- cross-posted to:
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- cross-posted to:
- [email protected]
Source post: https://slrpnk.net/post/7848456 [email protected]
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Libraries here are regularly opened until 22 or so. It’s very nice :)
Where is ‘here?’
Denmark
That’s awesome! The Seattle Central Library closes at 6pm. Like how the fuck are people supposed to use a public resource when it closes as soon as they get off work? It’s hella dumb.
The issue probably goes deeper. I’m sure they have struggles/difficulties about having more accessible hours. I do wish my libraries had better hours too though.
I think it might have something to do with the explosion of homelessness in Seattle over the last few years. When I moved to Seattle ten years ago that library was amazing, and open pretty late (I think 8 pm). But last time I went there like a year ago it was completely overrun with homeless people. They were everywhere in the library, just sitting around doing nothing (not reading or using computers), and dozens of them were outside of every entrance too. So, I think they might have adjusted the hours because of that, instead of directly dealing with the problem. I don’t really have an issue with homeless people taking advantage of a public resource, that’s why it’s there, but a lot of other people do, and the city has to consider everyone’s perspective.
There should be a better solution for homeless people than for them to have to overrun places like that. It’s sad, and detrimental to all sides. That’s crazy to think about how it used to be a place that could stay open like you said, and then turned into something else that wasn’t able to because of external influences and impacts.
Where’s the resiliency?
There’s got to be some kind of proactive way of dealing with an issue like this vs. going the ‘limit hours’ route, which harms the accessibility of everyone. This is probably affecting a lot of libraries right now.
But then homeless people would have a warm safe place to stay! /s
And if people aren’t isolated they might get silly ideas about questioning the system.
Especially with all those books around. Better ban books and defund libraries. I wish this weren’t how a good chunk of the political right think.
Locally we instead pass laws to put liability on librarians and it’s been very successful at destroying libraries.
This is a cool idea!
What if libraries served drinks. Or quiet pub. I’d be jazzed. That said, I wish libraries were more conducive as social spaces. I know they run events sometimes, but in general time I feel like people aren’t approachable
im not gonna go to a place filled chockefull with nerds
Um … welcome to Lemmy, friend.
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Try kava bars. YMMV depending on your location but here in Florida, there are many that are open late where people just hang out, watch movies, play pool, videogames, read, work, etc and they’re usually not loud or crowded and they don’t serve alcohol
Is this not what the Cafe is made for? My friends and I frequently meet up in Cafe or public parks and play board games/ card games and chill.
My assumption is that it would be popular. So popular that the library would decide on sell a little snacks, sandwiches and soft drinks to earn a little money. And as the sale opens, they would realize that they get a lot higher profit on alcoholic drinks. And since they are selling alcoholic drinks, it’s unresponsible to have them in the same area as the daily area with books and study groups. Then they open a new section, maybe in a new location. And to save money on labour, they drop the non alcoholic products.
Of course this is taking it a bit far, but my point is that such a service has incremental steps, where each step would likely give higher profit until it is just a pub.
We are blessed with a small but gorgeous local library that looks like a Frank Lloyd Wright creation, full of natural light. The stacks are lovingly curated and the computer services are great. Wonderful garden out front, friendly staff inside, and modern equipment that makes checkout a breeze. We can reserve books online or check if they are in, etc.
Anyway, after school, our kid walks to the end of the block with her friends and goes into the library. From there, we pick her up. That place is jumping in the afternoons, let me tell you. All the local regulars and all the kids just out of school: littles and teenagers. It’s busy and alive but not noisy (nor are they oppressive assholes about keeping silence). It’s a moment of civic joy to walk in there and get my daughter.
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So?
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Bit of a leap there, don’t you think? Anyway, what’s so bad about giving these suffering people a place to just be?
We shouldn’t avoid things good for everyone because we are afraid of those experiencing homelessness being there.
My local library closes before night time, so I’m on board with the idea of them a library closing late at night.
I don’t even need to talk to others, just seeing people there would soothe me and ease loneliness I get from not socialising much.
Can’t you take the bus or something?
I never seem to remember that it is an option, so thank you for throwing that out there :P
Americans reinventing coffee houses that aren’t Starbucks be like:
I think this is why Borders went out of business…
Borders was pretty cool.
What was borders?
A bookstore that also had a cafe in it. People would go there and buy a drink or whatever and read. The problem was after reading they didn’t have to buy the book. I read a ton of comic books for the price of a coke back then. A library set up like this would be pretty cool.
That sounds like Hastings kind of.
So many good stores that are now extinct.
This is secretly one of my life goals: have (graphic novel) library that is also a café. Maybe when I’m retired (aka never) 👌
I like it, and can it have a dedicated place to draw/create? What’s the auditory experience going to be like? You’re going to have to tell us more about this cafe you’re ‘never’ going to have XD
You gotta pay to be at a coffee house. And sure, coffee isn’t terribly expensive and most places won’t kick you out even hours after you’ve bought your single cup of coffee, but non-Starbucks coffee shops are usually tiny and in some places hard to find.
Look, we’ve reinvented the tubes a bunch of times…
We will reinvent humanity a billion times…
This concept is the “third space” – a social space other than work and home where people can congregate, socialize, and relax. Parks and libraries are some of the only remaining spaces in capitalism where people can be humans without paying for the privilege to exist by the minute.
True, that is what the concept has become. But we need to remember that “third place” originally ment places of business like pubs, cafés, barbershops etc.
Modern cities do need the kind of places you ment - not more malls or apple stores (think I read that it’s a new trend to have those resemble places you can casually chill so they can casually sell you their stuff).
Some libraries, like Austin’s Central Library, are centered around that idea.
Austin’s Central Library
centered around that idea.
Checks out.
I’m sorry, we need to see your library card before you can check something out.
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Driving in my monster truck to get to the library so I can read until 1am
Yes please!!!
