Who doesn’t love a library?
In this morning’s Virginia Gazette, the first story a reader encounters is about our local public library. This library is a gem. You don’t have to take my word for it – our library has won dozens of awards for the service it provides our community.
In 2018, it was the runner-up in a competition to identify the Best Public Library in the US
In 2021, it won the Virginia Library Association Innovator Award for its response to the need to provide reliable internet connection for the community through the mobile hotspot program.
Also in 2021, it received a four-star rating from Library Journal – one of only two public libraries in Virginia to receive this rating
In 2022, it was named a Star Library – a coveted award bestowed on less than 5% of public libraries in the US
And the list goes on.
The branch of the library that I usually go to is the one pictured above. It’s only a few blocks from the William and Mary Campus, Merchants Square, and Colonial Williamsburg. Built in 1973, this branch is in serious need of replacement. The population it serves has tripled since it was built, and they are bursting at the seams. There is another branch in James City County, about 10 miles away.
The question of how to go about replacing this library building has been the subject of local discussion for a few years. The plans came to an abrupt halt when COVID forced libraries (along with everyone else) to figure out how to keep serving local needs in an unprecedented environment.
According to an interview with the library director (quoted in the article), the library, which serves about 1,000 people a day, has lots of problems – including a leaking roof, inaccessible spaces, a confusing layout, and generally dated infrastructure. There is an extreme lack of space – both for books and for people. According to the same interview, the 16,000-square-foot building is only about 1/3 the size it should be to serve the area’s population.
Local municipal budgets have anticipated building a new library for years, and sources cited in the article say there is probably enough money to do it. Even if the local government said “go” right now, it would be 2025 or so before the doors would open. One of the problems they will face is that people overwhelmingly want the library to remain in its current location – which would mean figuring out keep the current building functioning while somehow building a new facility around it. I don’t know how they’ll do that.
Libraries serve the function of “third spaces” in modern America. A third space is defined as someplace other than home or work where people congregate and socialize. The civic space that used to be occupied by things like bowling leagues, Lions Clubs, and local bars and restaurants was in decline long before COVID, and these third spaces have not rebounded. People stay home and engage the world through screens. Libraries are among only a few spaces where interaction can happen naturally and organically.
I went to my library website to see what’s going on just one day of this week — Thursday, October 20. https://www.wrl.org/events/month/
This is an astonishing amount of activity. There’s always something happening at the library. Over the years, I have attended concerts and lectures in the library auditorium. I even taught an Osher class there a couple of years ago. That was fun.
Libraries are some of the few places where people can just go and hang out without having to buy something or pay to be there. As a result, libraries often serve as a sort of day shelter for people with no place else to go. Librarians know this and go out of their way to be helpful and accommodating to people who sometimes don’t feel welcome anywhere else.
Back in June, I brought my Literacy for Life learner Sonia (not her real name) and her son to the library to see if they could get library cards. Because they are asylum seekers whose cases have not yet been adjudicated, they don’t have any official identification papers. When I asked the librarian if they could get library cards, she quoted her boss, the head librarian, whose approach is “let people read.” Sonia had an ID card from her home country and a piece of mail that had been sent to her at the place she is living temporarily, and the librarian said “good enough” Let them read, indeed.
Librarians don’t know everything, but they know where to find things. They enjoy people, have a passion for literacy, and love to do research. Any of you who are librarians, live with librarians, or have good friends who are librarians know what I’m talking about.
If this library has been able to receive awards under the challenging circumstances of limited space, leaky roofs, and dated infrastructure, I can’t wait to see what they can do in a new, updated, roomy, modern facility.
I frequently end these essays with something along the lines of “if you don’t live in Williamsburg, you almost certainly have [insert topic] near you.” This is certainly true of public libraries — almost every locality has one. If you haven’t visited yours recently (or if you only go there to get books), you might be surprised at what else is going on.
The wonderful library in my hometown certainly served as my third space as a kid. I can see it now, smell it, and recall the pleasant women who spoke to me when I checked out books. We outgrew our library and I did not live there when the library was expanded to become a newer, updated facility for the community, so my memories remain in the older, smaller, stuffed-with-books, cool, dark building with comfortable window seats.
Great article, Karen. This was one of my favorite places, too. A treasure for sure. I hope the town planners make good decisions.