{"id":1700,"date":"2018-09-08T10:30:55","date_gmt":"2018-09-08T09:30:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.ifla.org\/public-libraries\/?p=1700"},"modified":"2018-09-08T10:30:55","modified_gmt":"2018-09-08T09:30:55","slug":"sanctuaries-in-the-city-the-public-library-as-a-safe-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ifla.org\/public-libraries\/2018\/09\/08\/sanctuaries-in-the-city-the-public-library-as-a-safe-space\/","title":{"rendered":"Sanctuaries in the city: the public library as a safe space"},"content":{"rendered":"

IFLA WLIC 2018<\/span><\/p>\n

Kuala Lumpur<\/span><\/p>\n

Synopsis prepared by Corinne Hill<\/b>, Public Libraries Section member.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sponsored by Metropolitan Libraries and the Public Libraries Section, this program had the unenviable scheduling position next to IFLA\u2019s Global Vision session. Nevertheless, Sanctuaries still drew a respectable crowd.<\/span><\/p>\n

The session opened quite strongly with <\/span>Derr<\/span> Leonee<\/span> Ariel\u2019s <\/span>\u201cPublic Libraries are safe and neutral spaces\u2026<\/span>when people aren\u2019t in them!<\/span>\u201c<\/span>From Malvern Library in Melbourne, Australia, Ms. Ariel delivered a compelling presentation framed around the <\/span>use of <\/span>language, and why language matters. She is a lover of language, and evidence of this can be seen throughout her entire presentation. She spoke of how \u201cthe past informs practice and expectations today.\u201d My favorite slide was when she compared \u201cSafe and Sanctuary,\u201d <\/span>vs<\/span> \u201cInclusive and Refuge.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

What I took away from this was that we build trust with our communities over time<\/span>. While we have standards of behavior when working in public space there is the reality of what it is truly like to work in a public space\u2014and it\u2019s not a safe space. We strive to create inclusive experiences in an unpredictable world often with vulnerable populations not captured in census. <\/span><\/p>\n

Ms. Ariel see\u2019s our future as social justice in action\u2014while we are not a political institution, our current political environment has made us one.<\/span><\/p>\n

She is someone to watch as she has her pulse on our current predicaments. I encourage you to read her presentation in its entirety:<\/span><\/p>\n

http:\/\/library.ifla.org\/2272\/1\/114-derr-en.pdf<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Walsh Benjamin followed with his <\/span>\u201cPublic library and private space: Homeless queer youth navigating information access and identity in Toronto.\u201d<\/span> Mr. Benj<\/span>amin <\/span>examin<\/span>es<\/span> the public library as an importa<\/span>nt space for homeless lesbian, g<\/span>ay, bisexual, transgen<\/span>d<\/span>ered, trans<\/span>sexual, two-spirit, and\/or queer youth. As an academic librarian, he\u2019s <\/span>report stands<\/span> at the intersection of public library services and library research\u2014something not well represented in the literature and something for which he should receive accolades. <\/span><\/p>\n

The first challenge to delivering services to this population is finding them <\/span>\u2013essentially, <\/span>delivering services for those you cannot see. Homeless queer <\/span>youth often hide their identity and such deception often leads to chronic and\/or critical information poverty. Essentially, queer youth are seeking privacy in an Urban Hybrid <\/span>Space<\/span> as they cannot embrace their queerness in a public space. <\/span><\/p>\n

The entire presentation is available here:<\/span><\/p>\n

http:\/\/library.ifla.org\/2144\/1\/114-walsh-en.pdf<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

The discussion shifted to building design with Traci Engel <\/span>Lesniski<\/span>, Minneapolis, USA, <\/span>\u201cWelcome to All: Design\u2019s Role in Creating an Inclusive, Safe, and Beloved Community Destination.\u201d<\/span> Ms. Engel spoke of the community\u2019s resistance to the Central Library\u2019s redesign identifying it as a \u201cfancy homeless shelter and an irrelevant space for the re<\/span>st of the population.\u201d Ms. <\/span>Lesnisk<\/span>i\u2019s<\/span> architectural firm, MSR<\/span>, \u00a0took<\/span> this \u201chomeless issue\u201d as a design challenge recognizing the actual and perceived safety<\/span>issues. They incorporated onsit<\/span>e offices for social service providers, study rooms for consultations, computer table design that allowed for privacy and space for belongings of the homeless, and they created a 2<\/span>nd<\/span> controlled entry to the children\u2019s suite. Essentially, MSR turned the library from a fear-based program to a home-based program, and opened in 2013 to community acclaim. The entire presentation is available here:<\/span><\/p>\n

http:\/\/library.ifla.org\/2218\/1\/114-lesneski-en.pdf<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Libraries Without Borders, Paris, France presented <\/span>\u201cLibraries as vectors of integration for immigrants and refugees: access to information and education in the Ideas Box in France.<\/span>\u201d<\/span> With 68.5 million displaced individuals worldwide, libraries play an important role in integrating immigrants and refugees into host communities. The \u201cIdeas Box\u201d is a flexible, modular, mobile library that makes for an excellent outreach tool. Outreach to displaced individuals helps them to regain a sense of normalcy after trauma, and demonstrates that the library is a place to bui<\/span>ld hope again. <\/span>Presentation not<\/span> available.<\/span><\/p>\n

Continuing the discussion of the public library as a safe space, <\/span>\u201cPublic library as a safe pl<\/span>a<\/span>ce: principles and experiences of Brazilian Park Libraries in Rio de Janeiro,\u201d<\/span> looks at a public library as a space and place rather than as a service. Park Libraries in Rio de Janeiro are located in very poor and violent regions of the city. The purpose is to explore the social capital theory as it applies to public libraries. The entire presentation is available here:<\/span><\/p>\n

http:\/\/library.ifla.org\/2143\/1\/114-silva-en.pdf<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

The final presentation, \u201cLibrary for the homeless: A case study of a Shelter House and a School for Homeless in Indonesia and Malaysia<\/span>,\u201d examined the impact of library materials and services at homeless shelters. The study found that sustainability is an issue both for materials and staff training. The entire presentation is available here:<\/span><\/p>\n

http:\/\/library.ifla.org\/2140\/1\/114-lastiwi-en.pdf<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

IFLA WLIC 2018 Kuala Lumpur Synopsis prepared by Corinne Hill, Public Libraries Section member. Sponsored by Metropolitan Libraries and the Public Libraries Section, this program had the unenviable scheduling position next to IFLA\u2019s Global Vision session. Nevertheless, Sanctuaries still drew a respectable crowd. The session opened quite strongly with Derr Leonee Ariel\u2019s \u201cPublic Libraries are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":795,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1700","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ifla.org\/public-libraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1700","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ifla.org\/public-libraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ifla.org\/public-libraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ifla.org\/public-libraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/795"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ifla.org\/public-libraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1700"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ifla.org\/public-libraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1700\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1703,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ifla.org\/public-libraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1700\/revisions\/1703"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ifla.org\/public-libraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1700"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ifla.org\/public-libraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1700"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ifla.org\/public-libraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1700"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}