It was so fun this week to read about the variety of exciting new initiatives happening in libraries. Two themes resonated with me.
First, several public libraries have been experimenting with unstaffed spaces that can be accessed with a library card equipped with special privileges. The stories about the projects (from what I’ve read) have mostly included the voices of high-level folks like administration and city officials rather than front line library workers, (Bibliotecha, 2024; City of Mesa, 2023). I’m curious to hear about what library workers think of this service model, and I wonder if they brought up safety concerns. I also wonder how the project was planned. How did the libraries who adopted this model chose the location for the staffless site? How were permissions around access decided? I imagine this type of thinking would be quite novel in public library administration, and I’m curious how these ideas arose.
The idea of unstaffed library spaces peaks my interest because it’s been a frequent topic of discussion where I work. For context, I work at the central library of a mid-sized library in an urban area. The building has five floors, and four out of five floors have two staff members at the service desk during all open hours. The library’s administration has been considering not assigning staff people to the fifth floor service desk and turning the space into a self-service maker lab. Of course, this project has a lot of different variables than the unstaffed express library in the suburban City of Mesa, but both raise similar questions. How can library staff take every measure possible to maintain a safe and welcoming environment for patrons?
The second theme that stood out to me this week was the concept of having food served in libraries. As I mentioned, the library where I work is in the city’s downtown area. There are ample food and drink options available for people within steps of the library. Whenever the idea of serving food or drinks in the library comes up in conversation, I always think, “But there’s restaurants right outside!” Why go to the trouble of the set-up to serve food when professional food service is mere steps away.
Despite my short sided skepticism, many of my colleagues at the library have partnered with local restaurants or used mobile kitchens to serve snacks, mocktails and cultural cuisine at various events. People love it! There is clearly a value to collaborating with local food service people. First, partnering with local chefs can bring new people into the library. It also creates a mutually beneficial relationship with a small business in the town. It’s a win-win. Serving snacks can also add to the ambiance of a space. It’s simply hospitable to provide drinks to people during an hour-or-so-long event. Who doesn’t appreciate a nice cold drink after arriving at a destination? It’s a small gesture that can make a huge difference.
References
Bibliotecha. (2024, May 22). In Mesa, a library with no saff—and no shortage of visitors. https://www.bibliotheca.com/library-story-mesa-express/
CBC News. (2021, December 28). How a restaurant-library partnership made food and culture accessible. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/underground-flavour-group-and-kpl-1.6294810?fbclid=IwAR1E-wMqgXKv6R9LMcP1O8LTTzAZTNNUgH5GEI8DiNAgrRdpCUlTBeTJ4Es
City of Mesa. (2023, November 6). Monterey Park expansion and Mesa Express Library opening. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObfoZJz_eIU
Ewan, L. (2018, September 4). A moveable feast: Libraries use mobile kitchens to teach food literacy. American Libraries. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2018/09/04/movable-feast-library-mobile-kitchens/
@djcrumbo I enjoyed this exploration. Your last paragraph about the different things going on with food in your library is well stated and demonstrates what is possible in a library even if there are really cool restaurants in the surrounding area.