Libraries and the Rise of Third Spaces
- lenapcar
- Jun 3
- 5 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
By Morgan Carter and Liv Tees
Contributions by Emma Haecker and Mike Poggi
On a Monday morning last month (May), 13 different groups were scheduled to meet at the local library and they had almost nothing to do with books.
Post-COVID-19, people are rediscovering libraries as community “third” spaces that offer game rooms, workshops, tax help, concerts and, of course, book discussions.
People are rediscovering libraries to find a long-wanted sense of community many thought they lost during the pandemic. A third space describes a place outside the home, (the first place), and other than the workplace, (the second place), where people can find social attachments and build community.
“For us, it’s not new,” said Mary Stein, the assistant library director for the parish libraries. “The rest of the world is just catching up.”
During the pandemic, traditional library usage fell off dramatically, while online access to books and digital materials picked up. Librarian training has since placed greater emphasis on digital services. But the most noticeable shift is the surge in meetings, classes and discussions—last year alone, 5,814 meeting rooms were booked for community gatherings in Baton Rouge libraries.
It’s not just libraries people are using as their home away from home and work. Coffee shops are like study rooms where people are camping out for hours to do course work and office work. Gyms, parks and even restaurants can be a third space — anywhere that lets people work in an informal space.
After COVID, many third places went out of business, and the workplace was combined with the home. This left some people feeling lost and without a designated place to escape home and work.
Matthew Lee, a criminology professor at Louisiana State University, who is now acting university president, said these spaces are integral for creating community. When people engage with the people around them, it fosters a stability that may be lost in isolation.
“It is in these places that people can interact, develop a set of shared normative expectations and values relevant to community standards, democracy, civic engagement, and the like,” Lee said.
Roochana Kauim makes a point to sit beneath the bulletin board at Highland Coffees near the L.S.U. campus as she works on her graduate thesis. She spends a lot of time there, and when she needs a break, Kauim said it’s nice to look up and see which bands are playing nearby—or which missing pets she should keep an eye out for.
Kauim said it’s difficult to connect with strangers because English is her second language, and school takes up so much of her time. But the coffee shop helps her feel more connected to the people and community around her. Even if they never speak, Kauim can read what’s posted on the board and get a glimpse into what is going on in their lives.
On college campuses, students are seeking places outside of their apartments and study areas to play and congregate. At LSU, for example, the TableTop Games Club, has been widely popular as a place where students put aside the chaos of schoolwork and college life to play board games such as Risk, Catan and One Night Ultimate Werewolf. (see sidebars below)
Of course, libraries have been a refuge for various reasons. Homeless use it for internet service. The unemployed and retired gather to read publications they don't want to pay for. And still others just want to get away.
“I also have a sometimes strained relationship with my mom so being in the house all the time was straining,” said Bodhi White, a University of Michigan student who started going to the library post-COVID. “Even if I was not in a social mood the library quickly became a place where I could go to escape, find quiet and relaxation,” he said.
Elizabeth Addison is a loyal patron of the library and has noticed more people using the library in unusual ways. She has been taking her two children to the library for years. At first, she said it surprised her how few people are at the libraries, but she is happy to see more people start to use them in recent years.
Everyone in her family uses the libraries in their own way. Her teenage son plays Dungeons and Dragons weekly with his friends. Her daughter checks out audiobooks on the library’s Playaways, eliminating the need for a phone to enjoy her stories. The Addisons minimize the number of streaming subscriptions they pay for by checking out DVDs. They’ve been watching “Game of Thrones” for years without having to pay for a Max account.
With the increased use of libraries in the U.S has come greater scrutiny over library taxes, spending and books, especially in children’s sections. There are groups, such as Citizens for a New Louisiana, that want sexually-explicit books removed.
“You're compelled to pay taxes, and they use that for all kinds of things that you wouldn't want your tax dollar used for,” said Michael Lunsford, the executive director of Citizens for a New Louisiana based in Lafayette.
Lynette Mejia, founder of Louisiana Citizens Against Censorship, said there is an urgency for people to support the libraries and librarians. Libraries provide resources to people who wouldn’t otherwise have access, and that access shouldn’t be stripped away.
“Our guiding mission is that every person in the community should be able to see themselves in their public institutions like the public library,” Mejia said. “All points of view should be represented by library collections, it’s one of the things that we work to protect.”
LSU's library science master's program has shifted emphasis to digital programs rather than hard-copy books. Ed Benoit, the school's interim dean, cultivates a curriculum that “meets patrons where they are.”
The libraries want people to feel comfortable using their resources and facilities — both in digital and physical spaces.
Comfort is a priority to Stein in Baton Rouge. Vending machines were installed to let people feel welcome to eat as they study. When people had reservations about eating around the books, Stein happily pointed out Barnes & Noble stores had already proven people are capable of behaving with a coffee shop in the store — so why shouldn’t there be a vending machine in the library?
She insisted on comfortable chairs and large windows for similar reasons. She wants patrons to feel at home — and sometimes, that means drinking coffee while lounging in natural sunlight.
Libraries are a living, breathing entity bursting with culture, community and the human spirit.
Overtaking a large wall in the entryway of East Baton Rouge Public Library’s main branch are countless flyers advertising book clubs, showcasing information about health clinics in the area and, of course, the Wi-Fi password. The bulletin is a shining invitation to the people of the library, offering aid and a place to find new interests.
Whether it is the public library, local coffee shop or even a board games club, third spaces are vital to developing communities and connecting to people outside of their immediate family or coworkers.
In their 2009 book, “Communicating in the Third Space,” Karin Ikas and Gerhard Wagner wrote about the way different cultures interact in third spaces. In an increasingly globalized world, with people moving into cultures they are not native to, it is vital not only to exist in third spaces but also to actively participate.
Emma Wood, associate librarian at the University of Massachusetts Law Library in Dartmouth, Mass., and blog writer for the American Library Association, recognizes the impact of libraries on a national scale.
“As many of our beloved third places languish against the obstacles, we are reminded that libraries are one of the last pure forms of community space,” Wood said.
Commentaires