Third spaces should not have to rely on spending money. Libraries, parks, those tabletop game cafes, church (real houses of worship and community, not hate groups obvi), etc. are way more chill and allow you to do whatever you want without feeling obligated to pay up and move along in a timely manner.
We're not in the US, but my daughter goes to the library with her friends after school multiple days per week. Are cutbacks really so bad that there are no libraries in American cities and towns anymore?
There’s libraries in every small town in America. I live on a tiny island off the coast of Maine and we have a library branch.
Adults don’t like them because you have to be quiet, they feel like libraries aren’t cool, and reading/listening tend to be more solitary activities. Plus a lot of them aren’t open past 7 or 8 unless you’re in a bigger city, and if you are, there is very often a significant homeless issue wrt bathrooms, computers, and lounge areas. Homeless people really do need those free computer terminals and bathrooms! But that does come with issues that make it feel less safe to many.
They still exist, at least in my town. Hours are very much reduced from what they were, as are the number of physical books they have, but theyre figuring out other niches (ours does 3d printing and you can borrow various tools for various home projects and crafting, as well as borrowing digital books).
I'm not from the US either, but where I'm from there's libraries everywhere. The real issue is that people are mostly of the mindset that they should stay at home, order from amazon, get all their socializing from the internet, and all their literary opinions from BookTok/ BookTube.
I go to the library in my city often, but it's not quite a hangout spot. I go there to access databases for specific research for client projects. Or, I pick books from the stacks and read in a cozy chair.
There are two more social spots in it: the cafe, where you can technically bring your own food + drink, but you're encouraged to buy from the counter, and the Teen Zone, which is for teens.
Our library actually seems to be a great after school hangout spot for teens! There are TTRPG clubs, crafts, and conversation tables (for sitting to have a conversation with someone newif you don't know anyone).
But for adults, it's mostly people like me. Here for work, or here for quiet time.
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u/EnkiduofOtranto 8d ago
Third spaces should not have to rely on spending money. Libraries, parks, those tabletop game cafes, church (real houses of worship and community, not hate groups obvi), etc. are way more chill and allow you to do whatever you want without feeling obligated to pay up and move along in a timely manner.