I chose Susan Cain’s book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking because I am an introvert myself and have been wondering about how introverts might engage (or not) with participatory spaces in our library. I think more traditional libraries have been seen as spaces for introverts, and it’s possible that changes to libraries brought through innovation may make patrons wonder whether a library is still a space for introverts. Cain explores what it means to be an introvert, the ways in which extroversion seems to be prioritized in American culture, and the benefits of making space for introverts and their skills in all settings. A few sections of the book felt especially applicable to library work, and even more so to school libraries.
As part of the foundation of this book, Cain explores various definitions of introversion. While she never seems to have one sentence that clearly defines it, it is clear that being an introvert means having a well-developed interior life, and that spending time alone helps a person “recharge” (Cain, 2012, pp. 11-12). She also explores the differences in how introverts and extroverts work, which adds to her definition, and she takes time to differentiate between introversion and shyness.
Introversion is not only related to people and interactions, but also to novel situations and stimuli in general (Cain, 2012, pp. 99-104). In one longitudinal study, the researcher found that babies who reacted strongly to novel situations tended to become introverted children and adults who continued to react strongly to novel situations, although they did so internally (Kagan & Snidman, 2004, as cited in Cain, 2012). Clearly, introversion is not as simple as preferring alone time.
“…what we’re really observing is a child’s sensitivity to novelty in general.” (Cain, 2012, p. 102)
On a personal note, I am an introvert and found it challenging to bring balance to my life in my previous career as a teacher. I found that teaching was far too extroverted for me, particularly with the schedule at my school at the time. I was unable to recharge my batteries during the school day. This was a major factor in my decision to move to librarianship after only 10 years in the classroom (I had planned to make the transition further on in my career). While I desperately miss having my own classroom and working closely with my kids on a daily basis, I definitely feel I’ve found a healthier balance for myself in the library.
Of course, as an adult, I have the luxury of being able to change environments to suit my personality. Cain includes an entire chapter about working with introverted children, in which she discusses the fact that classroom sizes and school structures generally have been designed with childcare, budgets, and efficiency in mind, not with children’s best interest in mind (2012, p. 253).
We often marvel at how introverted, geeky kids “blossom” into secure and happy adults. We liken it to a metamorphosis. However, maybe it’s not the children who change but their environments. As adults, they get to select the careers, spouses, and social circles that suit them…kids stop learning when they feel emotionally threatened. (Cain, 2012, pp. 253-254)
As a school librarian, I felt especially interested in this chapter. It seems that school environments are often stressful for introverted children (and I would add introverted adults, though this is not addressed in the book), which comes as no surprise to me as an introvert and former teacher.
“But make sure that you’re not imposing your own longings, and remember that there are many paths to a satisfying life,” (Cain, 2012, p. 259)
Cain also provides advice to teachers and parents, much of which can be applied to a school library as well (2012, pp. 255-259). Above all, Cain seems to return over and over again to the point that introverts do not need to be fixed in order to thrive; they need to be encouraged to be themselves. She suggests that teachers need to be intentional and, “Mix it up,” when it comes to teaching methods and activities, ensuring a balance between approaches that appeal to introverts or to extroverts (p. 255). Approaches include things like group work, movement, lecturing, individual projects, etc. This could easily be applied to a library’s programming, for which we could intentionally plan to rotate through alternating introvert or extrovert-centric approaches. Giving opportunities for introverts (who tend to have deep, long-term passions) to explore their deeper interests is another piece of Cain’s advice. This is another piece of advice we could implement through programming, by eliciting suggestions of topics and activities from our students and rotating through their ideas. In general, the idea is to give all types of students opportunities to connect.
One way to further engage and harness the power of our school’s introverted students would be to have the kiddos help design some of our spaces and programming. This fits with another piece of advice from Cain, who suggests that providing specific jobs or roles to introverts during group work or collaboration (2012, pp. 255-256). We will be redesigning some of the spaces in our library within the next year or two, and while discussing ideas with campus adults, phrases like “collaborative spaces” have been thrown around a lot during conversations. We’ve already made a lot of changes to our library, resulting in more engagement, and frankly more noise and activity. This has been our goal, but the higher level of stimulation could potentially drive away introverted students, who likely found our previously-underused library to be a sanctuary in quieter times. Perhaps it will be important to invite more voices and personalities to planning conversations. Inviting teens to help design a library’s spaces worked wonderfully for The Mix, which we read about previously, resulting in spaces and activities that get a lot of use (Costanza, 2015). I can imagine the benefits of incorporating such a process at our library; perhaps we can specifically challenge the kids to design spaces or activities for both extroverts and introverts in our library. I wonder what our kids would come up with to make it a more welcoming space for all.
Resources
Cain, S. (2012). Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can’t stop talking. Crown Publishers.
Costanza, K. (2015, August 28). In San Francisco, teens design a living room for high-tech learning at the public library. YOUmedia. https://youmedia.org/news/in-san-francisco-teens-design-a-living-room-for-high-tech-learning-at-the-public-library/
Duffy, L. (2012). Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can’t stop talking [Image of book cover]. Crown Publishers. https://www.amazon.com/Quiet-Power-Introverts-World-Talking/dp/0307352153
Kagan, J. & Snidman, N. (2004). The long shadow of temperament. Harvard University Press.
Hello Emily,
I found the content of your context book review to be interesting! As an introvert myself, I thought it was cool to see how it was broken down in the context of the library. I found that working in the public library actually made me break out of my “introvertedness” a little more, at least during my job hours. The one thing I would highlight as important though perhaps in introverts’ lives, but maybe extroverts as well, is having that work life balance to detach oneself from the demands of the day.
Hi, @vivianalv86! Thanks for your comment. Yes, as an introvert, it’s so important to have some recharging time. It’s one reason why I think it’s important to preserve some introvert-oriented activities–the kids and the adults need that time.
I’ve found a good balance at my library, and I’m glad that it sounds like you have found some balance too. As a teacher, I found the extroversion required to be too much for me! Library work can still be quite interactive and social, but I find it easier to plan in small chunks of quiet introspective work time, which allows me to recharge. I do feel for introverted kids who aren’t able to have control over their time, though. It can be stressful!