Turning Library Spaces Into Community Places Posted on August 7, 2009 by Richard

3 I had an epiphany about the public libraries project this morning. In a school l ibrary as it happens. It suddenly dawned on me that it s not about the books. What I mean by this is that I have been too focused on books and the question of how digital books will influence physical libraries in the future. In short, wi ll physical books disappear and take physical libraries along with them? But lib raries are not just collections of books. They are collections of people. It is the physical interaction of people, information and ideas in all forms tha t create a library and the physical space is hugely important. Libraries are com munity hubs. They are places where people go to borrow things and find answers, but they are also public spaces where people go to do things. Libraries are not just defined by what s inside them but who s inside them and what s going on or availa ble there. It s a bit like newspapers. The newspaper industry has got hung up with the issue of the internet when the real issue is content. Newspapers have become obsessed with online competition. This is a battle they have already lost and they should therefore focus more on the type of information that suits paper rather than pi xels. This has direct relevance to libraries. Digital books are here whether you like it or not and virtual libraries won t be far behind. But neither of these developm ents will kill physical books or physical libraries because the two experiences are quite different. When people read something on a screen they are usually in a hurry. They are loo king for something quite specific and speed and convenience are critical. With p hysical newspapers, magazines and books people generally have a totally differen t mindset. Mobile or screen-based media suits news, fast facts and snack-sized bursts of di straction. Fibre-media suits longer analysis and commentary. One is about speed whereas the other is more about relaxation and reflection. What I suspect this will mean is that information splits into two. News and vocat ional information will live largely online, whereas leisure reading will continue t o exist on paper. There will clearly be a crossover as one bleeds into the other , but generally I think this is what will happen. So what are the implications of this for public libraries? First, the demand for fast information will increase. I s will mostly be delivered online. Libraries can compete hould, up to a point, because not everyone has access to However, to focus too much on this would, in my opinion, need to know this now! Thi with this and so they s a laptop or an iPhone. be a big mistake.

Libraries are slow thinking spaces and they should stay that way. The majority o f library users are not in a rush. They do not have a search and destroy mindset ( William Powers). They have a settle down mindset. In the future, the majority of library users will enter a library to slow down a nd escape from the fast-paced digital world outside. Libraries should therefore

stay focused on slow reading and other reflective leisure-based activities rangi ng from music and film to art and history. This might sound boring but it needn t be. Depending on the building and the people inside it public libraries can be v ibrant places featuring cafes, shops, gyms, crches, theatres, galleries and variou s cultural activities and events. But the most important thing of all has nothing to do with media or content . The m ost important thing a library does is to connect people. This could be two indiv iduals or an entire community. It doesn t matter. People, like ideas, are inherent ly social and both need physical spaces to come into contact with each other.