Palace or petting zoo?
No one has ever accused my blog of being too cute, but I did return from Istanbul and filled out my family a bit.
The contrast, though, of visiting a place as strictly observer - even more pronounced by not speaking a word of Turkish - and then fully integrating a pair of babies into my house and life got me thinking.
I watch how libraries are discussed in the wild. I notice references on TV shows. I overhear conversations. And, yes, sometimes I ask people directly and my impression is that largely libraries are destinations, they’re artifacts. People talk about them as commodities. They are things and services that folks either see as valuable enough to invest time and energy in - leave the house, battle the OPAC, keep the kids quiet - or they don’t. If they don’t, well, they’re not library users.
What I see very rarely, although, admittedly more often lately, is libraries integrated into people’s lives in such a way that users don’t have to make an investment or go out of their way - or even think about it at all. The library is just there, where they need it. Participating in their life instead of the other way around.
