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August 20, 2003
Okay, a Quick Entry and Then a Pause...
Yesterday, I said I was busy with student orientation, but this article about libraries in the Guardian, and the corresponding report it discusses nudged me back into the weblog business.The report looks at the roles of public libraries in Great Britain, and suggests that they are increasingly disconnected from their communities, and operating in ways that actually turn people away rather than draw them in (sound familiar to other cultural organizations?).
Here's a favorite quote from the article/report:
"The library has the potential to be the 'living room of the city' or a 'club for everyone'," says the report, Better Public Libraries, citing a score of developments as pathfinders for the new approach. "New libraries should increasingly be long-stay places for students, a safe haven for children, even a home from home. They should include cafes, lounge areas with sofas, and chill-out zones where young people can watch MTV, read magazines and listen to CDs on listening posts."
Like any report that suggests populist approaches for mission-driven cultural organizations, the ideas make me vaguely woozy. But there's something alluring about positioning culture at the center of people's lives, rather than at the edges.
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