Libraries are extraordinary places
Written as a sort of flow-of-consciousness moment for Library Week in 2016. Reproduced here — sans editing I’d love to do — for accessibility and linky goodness purposes :)
Libraries are extraordinary places.
They’re community hubs,
places of learning, places of knowledge,
places of exploration, places of discovery,
places of experience,
places of companionship, places of solitude,
places of diversity, places of people-like-you,
places of challenge, places of acceptance,
places of opportunity, places of rest,
places of excitement, places of quiet, places of hubbub.
They’re places in which to meet, and places in which to retreat.
They’re for the old, the young,
the nerds, the jocks,
the weirdos, the norms,
the last, the found,
the still-searching, and everyone else.
They’re everything, to all of us.
They’re the last remaining truly public space.
To make the mistake of thinking they’re just about books,
or computers,
or any other thing,
is to miss entirely what they are, and what they can be.
Happy Library Week, everyone.
22 April 2016.
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