The Intersection Mindset
I recently published a piece in North Carolina Libraries titled The Intersection Mindset. It explores how libraries can position themselves at the heart of society’s most complex challenges.
Here are a few of the central ideas:
Wicked problems demand intersectional solutions
Challenges like climate change, public health, and economic inequality are deeply connected. No single discipline or institution can address them alone. We need ecosystems that help expertise collide productively.Libraries as civic connectors
Libraries are more than information providers. They are hubs where communities, scholars, and diverse perspectives interact. They create the conditions for innovation and collective action to emerge.A mindset shift makes all the difference
To meet the moment, libraries must lean into new practices: advocacy, adaptability, network building, systems literacy, and inviting those who are most affected into the center of problem solving. Knowledge becomes a tool of inclusion and meaningful action.
Why this matters right now
We can all feel the weight of the complexity that surrounds us. These problems require us to think and work in new ways. That is why I believe libraries are poised to lead…. or co-lead. They offer an inclusive grounding where curiosity thrives, where collaboration feels possible, and where new narratives of progress can take root.
In writing this piece, I was driven by a core belief: libraries can help society shift from reacting to problems toward imagining and building better systems. They can become places where futures are rehearsed and resilience is cultivated.
How Transition Design shapes my perspective
My thinking continues to be influenced by Transition Design, a framework developed at Carnegie Mellon that focuses on long-term societal change. Transition Design encourages us to understand the deep systems and cultures beneath the surface of our challenges, to imagine preferred futures together, and to take intentional steps to move toward them. It reminds us that progress does not happen in isolation. It emerges when communities connect knowledge, creativity, and purpose over time. Libraries are one of the few places designed for that kind of continuity, learning, and shared imagination.
