Exploring Athens Public Library as a Public Space

Activity Board

Art of a local artist

The front of the library

Train table

Story time :)

 Story time at Athens Public Library on Tuesday mornings have become a sort of tradition in our home.  Getting their an half hour early to play with the trains and pick out books for the week, Aryia, my fourteen month old, knows exactly where to go.  As soon as we cross the parking lot and enter the main area of the library, she squirms and squiggles until I put her down so she can make her way to the children’s area. 

Until our discussions of public space in Social Geographies, I had never really  considered the use and control of libraries, let alone Athens Public Library.  Since Aryia and I have made good use of the library, I thought it fitting to explore this space a little further. 

I start my assessment of Athens Public library as a representation of space with looking at its mission statement, which reads, “Athens County Public Libraries:  community resources for information and entertainment with friendly service and welcoming spaces.” 

Exploring the library to see how this mission statement is planned out, I notice a couple of different things.  The Athens website asserts that the library maintains a collection of about 300,000 items and has subscriptions to about 130 magazines and newspapers.  The website also has available resources for users (e.g. online book clubs, audio books, digital library, etc.) and provides a link to county and community resources.  (http://search.myacpl.org/cgi-bin/koha/opac-main.pl?logout.x=1) In addition to various reading materials, DVDs, music, and audiobooks, the library has recently started a bicycle-borrowing program and also provides computers available for patron use for 2hr. time slots.  This all speaks to ways in which the library plans for community resources. 

In terms of friendly service and welcoming spaces, the library represents this in a number of ways.  The actual physical space of the library is open, spacious, and well lit.  When you go into the library, the first thing you encounter is the service desk with librarians often welcoming you in.  They also have a children’s area filled not only with a variety of children’s book, but an open area where children can run and play.  This area is decorated with vibrant pictures and has a cupboard filled with toys, a train table, and art material available for kids.  Every so often, the library also has different art of local artists on display and a number of events and activities are advertised on their information board.  With the layout of the library, the atmosphere created at the children’s area, the artwork, and the variety of programs and events held at the library, you get the feeling that this library was created for all sorts of groups within the Athens community.  In addition, the fact that the Athens library has a number of rooms that people can use, free of charge, for different meetings (e.g. Spanish conversational groups, Birth Circle, Civil war round table, Yoga for 50+, etc.) speaks to the representation of space as one to be utilized by the whole community.   

The board of directors and library staff are responsible for control and the enforcement of control in the library.  The board of directors, chosen by the Nelsonville school district, which houses the main library of the Athens County Public Libraries, are responsible for the policies of the libraries, whereas library staff are responsible for enforcing these policies.

When considering the library’s representational space, it seems that the use of the library works well with the planned use of space.  In an interview with Marilyn Zwayer, the library’s branch manager, she asserts, “the library has a cross section of users.  We have retired individuals who enjoy doing puzzles and are steady users of the library, we have families with young children who faithfully come in for story time, working people come in and pick up books, and college students use the space to study and connect online.”  This section of users clearly speaks to a representational space supporting the purpose and design of the library. 

Although, for the most part, the representational space and representation of space work together, there are some areas in which the planned space has to be changed in order to better serve its users.  For example, although library policies require parents to be present when children obtain library cards, library staff in branch libraries that don’t have parents who come with their children to the library allow kids to bring the library application home for parents to sign.  In addition, Marilyn asserts that even though a residence address is required to obtain a library card, staff make exceptions for individuals who may not necessarily have a permanent place to stay.  In the Athens library, staff allow individuals who reside at My Sister’s Place, a domestic violence shelter, and Good works, a homeless shelter, to obtain a library card and rent out books. 

In considering the interaction between the representation of space and representational space of Athens Public Library, I cannot help but think of Linche’s article.  His argument that public space necessitates both freedom and regulation and that space is both planned and use, in which planned changes the use of space, and vice versa, is clearly depicted in the interactions of representational space and representation of space at Athens Public Library. 

When thinking of Athens library as a space for representation, two groups come to mind:  The elderly and nursing mothers.  Elderly people often restrict their movement and use of public space because the planned space often sends a message of unacceptance and does not fit their physical needs and interests.  Athens library appears to be an exception.  The physical space of the library, a one story building, is spacious, open, and easy to maneuver.  In addition, the library provides a number of different activities and events specifically catered towards elderly individuals.  For example, Yoga for 50+ meets every week at the library and other social activities, such as board game clubs and knitting groups meet regularly as well. 

As a nursing mother, there are few spaces in public that I feel comfortable breastfeeding.  Often, public spaces produce stares, glares, and/or awkward whispers.  Nursing at the library, however, is not the case.  Although it is not explicitly announced that mother’s are welcome to nurse in the library, the environment fostered allows for an acceptance of breastfeeding.  Many mothers, including myself, step out of the reading circle during story time to nurse hungry babies.  In addition, the La Leche League, a nonprofit volunteer organization who helps mothers breastfeed, meets monthly at the library as well.