Libraries are Outdoor Spaces
Submission Type
Paper Abstract Submission
Symposium Selection
A “new normal” agenda in a COVID-affected world
Keywords
library spaces, architecture, programming, partnerships, community engagement, institutional transformation
Abstract
On May 6, 2021, IFLA’s Library Buildings and Equipment Section convened an online dialogue on “Outdoor Spaces as Key Library Assets.” Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, researchers, architects, and librarians re-discovered the fundamental fact that libraries are outdoor spaces. Like so many other institutions, during the pandemic librarians turned their attention to the outdoors, figuring out how to continue serving their communities safely by leveraging outdoor spaces. As Eric Klinenberg wrote on September 29, 2020, “A number of libraries have effectively unfolded, moving services outdoors … finding new ways for people to access the library even though the building itself was closed.” This paper seeks to analyze and discuss the implications of thinking about public libraries as outdoor spaces by drawing upon expertise built up in the field of public health on the built environment and health outcomes. As the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention puts it “The way we design & build our communities affects our health.” The intense focus on how librarians can safely engage communities outside during the coronavirus pandemic opens a unique opportunity to empirically and theoretically what it means for librarianship to be practiced outside, and what it means to understand libraries as outdoor spaces. The basis for this analysis comes from a series of studies I have been undertaking throughout the pandemic, including two federally funded projects (IMLS # RE-246336-OLS-20 and LG-18-19-0015-19) focused on how U.S. public librarians work with community partners to support community health and wellness. These studies show that during the pandemic the work of public librarianship shifted not only to virtual spaces, but also to outdoor spaces. Seeking to understand librarianship as an outdoor pursuit requires confronting stereotypes of librarianship as an insular activity. It requires combining work on community engagement with studies of the outdoor built environment, and it involves considering how greenspaces and sidewalks and other outdoor assets owned by libraries could be more productively activated to support a range of health and other outcomes. This paper sets out to begin the conversation on how to understand libraries as outdoor spaces, both during and after the coronavirus pandemic.
References
IFLA Section - Library Buildings & Equipment. (2021, May 13). IFLA Reboot May 2021 Webinet 2: Outdoor Spaces as Key Library Assets, May 6, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwYmFmSEzds
Klinenberg, E., quoted in J. Gendall. (2020, September 29). COVID-19 has shown we all need public space more than ever. Knight Foundation. https://knightfoundation.org/articles/covid-has-shown-we-all-need-public-space-more-than-ever/
U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. (n.d.) CDC’s Built Environment & Health Initiative Saves Lives & Money. https://www.cdc.gov/healthyplaces/infographics/behi_infographic_2pg.pdf.
Libraries are Outdoor Spaces
On May 6, 2021, IFLA’s Library Buildings and Equipment Section convened an online dialogue on “Outdoor Spaces as Key Library Assets.” Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, researchers, architects, and librarians re-discovered the fundamental fact that libraries are outdoor spaces. Like so many other institutions, during the pandemic librarians turned their attention to the outdoors, figuring out how to continue serving their communities safely by leveraging outdoor spaces. As Eric Klinenberg wrote on September 29, 2020, “A number of libraries have effectively unfolded, moving services outdoors … finding new ways for people to access the library even though the building itself was closed.” This paper seeks to analyze and discuss the implications of thinking about public libraries as outdoor spaces by drawing upon expertise built up in the field of public health on the built environment and health outcomes. As the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention puts it “The way we design & build our communities affects our health.” The intense focus on how librarians can safely engage communities outside during the coronavirus pandemic opens a unique opportunity to empirically and theoretically what it means for librarianship to be practiced outside, and what it means to understand libraries as outdoor spaces. The basis for this analysis comes from a series of studies I have been undertaking throughout the pandemic, including two federally funded projects (IMLS # RE-246336-OLS-20 and LG-18-19-0015-19) focused on how U.S. public librarians work with community partners to support community health and wellness. These studies show that during the pandemic the work of public librarianship shifted not only to virtual spaces, but also to outdoor spaces. Seeking to understand librarianship as an outdoor pursuit requires confronting stereotypes of librarianship as an insular activity. It requires combining work on community engagement with studies of the outdoor built environment, and it involves considering how greenspaces and sidewalks and other outdoor assets owned by libraries could be more productively activated to support a range of health and other outcomes. This paper sets out to begin the conversation on how to understand libraries as outdoor spaces, both during and after the coronavirus pandemic.
References
IFLA Section - Library Buildings & Equipment. (2021, May 13). IFLA Reboot May 2021 Webinet 2: Outdoor Spaces as Key Library Assets, May 6, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwYmFmSEzds
Klinenberg, E., quoted in J. Gendall. (2020, September 29). COVID-19 has shown we all need public space more than ever. Knight Foundation. https://knightfoundation.org/articles/covid-has-shown-we-all-need-public-space-more-than-ever/
U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. (n.d.) CDC’s Built Environment & Health Initiative Saves Lives & Money. https://www.cdc.gov/healthyplaces/infographics/behi_infographic_2pg.pdf.