Month: March 2025

Siam, now Thailand, in the 19^th century and early 20^th century was not an easy place for Westerners. The country was undergoing a kind of political makeover process to solidify its power and gain Western acceptance as a “civilized” nation. Many skilled workers, missionaries, and families entered this world of heat, humidity, health epidemics, political changes, and frequently delayed shipments to help make that happen. A group of resourceful missionary wives formed the Bangkok Ladies’ Library Association in 1869 to share the reading materials that they owned, which eventually expanded into a circulating library opened one day a week to being open six days a week in 1897, and needed a permanent building by 1914. One of their most active members was Jennie Nielson Hays. Mrs. Jennie Neilson Hays was a bookworm, member of the Bangkok Ladies’ Library Association for over 20 years, and an advocate for literacy.  She was dedicated to creating community and improving literacy within the English-speaking foreigner community of late 19^th and early 20^th century Siam. She passed away in 1920.

In 1921, Dr. Thomas Heyward Hays commissioned Italian architect Mario Tamagno to build a library in memory of his bookish wife Jennie Neilson Hays.  When the Nielson Hays Library opened in 1922 as a subscription-based library, you can say it was born out of love. English books were expensive then and are still expensive now in comparison to Thai-language books, so the fact that one of the largest collections of English-language collections open to the public in Bangkok, then and now, came from the efforts of a small group of people is amazing! Unfortunately, by 2016 the library was in desperate need of repairs. Nearly a century later, the community’s love for their library spearheaded efforts to solicit corporate donations and crowdfund enough money to pay for all the restoration work and technology upgrades. In restoring the historic building, they made discoveries about the original building, upgraded the HVAC system, and redesigned the landscaping that allows library visitors to stay in comfort and expand out into a more ADA-accessible and eco-friendly event space.  It continues to serve as a well-loved library and revitalized cultural center offering art programs, story times, book sales, workshops, musical performances, and even its own literature festival!

The impact that the Nielson Hays Library had on the English-language reading community in Bangkok, Thailand since its grand opening in 1922 matches the points listed in Seismonaut and Roskilde Central Library’s report “The impact of public libraries in Denmark: A haven in our community”. That report sought to look beyond the common metrics of how much users engaged with a library to define how that engagement impacted the lives of its users. The Nielson Hays Library like Danish public libraries:

• provide a haven by giving users a space to take a break and make time for themselves and each other,
• give perspective on life by stimulating reflection, knowledge acquisition, and critical thinking,
• inspire the imagination by stimulating creativity and encouraging curiosity, and
• form and maintain community through events and group experiences (6-7).

These four areas fall into the following dimensions of the Impact Compass as taken from the Cultural Value Project, a British research project to investigate how culture translates into impact and value,

• Providing a haven = emotional impact
• Giving perspective = intellectual impact
• Inspiring the imagination = creative impact
• Building community = social impact

The impact of the Nielson Hays Library has not lessened over time. It remains more than just an old neo-classical Italianate building. It is a narrative of the resilience of Westerners in Siam, the art of adapting European architecture to a tropical climate, and the use of books and literacy programs to provide a welcoming haven to English-language readers seeking knowledge, inspiration, and community. This library is an ode to love and the synergistic relationship between a community and its library in an unlikely place.

References

Coconuts Bangkok. (2017, June 2). Local crowdfunding campaign to save century-old Neilson Hays Library trends. https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/local-crowdfunding-campaign-save-century-old-neilson-hays-library-trends/

Neilson Hays. (n.d.). NHL Restoration [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARjtUBovNFU

Neilson Hays Library [NHL]. (n.d.-a). History. https://neilsonhayslibrary.org/about/history/

NHL. (n.d.-b). Home. https://neilsonhayslibrary.org/

Seismonaut & Roskilde Central Library. (2021, February). The impact of public libraries in Denmark: A haven in our community. https://www.roskildebib.dk/sites/default/files/2024-10/roskildebib_folkebibliotekets_betydning_for_borgerne_i_danmark_eng_final_0.pdf

Seismonaut & Roskilde Central Library. (2021, March). A guide to the Impact Compass: The impact of public libraries in Denmark: A haven in our community. https://interaccio.diba.cat/sites/interaccio.diba.cat/files/en_brugsguide_06.05.21_0.pdf

Shma Company Limited. (n.d.). Project information Name of Project: Neilson Hays Library. https://shmadesigns.com/work/neilson-hays-library/

Svasti, P. (2019, February 28). A monument to love of reading: A nearly century-old library in the heart of Bangkok is a memory of devotion from an American doctor for his bookworm wife. Bangkok Post. https://www.bangkokpost.com/life/travel/1636494/a-monument-to-love-of-reading

I own an iPhone 6s and an iPad Mini 2. The devices themselves are still functioning well, but I have begun to hit device obsolescence. The updated apps for these devices now require an operating system that Apple has not made (and most likely will not make). In my paycheck-to-paycheck existence, things like phone upgrades were deprioritized in favor of a means to work. Despite being gainfully employed, I am part of the community of people who cannot afford better tech. Our modern world requires a base understanding of technology and online interactions, but what if there is a lack of usable technology, insufficient funds, limited accessibility, and inadequate skills? Jessamyn West’s article “21^st Century Digital Divide” points out that digital divides still exist and for every step forward there is also backsliding in the margins.

Despite my older tech, I can operate in this hyperlinked world because of work benefits that allow me to have a laptop and use of institutional licensed software. I also know a lot about free library services in my area, so I am an avid user of various libraries’ tech lending program, free computer time, and free 10 pages of printing. Free printing is a blessing for those who need a résumé to present at a job interview or for that senior who has a free flip phone that does not allow them to access their insurance card. It is quite easy for these groups in the margin to be forgotten because they do not usually visit the library. The elders of my temple community who live with other seniors have language and physical issues is another example. Even when told of free services, they will ask everyone within the temple community first. Libraries do not rank in their minds as legitimate sources of information assistance because 1) the libraries they grew up with are not like those in the U.S. and 2) they do not want to look inadequate in front of strangers. So, in this case, the digital divide can only be lessened by increasing the skills and experience of one more person in the group.

How can libraries help?  Community networks that boost WIFI are proliferating. LA County Libraries are also helping to bridge some of that digital divide by providing unlimited free WIFI beyond their walls with their Park and Connect initiative. The greater availability of internet access is useful, but it also increases the use of “convenient” online tools. Many of us upload and download files with ease, but there are those who find this difficult to do especially on jargon-filled websites (e.g. Social Security Association, Department of Motor Vehicles, and medical sites). For the seniors at temple, having to initiate a Real ID process by creating an account and uploading supporting documents was a struggle. They sought assistance from monks at the temple and then taught each other.

Since groups like this seek information and assistance from within their language or regional group, it may be useful for libraries to outreach to those cultural institutions that assist non-English speaking or less abled community members. It may also be possible to offer to host some of the cultural institution’s programs at the library.  For example, the monk who teaches a computer basics class at the temple where space and computers are limited could hold the same program at the library with more people. Technology keeps changing. Some of it makes work and life easier and some harder. For a surety, the digital divide still exists. It will take continuous effort on the library’s part to make sure that available technologies continue to provide benefits to the library’s various communities.

References

LA County Library. (n.d.). Free Wi-Fi. https://lacountylibrary.org/wifi/

West, J. (n.d.). 21^st Century Digital Divide. https://www.librarian.net/talks/rlc14/

Williams, A. & Muller, C. (2021, March 17). Libraries Are Bridging the Digital Divide. https://www.internetsociety.org/blog/2021/03/libraries-are-bridging-the-digital-divide/