LT130 Libraries and Social Media (Spring 2017)

Libraries as Social Hubs
By Lori Schafer

For central library events at the San Diego Public Library:
https://www.sandiego.gov/public-library/news-events

In the Internet age the Library is transforming itself completely and is adapting with the advancement of technology and how information is delivered. In the beginning I thought the library would become obsolete because information is becoming so easily available to the public and e-books are becoming more familiar and easier to use on a variety of electronic devices. But the library is adapting and redefining their “physical spaces” as community centers and offering a variety of additional services. As mentioned in the article Public Libraries:  The Hub of our Communities, “The 21st century library has arrived, "Its mission goes far beyond loaning out books and providing reference materials. In fact, in a growing number of cities and towns, the library has become the hub of the community, drawing large numbers of new users. This is happening because libraries are providing programs, meeting space, computer access, and resources that are responding to a broader array of community needs” (Senville, 2009, p. 102). A few weeks back during National Library Week a local news station introduced a library segment with the following statement “libraries are no longer a place to get information but are quickly becoming community centers”. It seemed so strange to me that our community is already advertising our libraries as something more then a place to get books or information. I think there are few cultural reasons as well, other then the advancement of technology, that are contributing to the shift of libraries evolving into community social hubs.

With the continued growth of populations in many cities and towns, people are starting to choose to live in places that have quick access to local services such as schools, churches and libraries. As noted in the article How to Become a Great Public Space, “The most desirable neighborhoods are lively spaces that provide shops, restaurants, civic uses, and gathering places in an environment conducive to walking" ("How to", 2003, p. 72). If libraries are becoming “physical spaces” that are centrally located in neighborhoods that offer a variety of services, then it makes sense, as Phil Myrick notes in an interview with American Libraries, that they will become “desirable destinations for citizens looking to mingle, meander, and meditate, as well as to access information” (“How to,” 2003, p. 72).

Coffee shops are emerging everywhere in our communities. Super bookstores like Borders and Barnes & Nobles are well known for their in-house cafes while shopping for books and this concept is influencing libraries decisions to incorporate coffee shops within their physical spaces as well. Libraries are even locating their physical spaces in shopping centers to be closer to food courts, stores and coffee shops where it’s easier for patrons to access their services while shopping.  I was actually shocked when I saw our local Chula

Vista Public Library open a branch in our local Otay Ranch Mall (photo on right) but it started to make sense after hanging out at the mall after a few years because it was convenient. In the article Libraries with Lattes:  The Third New Place, Kate Meyrick of the Australian Horney Institute “suggests that a key component of a third place is a availability

Chula Vista Library – Otay Ranch Branch.

of food and drink, especially good coffee” and as the author points out if Meyrick is correct “then coffee shops will play a vital role in helping libraries to build communities and create a new third place away from work and home” (Harris, 2007, p. 145). If public libraries increasingly become community centers with comfortable and welcoming spaces, then integrating cafes would only contribute to making libraries a friendly environment where people would gather and linger more frequently.

Libraries are key components to strong communities and are an incredible, invaluable social hub of bringing people together. They are far from obsolete in the technology age and in fact seem to be evolving and thriving with all of the changes. As noted by Wayne Senville, “when libraries are located in downtown, village, or neighborhood centers, there is also a special synergy at work. Libraries generate increased business for local merchants, while those shopping or working downtown visit the library as part of their day.  Libraries and community. They really are inseparable” (Senville, 2009, p. 102).

References:
Harris, C. (2007). LIBRARIES WITH LATTES: THE NEW THIRD PLACE. Aplis, 20(4), 145-152.
How to Become a Great Public Space. (2003). American Libraries, 34(4), 72.
Senville, W. (2009). PUBLIC LIBRARIES: THE HUB OF OUR COMMUNITIES. Aplis, 22(3), 97-103.