Stumbling Into a Library | Part of the “Just An Idea” Series
I stumbled into a library last week.
I was walking up 6th Avenue in Greenwich Village when I stopped to really notice the architecture of a beautiful building. In a rare instance when I was in no rush to be anywhere, I decided to walk inside. When I walked in, my immediate, audible reaction was “OH! This is a library!” The person sitting at the front desk let out an immediate, audible LOL, and welcomed me in.
I spent two hours in the Jefferson Market Library that day. I got lost flipping through children’s books, my favorite of which was “Why Don’t Cars Run on Apple Juice?” Considering this was a Saturday afternoon, the library was surprisingly full. There were kids reading and playing, adults downstairs using computers to work or scroll through Facebook, and fellow wanderers getting lost in the stacks.
I left feeling inspired. Let’s make libraries great again. Not by “disrupting” libraries, but by reminding people how great they are. We’ll start by meeting people where they’re currently spending their time — on their phones.
Maybe we create a social network for readers, with the goal of initiating in-person events at public libraries.
- Show your friends when you’re “checked-in” at the library like you would on Foursquare, encouraging them to come hang, read, and discuss.
- Suggest book-related discussion topics within the social network, and create a Doodle-like poll for people interested — automatically book a time and space at the library once you find a time that works for 7 people (the size of my mom’s book club seems appropriate) for an in-person subreddit-like conversation.
- Bring in authors for in-person AMA’s — maybe readers can contribute to a Crowdtilt-type (RIP) campaign to compensate authors for their time. Help writers make more money for the work they produce!
- Offer a cellphone locker at the entrance to the library, for people to disconnect from their devices before they enter the land of books, introspection, and meaningful conversation.
- Maintain all-are-welcome vibes.
Maybe we’ll be more incentivized to read thoughtfully, because the more knowledge we absorb, the more meaningful the conversations we can have with like-minds, and the more potential for meaningful connection when we come together at the library.
You may be thinking, this sounds nice, but what if it leads to overcrowded libraries and makes them less great for the people who already frequent them? Valid. But all around Jefferson Market Library, and the country at large, there are empty retail spaces — a result of “Death by Amazon”. Wouldn’t it be beautifully ironic to transform these empty retail spaces into libraries for the 21st century, and be part of a cultural shift that gets us utilizing physical, public spaces to share knowledge and wisdom — off of Amazon, which pulled us out of the library in the first place…
Anyway, just an idea. Thanks for stopping by.
