Nick Lane - Libraries As Social Hubs In The COVID Era

 Picture a Starbucks: you walk in, what do you see? Some chairs, some tables, maybe a newspaper, or a magazine, or three. They usually offer free wifi, and some of them will even have a community bulletin board posted on one of the walls. Clearly, Starbucks stores from coast to coast strive to be seen as a "community hub." Or, as the cynic may say, they try to make a cozy, safe place for locals to come in, read the paper, or do their homework because the longer you're there, the more likely you'll buy something. By the way, when I described Starbucks, did't that sort of sound like a library, but without the "buy something" part?

 Indeed, public libraries have long been an essential hub for the community, open to any and all. They're a place for children's activities, to use the internet, to go to workshops, have book clubs, do homework or any kind of research, read and check out literature, or simply just to hang out, and more. Libraries are a great place for communities to come together, and all without the pressure of buying a Frappacino. However, the libraries, like so many things, have faced great adversity in the last year.

 COVID-19 have forced closures or limited capacity on libraries, taking away the gathering place for so many communities. But even then, some libraries have tried to keep that "community" feel intact. Like Elizabeth Harris says in her New York Times article, "Libraries Strive to Stay ‘Community Living Rooms’ as They Reopen:"

"That is the last thing that will likely come back to libraries — their function as a gathering place. But some branches are doing what they can to keep that connection alive. Jones in Kansas City said his librarians have been calling users who are 65 and older, just to say hello."

Harris also notes the many ways libraries have been trying to keep their services going as best as they can, with things like curbside pick-up, book "grab-bags, "and when allowed to, keep computer stations open.  One library in Illinois even delivered books by bike! I know of some libraries nearby where I live that kept their wifi on for outside use, even when they were closed.

 My wife is a librarian in a small mountain town; she has many regulars who use the library as their social area, their place to get books, or movies, or just to have a conversation so they don't feel alone. There was a period of time where my wife would be there at the library while it was closed to the public, and every single day, she'd get calls and emails, asking her when the library was re-opening. And when they did, the regulars returned. Her library, its' environment, and the services they offer, mean a lot to many people in that town; a fact made crystal clear when it was taken away from them. 

 Perhaps losing the library during the pandemic will have a "you don't know what you have until it's gone" effect on people; that is to say, maybe people's ties to their local library have only strengthened. Some Starbucks have closed down, and won't come back, but libraries? As social hubs, powered by a community relationship fostered over decades, libraries might have been kicked, but they're getting back up.

 

Works Cited

Harris, Elizabeth A. "Libraries Strive to Stay ‘Community Living Rooms’ as they Reopen [with Graphic(s)]." New York Times, Late Edition (East Coast) ed., Jun 11 2020, ProQuest. Web. 8 Apr. 2021 .