherings with faculty larger program gatherings, such as academic presentations use of archival resources and interactions with library staff. The pandemic shattered many of these uses and affected, in particular, the communal aspect of library use. Students, Majmudar emphasized, miss gathering in places, academic talks, lectures, and events in the library. Moving on to the future of academic libraries
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