Libraries are bastions of culture that enable learning of all sorts. In 2016, however, libraries are also institutions that find themselves at a crossroads. While it is still too early to declare a free fall, library usage has declined in recent years and public opinion regarding the role of libraries has evolved. This moment requires serious thought about how to keep libraries and communities engaged. Laura Damon-Moore and Trent Miller are an unofficial duo exerting the mental energy it takes to come up with creative solutions and get people in libraries.

Laura is the co-founder of the Library as Incubator Project (LAIP). LAIP seeks to both foster connections between libraries and artists, and solidify the library as an incubator for patron and community creativity. Trent spearheads The Bubbler Program, which turns the Madison Public Library into exactly the sort of incubator that LAIP advocates. While the two of them work in capacities that are not officially related, there is an unmissable kinship between their projects. Their years-long friendship has spawned many conversations about the role of libraries that Laura laughingly describes as being filled with “violent agreement.”

Laura and Trent’s work has circulated the library circuit for years, and their upcoming panel at SXSW Interactive will bring their ideas to a new audience. They are about to have their, in Laura’s words, “big non-library introduction.” I was recently able to have a conversation with Laura and Trent in advance of their SXSW debut and I put some of the highlights of our talk into the video below. Check it out!

When and Where:
Sunday, March 13
12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
Palmer Events Center – Room 4-5 / 900 Barton Springs Road

Find out more: Get Messy in the Library: Art, Making and Tinkering