Presented at LILAC 2024.

1. The University
Library
Liberating the library
through information
creation: a ‘messy’
workshop
The Creative Library
Vicky Grant, Tomás Rocha Lawrence,
Rhian Whitehead-Wright, Courtney Wood

2. The project team
2
Left to right: Rhian, Tomás, Courtney and Vic

3. Project overview
3
The Creative Library Project Website
Project overview

4. Learning outcomes
By the end of this LILAC workshop you will have:
1. Developed an understanding of the relationship between information
creation and library liberation.
2. Undertaken experiential learning of an arts based information creation
activity.
3. Established collective hope for LILAC 2024 and beyond.
4

5. Wellbeing spaces
5

6. The University
Library
Connecting
activity
6

7. The University
Library
Connecting
activity
7
● For today’s connecting
activity we are asking
you to create your
own bookmark
inspired by your
favourite book!
● You can incorporate
your name through
choosing a book that
begins with the first
letter of your name.
● Alternatively, you
could incorporate a
drawing of an item
that begins with the
first letter of your
name.

8. Collage
This activity was originally part of our Black
History Month workshop. Collaging occured as
part of a reflection on housing inequality in the UK
and its disproportionate impact on Black
communities. After engaging in a VR session
watching a Grenfell Tower documentary and
reading some academic texts on the social
impacts of housing insecurity, students collaged
their reflections.
For today we will be focusing on creating collages
based on the wider theme of ‘Home’.
● What does home mean to you?
● What aspects of home are most important to
you?
● How do you relate home and belonging to
your identity?
8

9. Blackout poetry
For our Reclaim The Night workshop, we
used Blackout poetry during our collaging
activity to deconstruct misogynistic texts.
● Today, marker pens will be used so that
you can also create your own Blackout
poems to deconstruct texts.
9

10. Fidget toy making
Taking inspiration from an activity from our
Disability History Month workshop we
will be creating fidget toys, using a variety
of materials.
● Use craft items such as foam, card
and googly eyes to create your own
poppet style fidget toys.
● We also have parts created on our
3D printers for you to assemble into a
spinner style fidget toy.
10

11. The Creative LILAC Workshop
Group one:
Home Collage
Inspired by our BHM
workshop
What does home mean to you?
What aspects of home are most
important to you?
How do you relate home and
belonging to your identity?
Group two:
Blackout Poetry
Inspired by our RTN
workshop
Use marker pens to deconstruct
texts, creating your own Blackout
poems.
11
Group three:
Fidget Toys
Inspired by our DHM
workshop
Use craft items such as foam,
card and googly eyes to create
your own poppet style fidget
toys.
We also have parts created on
our 3D printers for you to
assemble into a spinner style
fidget toy.

12. The Sheffield Graduate Attributes
sheffield.ac.uk/skills/sga
12

13. The Jar of Hope
On this final day of
LILAC 2024 what do
you hope for in the
weeks and months
ahead?
13
“There is no change without dream, as there is no
dream without hope” (Freire, 2014).

14. Follow the project
https://sites.google.com/sheffield.ac.uk/thecreativelibrary
14

15. Any
questions?
Vicky Grant - v.grant@sheffield.ac.uk,
Tomás Rocha Lawrence - liberation.officer@sheffield.ac.uk,
Rhian Whitehead-Wright - r.whitehead-wright@sheffield.ac.uk,
Courtney Wood - cwood8@sheffield.ac.uk
15

16. References
16
ACRL. (2011). Visual literacy competency standards for higher education. www.ala.org/acrl/standards/visualliteracy
ACRL. (2015). Framework for information literacy for higher education. www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework
Carastathis, A. (2014). The concept of intersectionality in feminist theory. Philosophy Compass, 9(5), 304–314. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/phc3.12129.
Cook, T. (2009). The purpose of mess in action research: building rigour though a messy turn, Educational Action Research, 17:2, 277-291, DOI:
10.1080/09650790902914241
Coonan, E. & Secker, J. (2011). A new curriculum for information literacy: curriculum and supporting documents. Arcadia Project. Cambridge University
Library. http://ccfil.pbworks.com/f/ANCIL_final.pdf
Cooperrider, D. & Srivastva, S. (1987). Appreciative inquiry in organizational life. In: Woodman, R. & Pasmore, W. (eds). Research in organizational change
and development. London: JAI Press, 129-169.
Crenshaw, K. (2018). What is intersectionality? https://youtu.be/ViDtnfQ9FHc?si=TgHk2G5uJKlZdoFo
Crilly, J. and Everitt, R. (eds). (2022). Narrative expansions: interpreting decolonisation in academic libraries. London: Facet Publishing.
Donovan, C. & O'Donnell, S. (2013). The tyranny of tradition: how information paradigms limit librarians' teaching and student scholarship. In: Gregory, L. &
Higgins, S. (eds). Information literacy and social justice. Sacramento, CA: Library Juice Press, 121-139.
Ewing, S. (2022). Decolonising research methodologies. In: Crilly, J. & Everitt, R. (eds). Narrative expansions: interpreting decolonisation in academic
libraries. London: Facet Publishing, 25-38.

17. References contd.
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Fister, B. (2015). The liminal library: making our libraries sites of transformative learning. Librarians' Information Literacy Annual Conference. Newcastle.
Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed, London: Penguin.
Freire, P. & Freire A. (2014). Pedagogy of hope: reliving Pedagogy of the oppressed, London; New York: Bloomsbury.
Goldsmiths University Library. (2023). Liberate our Library. www.gold.ac.uk/library/about/liberate-our-library
Herman, J. (1994). Trauma and recovery, London: Pandora.
Heron, J. & Reason, P. (2008). Extending epistemology within a co-operative inquiry. In Reason, P. & Bradbury, H. (eds). The SAGE handbook of action
research: participative inquiry and practice. (2nd ed). Los Angeles: SAGE, 366-380.
hooks, b. (1994). Teaching to transgress. London; New York: Routledge.
Kara, H. (2020). Creative research methods: a practical guide. London: Polity Press.
Land, R. and Meyer, J. (2006). Overcoming barriers to student understanding: threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge. Abingdon: Routledge.
Melo, M. and Nichols, J. (eds) (2019). Re-making the library makerspace: critical theories, reflections, and practices, Litwin Books, LLC, Sacramento, CA.
Open University Library. (2012). Digital and information literacy framework. www.open.ac.uk/libraryservices/subsites/dilframework/
Reason, P. & Bradbury, H. (2008). The SAGE handbook of action research: participative inquiry and practice. (2nd ed). Los Angeles: SAGE.
University of Cape Town Library. (2020). The research lifecycle model. Unpublished concept document.
University of Sheffield Library. (2019). Framework for information and digital literacy. www.librarydevelopment.group.shef.ac.uk/idl_framework