Have you heard of the concept of the ‘third place’?

The term was coined by sociologist Ray Oldenberg in an excellent op-ed in the NY Times in 2014, entitled ‘Every Community Deserves a Third Place.’ Oldenberg focuses on what happens to vulnerable members of the community when the economy takes a downturn, closing important social gathering spaces such as cafes and shopping centres. He defines the ‘third space’ as something apart from home (the first space) or work (the second). Third places are ‘people places’ that facilitate strong community connections.

Libraries are an example of a ‘third place’ that doesn’t involve payment. You can go pull up a chair in your local public library for exactly $0, and sit there until closing. You can enjoy literature, the internet, even video games, audiobooks and laptops in some places.

To me, the ideal third place isn’t hounding you for your dollar. It’s not hawking its wares over department store speakers or pumping sweet, sweet bread smells onto the street to get you to enter (I’m looking at you, Subway). It’s a place where you can relax, browse (without the hard-sell), work, play or study, free of the obligations of the consumer economy.

When I was a teenager, we used to hang out in shopping centres, a la ‘Mallrats.’ But there’d be a kind of consumer guilt that would come with it, a deep-seated longing to go buy those designer jeans, that fancy coffee. It’s kind of hard when you don’t have the money to do so. The library seems to me to be the perfect ticket. Libraries have been realising this in recent years, and many are changing to become a sort of information hub-come community centre.

From setting up book clubs to running classes, putting in attractive outdoor areas and adding comfortable seating, public libraries have started to fulfill their true communal potential. You don’t need anything beyond yourself to access your local library. I’ve now seen some of these teenagers – who would’ve been spending time at McDonalds – taking up residence, whether playing Jenga in the garden or having a discussion about anime in the YA section. Libraries engage new migrants with English conversations classes, reading and life skills groups for people with disabilities, seniors social clubs and workshops. It’s great to see, this evolution. With the focus on creating a community feel, life is being injected into our libraries. Long may it continue.

Further resources:

France’s libraries discovering a new lease of life beyond just books by The Guardian

It’s time to take back third places by Curbed

The hypothesis of cultural third places by The Conversation