Libraries as Social Hubs

A few months ago, I was browsing through Instagram, like I do on a daily basis. I came across a pictured that a friend of mine had liked, that led me to the ‘Humans of New York’ page. The photo was taken at the New York Public Library. It is of a man who works at the library describing how important the library is. He focuses a little bit on why libraries are important and how the digital age is threatening libraries. What I found the most intriguing were his comments on a need each library fulfills.

The following are his comments, “I don’t think the library is threatened. Circulation of physical books has never been higher. But I wouldn’t even agree that libraries are in the book business. I think they are in the information sharing business. And it just so happens that books have been the primary method of sharing information for half a millennium. The library isn’t going to compete with the internet. It’s going to be part of the internet. New York libraries have one of the greatest collections of information in the world, and one of our goals is to have it all curated, linked, and navigable.”

“But once you’ve uploaded all your information, haven’t you made yourself obsolete?”

“Absolutely not. Libraries provide a third space that is neither home or work, where people can come together and do thinking work. There will always be that need. And a third of New York depends upon the library system for not only free books, but free computers as well. This is especially important to immigrants, because you don’t have to prove anything to get a library card.”

The last paragraph really stuck out to me. Libraries are seen as social hubs, especially in large cities. They provide exactly what was mentioned in this New Yorkers’ comments, a third space. There are so many things that can be done at the library that bring people together. From job fairs, free classes and workshops, events and clubs, free access to the internet, job seeking assistance, to meeting places, the library provides opportunities for people to come together and learn.

I recently read an article that discussed how libraries are the ‘hub of our communities.’ The article was written by Wayne Senville and originally published in 2009 in an “issue of the
Planning commissioners journal, the principal US publication for ‘citizen planners.’” I found it interesting to find information about libraries here, but as I read the article I could see why it was included. Libraries are so important, more than we realize. The article discussed that many advantages of libraries and focused on how they benefit the community. One section that I particularly liked was how the library can be seen as a home for all of the community. Like the comments of the New Yorker on the Humans of New York Instagram, this article also mentions that idea that libraries present a third space. This article calls it, ‘neutral public space.’ With this space members of the community can come together to work on almost anything. I think the idea of this third space is just as important for libraries in smaller communities as it is to those in large cities.

Through these third spaces libraries become social hubs. More and more people are looking for social interactions, and looking to the library to find them. I believe that there will always be a need for libraries, even as we move into this new digital age. The library helps bring a community together. The provide information to anyone that will want it. They allow people to interact with one another. They are the social hubs of the future.

Works Cited

Humans of New York Instagram: http://www.humansofnewyork.com/post/105004618281/i-dont-think-the-library-is-threatened

Senville, Wayne. "Public Libraries: The Hub Of Our Communities." Aplis 22.3 (2009): 97-103. Academic Search Premier. Web. 6 Apr. 2015.