As the cost of living becomes more expensive, third spaces are becoming less accessible.
A third space is a location outside of the home and work or school, where a person can socialize and meet people. These places are increasingly essential, especially with the proclivity for social media restricting interactions to online spaces.
These third spaces are essential in creating a sense of identity outside of a job, and it’s the best place to feel connected to others in the community. They remind people that there is more to life than work and home and encourages them to have a healthy work-life balance.
However, unlike most third spaces such as a pub or a museum, the public library is one of the few examples of third spaces that don’t expect people to consistently spend money to enjoy the benefits.
Public libraries are exactly what we need, and yet, they remain highly under-appreciated.
In Canada, only an estimated 33 per cent of Canadians own a library card. Provincially, only 4.4 million Ontarians, or 27 per cent of the population, have cards to their public libraries.
This is certainly spurred, in part, by the fact that many people still assume that libraries are dusty and antiquated buildings that demand silence to avoid a scolding from a mean librarian. The reality, however, is that libraries offer so much more.
The Kingston-Frontenac Public Library (KFPL) offers a selection of activities, including knitting and crochet groups, craft circles, and book clubs. All of these events provide places for people to engage with their community and meet new people.
Along with online services which provide access to books, as well as film and television, the library provides opportunities for recreation, skill-development, and social interaction. It gives a reason for people to leave the house and meaningfully take part in their community.
When libraries are reduced to just being a place for free books, it’s easy to overlook their value. And when these services go unrecognized, people in positions of power don’t see the importance of investing in them.
Libraries across Canada are understaffed, experiencing shorter hours, and limited budgets. All of these factors are leading to less programming and initiatives, which are essential in maintaining the library’s community-facing element.
Libraries receive their funding from municipalities, meaning that taxpayers invest directly into them. As such, the best way to ensure that these spaces are protected is to use them. The more residents engage with their local libraries, the more opportunities there are to prove that they are worth the money.
Attending a workshop, using the computers, or simply owning a library card proves to the local decision makers that people are actively relying on these spaces and that they need to be sustained.
To preserve a space where participation is entirely free, community members need to remember that their libraries have so much to offer. Take advantage of the local library and make them harder to overlook.
For libraries to continue to thrive as third spaces, they need to be recognized as the essential institutions that they are and used accordingly.
Mayah is a fourth-year History student and one of The Journal’s Assistant Arts and Culture Editors.
Tags
Libraries, Public Spaces, third spaces
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