Thanks to all who gave their input on the definition of the word library.\u00c2\u00a0 As you may have guessed, I did have an ulterior motive when I posted my request.\u00c2\u00a0 The world is changing, and the role of libraries in the world is changing.\u00c2\u00a0 Are libraries still the silent bastions of study that they once were?\u00c2\u00a0 Or have they become community meeting places, centerpieces of the community?\u00c2\u00a0 Is one role preferable over the other?\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
I have always loved libraries, because they are quiet, peaceful havens with lots and lots of books.\u00c2\u00a0 When I’ve been in school and used libraries for studying, my study breaks usually consisted of walking through the stacks, browsing through books of different topics.\u00c2\u00a0 I had the best study carrel my senior year in college – it had carpeted walls and was against the wall at the end of a long stack of books – and two stacks over from my carrel was a collection of books on the\u00c2\u00a0history of Pennsylvania.\u00c2\u00a0 I loved flipping through those aging books and\u00c2\u00a0learning more about the area in which my college was located.\u00c2\u00a0 I also loved going one floor down and across into the newer part of that library, to the section of old yearbooks, where I’d browse through looking for photos of my dad, my uncle, my brother, and friends who had graduated.\u00c2\u00a0 Somewhere in that section is my yearbook, the one I never bought a copy of for myself, with the photos of me and my boyfriend of the moment; I wonder if current students ever browse through that yearbook and wonder about that oddly matched couple.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
When I socialized in my college library, it was always in the main foyer area, where socializing was approved of, or on “the boat,” which was well known as the only section of the library where you could get away with talking.\u00c2\u00a0 You didn’t sit on “the boat” if you actually wanted to get work done.\u00c2\u00a0 And in my hometown’s library, the librarians were always quite strict about maintaining a quiet atmosphere.\u00c2\u00a0 The main socializing that occured between teens at that library took place via copious graffiti in the study carrels.<\/p>\n
So obviously my bias is towards libraries as quiet, reflective places where I can bury myself in a book and lose track of time and space.\u00c2\u00a0 Some would probably consider this model to be old-fashioned, and it probably is.\u00c2\u00a0 But what happens when we lose the peaceful aspect of libraries?\u00c2\u00a0 Are there any other public spaces in our society that provide room for silent contemplation?\u00c2\u00a0 How necessary is it to have calm havens?\u00c2\u00a0 Is there a greater need for a safe, controlled community space that is open to all?\u00c2\u00a0 And if a library becomes a community gathering spot, does that then draw more people to reading, people who might not otherwise visit the library and check out books, thereby serving more people in the community than if it were operating on my old-fashioned library model?<\/p>\n
I don’t have answers to these questions.\u00c2\u00a0 Truly, I don’t know which library direction is more important for the world today.\u00c2\u00a0 All I know for sure is that my own personal preference is for silence in a library, a preference\u00c2\u00a0born out of my love of books and reading, my past library experiences, and my tendency towards introversion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Thanks to all who gave their input on the definition of the word library.\u00c2\u00a0 As you may have guessed, I did have an ulterior motive when I posted my request.\u00c2\u00a0 The world is changing, and the role of libraries in the world is changing.\u00c2\u00a0 Are libraries still the silent bastions of study that they once … Continue reading Library, continued<\/span>