Research and Course Guides: Gunnin Architecture Library Exhibits and Displays: Library as Third Place

Library as Third Place Articles

The articles in this section mostly relate to Libraries as Third Place, although a few wander into museum spaces and some loosely connect to library as third place in a tertiary way. All articles are interesting in terms of how to think about the Library as Third Place and what it means.

*Click on the article title to view the library catalog record and access the article. Hover over the info graphic to read the abstract or description.

Library as Third Place References
Includes all of the articles listed below.

The Art School and the Library: A Case Study Exploring Disciplinary Differences Art students interact with the library as a physical and virtual space, as well as a source of materials and services for research and inspiration. This article describes the results of a library-use survey distributed to students at a public university art school with sixteen programs. Responses challenged assumptions about awareness, frequency of use, and importance of resources. Survey results also demonstrated discipline-specific variations in the use of the library as a third space, the desirability of makerspaces, and the value of collections. Analysis suggests implications for the role of the art liaison and opportunities for library service and outreach. [The following article is an expanded version of a presentation given at the “Assessment in Art Libraries” session at the ARLIS/NA conference held in Salt
At Home in the Academic Library? A Study of Student Feelings of "Homeless" A recent focus in academic library design is as a third place: a home from home. Research has yet to interrogate what it means to be "at home,, and if academic libraries are treated like, and feel like home to students. Seamon's model provides a framework for understanding the qualities associated with homeness, across the five dimensions of rootedness, appropriation, regeneration, at-easeness, and warmth. Using this framework observations were made in two libraries using categories relating to "homeness." It was found that students do act and feel at home in the library. Newer library designs did not facilitate homeness more than older designs. It is concluded that new library designs have the opportunity to make students feel at home by offering flexible spaces to make their own, places to retreat from their desk, and basic
Curating the "Third Place"? Coworking and the mediation of creativity Coworking spaces (CWS) and the associated practice of coworking, have emerged in numerous forms and various urban contexts to critically challenge traditional concepts of the workplace and location of creative work, while simultaneously confronting the way in which creative workers interact with and relate to each other as well as with space and to place. Heralded as a solution to increasingly atomised work patterns, CWS are imagined and presented as spaces of serendipitous encounter, spontaneous exchange and collaboration. Nonetheless, little is known about how coworking positively supports workers and how coworking relates to wider urban transformation processes has been largely un-researched. This paper contributes to a critical discussion through empirical analysis of a project aimed at establishing new creative CWS in city-centre locations across SE England. The study adopts a novel approach using Q-methodology. Motivations for coworking and benefits (or dis-benefits) of co-location are assessed, as is the extent to which coworking facilitates interactional effects and wider neighbourhood interactions. In particular, the role of the CWS manager as “mediator” is explored. Coworker benefits relate primarily to peer-interaction and support rather than formal collaboration. While CWS managers play a key connecting role, also ensuring coworker complementarity and compatibility, the coworker profile (motivations, needs, experiences) ultimately influences outcomes. The study cautions against the use of CWS as “quick fix” urban renewal tools, with little indication that the benefits of coworking reach beyond immediate members or that linkages are easily established between coworkers and local (resident or business) communities.
Fostering Community: The Library as Third Space and the Effect of Social Capital on the Flow of Information Among Law Students Social capital is a way of viewing group relationships and the flow of information. Like many other types of students, law students have their own particular groups that affect how and when they interact with the library and how they seek out information. Because of these group dynamics law students may find it difficult to come to librarians when they need help. Positioning the library as a third space, and librarians as third people, is one way to build connections with students and build a community where students feel comfortable using the library. This article discusses the concept of social capital and group dynamics, third spaces, and the various ways librarians can build the library community to be open to all students through outreach, programming, and social media.
Functional Shift of the Library; The Third Space: Production The objective of this study is to define s production space related to functional shift of library space into third space. This study refers to the theory of Lefebvre (1991) on social practice. Space in Lefebvre’s terminology is always a social space, so library space is assumed to be a social product. This study used ethnography with six digital native users as informants collected purposively. The data collection techniques were observation, interview, and literature study. The result showed that there was functional shift in UGM library space which were initially only for studying, then they became third space. UGM library space as social space is inseparable from and always related with social realities around them. UGM library is an intellectual knowledge institution where library users interact in physical and virtual environments to expand learning and facilitate the creation of new knowledge. In this context, library space is produced in such a way to preserve the dominant, so a social space only can be produced through socio-historical relation. Third space is a space formed from reproduction space (living space) due to integration on the space experienced and understood. The layout practice in UGM Library space showed that digital native users used them for various things.
Geographies of the Public Library: Institutions, Architectures, Interations Public libraries are increasingly recognised in popular discourse as key sites within urban space. They are implicated in encompassing projects of civic investment and abandonment, education and memorial, as well as providing specific settings for the unfolding of everyday life. However, despite their clear geographical dimensions, geographers have only taken a sporadic interest in public libraries. By taking stock of existing geographical research and extending into allied literatures, the paper proposes three interconnected directions of enquiry, through which geographies of the public library might be considered. First, institutional geographies of the public library involve political‐economic projects and processes, and the changing practices of an institution. Second, architectural geographies of the public library involve aesthetics, arrangement and naming of libraries, focusing on transformation at a branch scale. Third, interactional geographies of the public library involve relations between individuals in the physical library, and the increasing work of care for librarians and other library staff. In the face of digitisation, austerity and other forces that appear intent on assigning the physical presence of the public library to history, this paper highlights some key reasons for their continuing endurance in place, and suggests an agenda for emerging scholarship.
Hackathons and Libraries: The Evolving Landscape 2014-2020 Libraries foster a thriving campus culture and function as "third space," not directly tied to a discipline. (1) Libraries support both formal and informal learning, have multipurpose spaces, and serve as a connection point for their communities. For these reasons, they are an ideal location for events, such as hackathons, that align with library priorities of outreach, data and information literacy, and engagement focused on social good. Hackathon planners could find likely partners in either academic or public libraries as their physical spaces accommodate public outreach events and many are already providing similar services, such as makerspaces. Libraries can act solely as a host for events or they can embed in the planning process by building community partnerships, developing themes for the event, or harnessing the expertise already present in the library staff. This article, focusing on years from 2014 to 2020, will highlight the history and evolution of hackathons in libraries as outreach events and as a focus for using library materials, data, workflows, and content.
How Do You Work? Understanding User Needs for Responsive Space Design The academic library is changing. No longer simply a warehouse of information, the university library is a place for students and patrons to study, collaborate, socialize, and learn through social activities. This change in use reflects a paradigmatic shift from understanding the library as information repository to understanding the library as 'place,' 'third space,' and/or 'learning commons.' As the paradigm of the academic library changes, it transforms academic library design. Because the conceptual basis of current academic library design is still changing away from traditional academic library spaces, it is necessary to continuously evaluate user needs and desires for study spaces, and what makes an ideal study space, to keep the design of academic libraries relevant to its patrons.
Interview Location as Data While there is extensive literature on researcher positionality and other aspects of qualitative and ethnographic research, interview location is more commonly discussed as a place to collect data than as a source of data. This paper addresses how interview location can provide valuable insights into the interview participant and the interview topics. In it, I draw on interviews that I collected as part of a study on reentry from prison. The study design included four community-based interviews with each participant. I discuss three types of interview locations: (1) private spaces (homes), (2) paid third spaces (cafes and restaurants), and (3) free public spaces (parks and libraries). Each of these sites offers the potential for different insights into research participants and research questions, which also may vary across individuals, projects, and research projects/questions. Less important than the specific interview location is how interview locations and the social interactions they engender shape the dynamics of the interview or insights into the participant’s experiences. After discussing each of these in turn, I develop two extended examples of how interviewing an individual across multiple locations makes visible different aspects of that person’s personality and experience.
Libraries as the Space Between Us: Recognizing and Valuing the Third Space Much has been written recently about the "library as place." This essay approaches the question of library space philosophically, arguing that developing commercial attitudes toward space leads us away from more productive ways of conceiving libraries. A concept called Third Space is introduced, and its relevance to libraries and librarianship is explored. Third Space is defined and applied to various library concepts, especially information literacy. The article contends that thinking about Third Space can help libraries and librarians develop ways of working with increasingly diverse populations in increasingly dynamic contexts.
Libraries as Third Place and Digital Space: Interview with Knut Skanse This interview will focus on the Deichman Bjørvika digital services and understand the impact of digitization on the library and the community.
Libraries Full Circle: The Cross Section of Community, the Public Sphere, and Third Place The purpose of this article is to anchor public libraries in their conversational history, and to connect the dots between the characteristics of contemporary libraries and the parallel life cycle of the public sphere, opposing the argument that the public library is declining. Public libraries are a rare cross section of the public sphere and third place, satiating community-based and political needs. Framed by the history of libraries as social and intellectual havens, this article explores the motivation of patrons for physical place and discussion, and the importance of the public library as a community symbol and unrestricted space.
Library Design for the 21st Century: Collaborative Strategies to Ensure Success Library design in the 21st century has one common theme: collaboration is at the heart of innovation. Designing modern libraries is a complex process involving many stakeholders and participants. Libraries of all types work with an almost limitless range of constituent groups for input, buy-in and successful implementation. Securing support for new library buildings and renovations of libraries engages many people: library clients, community members, faculty, funding agencies, donors, governing authorities, librarians, architects, interior designers and planners. Telling the right story and getting to the end game demand carefully crafted approaches, wide-ranging skills, a unified vision and productive teamwork. The IFLA Library Buildings and Equipment Section has selected the best papers presented by award-winning architects and international thought leaders from the academic and public library sector at our recent satellite conferences and seminars: "Collaborative Strategies for Successful Library Design" (Chicago, Illinois), "What comes after the Third Place?" (Columbus, Ohio); "Key Issues for Library Space: International Perspectives" (Maynooth, Ireland); "Storage, the final frontier" (Munich, Germany) and "Telling and selling the space story" (Wrocław, Poland). The stories by the library and design professionals within this publication illustrate how powerful a role partnerships, outreach and cooperation play in a library project's success.
Making a Third Space for Student Voices in Two Academic Libraries When we think of voices in the library, we have tended to think of them as disruptive, something to control and manage for the sake of the total library environment. The stereotype of the shushing librarian pervades public perception, creating expectations about the kinds of spaces libraries want to create. Voices are not always disruptive, however. Indeed, developing an academic voice is one of the main challenges facing incoming university students, and libraries can play an important role in helping these students find their academic voices. Two initiatives at two different academic libraries are explored here: a Secrets Wall, where students are invited to write and share a secret during exam time while seeing, reading, commenting on the secrets of others; and a librarian and historian team-taught course called History on the Web, which brings together information literacy and the study of history in the digital age. This article examines both projects and considers how critical perspectives on voice and identity might guide our instructional practices, helping students to learn to write themselves into the university. Further, it describes how both the Secrets Wall and the History on the Web projects intentionally create a kind of “Third Space” designed specifically so students can enter it, negotiate with it, interrogate it, and eventually come to be part of it.
Museum as the "Third Place" in Cultural Space of Rural Area This article explores the problem of reconstruction and diversification of the activity of regional museums on the periphery. Attention is focused on underestimation (absence of demand) of potential of a museum in cultural space of a rural area. Reconstruction of the cultural space should be realized in accordance with the cluster principle: it allows reconstructing the functions of currently operating museums in an affordable way; optimally harness their potential; shift accents of their role for the society. Mainstreaming the values of regional ethnic culture contributes to the establishment of a positive cultural identity of the local dwellers. The author applies a complex interdisciplinary approach towards studying the problems of designing cultural space and forms of organizing leisure activities. Method of mosaic modeling is used in development of the project of museum as a third place. It is proven that cluster principle for organization of cultural and educational establishments, service sector; collaboration of their personnel; extensive implementation of participatory practices actualize the potential of cultural institutions of the rural area. Modern sociocultural practices as a platform of third place actively promote libraries (El Lissitzky and others) and cafés (Ray Oldenburg and others); the authors propose a museum complex - association of thee museums of the rural area. The article formulates a theoretical substantiation for broadening museum functions as an educational platform, place for relocation, personal development, and self-fulfillment. A reorganized creative cluster may contribute to the establishment of a positive cultural identity of the local dwellers, as well as make the cultural space more productive and efficient.
The New Normal: Public Libraries in Italy Post Covid-19 The reopening of public libraries in Italy is difficult, some issues became worse post the pandemic, such as budget cuts, precariousness of librarians, shortage of librarians skills. The old strategy of libraries built around the concept of “third space” was demonstrating its weaknesses, while the main function of reading promotion failed to avoid also a decline in reading. The paper describes the new services that libraries offer in the “new normal” but describes the lack of orientation that characterizes this historical moment after the pandemic. In conclusion, to plan a strategy User experience methods are applied and users are requested about the library they would like, the one they imagine. The paper ends with the notes of three users from South, Central and Northern Italy who document different users' perceptions and
Occupying a Third Space: The Haskell Free Library on the U.S.- Canada Border
Photovoice Accounts of Third Spaces: Refugee and Asylum Seeker Populations' Experiences of Therapeutic Space This article draws on a photo-voice project carried out in the North West, UK, with 30 members of the asylum seeker and refugee population. The findings explore participants' experiences of ‘third places’ (for example, public green space and libraries), that were distinctly set apart from the domestic dwelling (first places), and institutional sites of exclusion, for example, immigration reporting centres (second places). These third places became affective sanctuaries that allowed for emotional retreat in the midst of the UK's exclusionary and repressive asylum regime. Moreover, for this group third places were places where participants could (re)connect with identities beyond the refugee label, and where cultural and transnational ties could be fostered. It is important that policy makers do not overlook the significance of third places for the wellbeing of community members, particularly asylum seeker and refugee populations. •The article draws on photovoice data with refugee and asylum seekers.•Parks and libraries were identified as third places that improved wellbeing.•Third places became affective sanctuaries as they offered emotional retreat.•Participants were (re)connecting with alternative identities in third places.•Analysis also revealed exclusion from wellbeing enhancing places.
Playing in the "Third Place": How Games and Play Are Transforming Public Libraries Games and play are a growing presence in public libraries, part of a suite of new spaces and services that respond to digitization and new urban policy imperatives. Drawing on observation of library spaces and interviews with library staff in Australia, Finland, and Singapore ( n = 27), we examine the myriad ways games and play are transforming the library: from its architectural design and furnishings to its daily rhythms, atmosphere, and acoustics. Games and play, we argue, are more than adjuncts to traditional library services. Often spilling out of designated zones and beyond the library’s walls, they mirror the wider integration of libraries into urban policy agendas and the city’s economic and cultural life. This trend underscores the growing tensions libraries face in balancing their conscription into instrumental objectives with their traditional role as “third places” bounded by the utilitarian demands of work and home.
Public libraries and Spaces of Micro Connection in the Intercultural City Everyday spaces represent central platforms that provide opportunities for encounters marked by ethnic and cultural diversity, where transformations can be negotiated that rethink living together. The significance of these ‘third places’ has been extensively researched. Yet, some spaces such as public libraries continue to be largely overlooked by geographers. Public libraries also remain under-appreciated within wider society despite their obvious social functions. Central here is that public libraries can be understood as dynamic and ‘lived spaces’ that enable the emergence of transient connections and relationships. Such spaces are increasingly sparse within modern cities. This paper explores the potential of everyday spaces of encounter, specifically public libraries, to facilitate the unfolding of ‘light’ connections and relationships, nurturing more inclusive forms of urban togetherness and belonging in multi-ethnic societies and the significance that people attribute to these often mundane encounters and micro connections. In so doing, this paper combines findings from two research projects that investigate mixed or intercultural encounters in public libraries in Bremen (Germany) and Glasgow (Scotland).
The Role of the Third Place in Revitalizing the Interior Spaces of the Academic Libraries Through the Concept of Identity With the rapid prevailing of electronic information resources and services, the traditional academic libraries are being declined and gradually deserted. Recent studies highlighted this issue as one of the challenges of the digital era. Responding to this issue, this paper introduces the idea of revitalizing academic libraries through the concept of "Third place" based on the possibility of providing traditional libraries with new interior spaces wherein students, scholars, and faculty can learn and socialize as well as cooperate, without stress. Based on the literature reviewed, there are several factors through which it is possible to enhance the interior spaces to attract more users to traditional academic libraries and make them more vital. This paper discusses the possibility of revitalizing traditional libraries by activating the role of the "Third Place" identity in their interior design. To activate the concept of "Third Place" in local academic libraries that lack such active spaces, this work focuses, in particular, on the academic library of the University of Technology as a major case study, three student proposals are included in this paper. Indeed,
A Study on the Discussion Space of National Taiwan Normal University Library as a Third Place and the Satisfaction of Its Users This study aims to exploring the discussion space of National Taiwan Normal University Library as a third place and the satisfaction of its users. It takes the users of the discussion space of National Taiwan Normal University Library as the research object, and it is divided into categories and analyses them: user frequency, the discussion space of National Taiwan Normal University Library as the third place and the satisfaction of its users.
The Theory and Practice of "Third Cultural Space" Created by Public Libraries With the development of mobile Internet technology and the change of people's living habits, the main service work of library has been greatly impacted, and library extinction once was all the go. With the rise of the concept and application of "Third Space", the value of library as the place and space is becoming more and more prominent. According to the general property of "Third Space" and the special attributes of library as the cultural sites to acquire and utilize knowledge, this paper explored the establishment of exclusive cultural brand for library from the perspective of space, and built the document resource service base, early childhood reading promotion base, reading experience sharing and social contact base, lifelong learning base, and made it become "Third Cultural Space" for residents.
Uncommons: Transforming Dusty Reading Rooms Into Artefactual Third Spaces This article describes the implementation of two inexpensive social learning library laboratories for advanced students in Latin American and Chicana/o studies. Drawing on philosophical literature from these interdisciplinary areas and ethnic studies, these cases present a "third space" option for library learning called "uncommons." This term denotes alternative book-laden spaces for student scholars practicing, rather than studying, their disciplinary crafts. As a "third space," "uncommons" invite advanced students to resist the false dichotomy between technology and tradition and to present their work among peers engaging tangible and audible, as opposed to virtual, creative or academic texts.
Virtual Reality in Libraries: Does VR Create a Safer Space for 2SLGTBQ+ and IBPOC people? Libraries are considered third places between work and home, if there is access to VR could that create a fourth space for individuals with intersectional identities to explore in library settings?