Not Your Quiet Library Anymore
I wrote several weeks ago about the
bun-haired, glasses-wearing stereotype of librarians and how outdated it
is. This time, my focus is on the
libraries themselves and the stereotypes there.
Stereotypically, libraries are supposed to be quiet, serious places
where one goes to study, learn, and become a scholarly erudite! WOAH! Slam on the brakes! That is one stereotype that needs to go and
go far away.
I won’t argue that we do provide a
quiet respite in which one can study and escape into the worlds of Harry
Potter, Katniss Everdeen, or Father Tim Cavanaugh or that we are a place to
learn and grow. In fact, I happily
celebrate a library being all of these things.
However, we are so much more. Libraries are a sense and place of
community. We are a place where people
go to make and meet friends, discuss favorite books, complete a knitting or
other craft project, play games, or watch movies. All of these things are not generally
solitary pursuits. The library has truly
become an epicenter for the community it serves.
Walk into the NWCC library on the
Senatobia campus on any given day, you might see a group of students playing
UNO or a board game (that they checked out of the library) or drinking coffee,
students studying together, a group knitting together, faculty and students
gathered around the 3-D printer, or groups playing video games (also checked
out from the library) or having a book discussion. Instructional activities include speed dating
sessions with our electronic resources, scavenger hunts using our iPads, and writing
letters to authors studied in reading classes.
We offer information and entertainment
to anyone who wants to come in—we are a community center as well as a knowledge
and information-building center.
Some of the non-instructional activities
we have planned include cupcake wars, pumpkin decorating, a holiday tea, a
trivia contest, and weekly crafternoons where you can learn to knit or make a
duct tape wallet. In addition, we have
book clubs for both students and the faculty and community at large. We often hear shouts of laughter, serious
debate, and just plain ole good conversation.
The librarians do not “Shh” anyone.
We may ask you to be a little quieter if others are trying to study, but
we NEVER silence you!
So, the point of this blog entry—we are
still a place to learn and grow, a place to check out and read books, and a
place to find quiet time if you need it.
But, we can also be loud, boisterous places where groups can come together
to discuss, play, eat, and laugh together.
We are a place to connect, with technology and, more importantly, with
others who share common interests. The library IS a community. The library is the place where you don’t have
to be the most beautiful, the most intelligent, or the most athletic to be able
to join—you just have to walk in the door and you are part of us.
No comments:
Post a Comment