(Photo: bigoteetoe on Flickr)
So there seems to be a bit of a fuss about libraries being closed lately. One library in Milton Keynes was completely emptied by locals protesting against proposed cuts. The Independent reports that 375 branch libraries are currently under threat. The #savelibraries tag was trending over the weekend. And the blogosphere has of course has it's say. One post that caught my eye was this one (credit to @edent for linkage), in which the writer argues that libraries are outdated and should be replaced with a government funded scheme to hand out e-readers to the population. She makes some very good points about how books, in their physical form, are becoming more and more obsolescent and that digital distribution (whether through a book shop or in a library) is the future. I would have to agree on quite a few points of this - there definitely seems to be a trend towards e-books that I think will only increase as devices like the Kindle get cheaper. I also think that having a taxpayer funded discount or rental scheme would probably increase reading, as e-readers make the point of sale so much easier.
However I think that libraries serve a much greater purpose that simply serving up free books. I think that the social meeting place aspect also is of great importance, and I think that letting so many of these buildings go to waste seems, well a waste. Nowadays libraries are not just for lending books, but also often have space for training, job-skills, and cafes. Now I'm not arguing for turning them into Starbucks competitors, but I think that their secondary roles can be expanded to do a great deal more.
What I'm proposing is that libraries transform themselves into co-working spaces, or perhaps even hackspaces. Call it Library 2.0, or some other stupid buzzword. Cut down on book shelf space (and offer digital rentals to take up the slack) and use it to give out to important community projects. There's plenty of people who would jump at something like this - I'm sort of involved in helping to set up a Southampton Hackspace myself and one of the biggest problems is finding a suitable, cheap place. For those not in the know, co-working spaces are basically open workspaces where people are free to come and work, but are not employed by the same company. A similar concept, hackspaces, are essentially the same but with building things in mind. All they need is a relatively small room, and a place to store equipment and paperwork. Libraries, I think, fit this bill well - they have the space, are usually centrally-located (and are therefore easy to get to) and work to support the community. With the addition of a nice fat internet pipe (essential in my opinion) and some system of dividing up time and space, and you have a bunch of people willing to use libraries again.
Don't think your library has enough space? How about an open newsroom? Combine the library with the local paper and open it up to the public so that they can interact with the journalists. This kills two birds with one stone, as many local papers are dying and community engagement seems like a good way to combat this. The open news room is already being tested out in America. Obviously there'd be some problems to sort out with the mix of a publicly-funded library and a private enterprise, but maybe it's something we should try. Alternatively the space could be used to set up a 'geek school' where advice and training on computers, the internet and other such technical problems could be offered. Open-source and free software, such as Ubuntu, could be given out and demoed. Problems with the e-reader scheme are bound to arise (people unable to work the devices, poor software, DRMed books), so libraries could be a quick and easy way to get advice in person (this is especially important for older people).
The tl:dr version of this is I see all that lovely space in libraries potentially going to waste when there's plenty of people with clever ideas on how to use it in creative, community-building ways. Let's not do that.
No comments:
Post a Comment