Reimagining the Public Library to Reconnect the Community | Shamichael Hallman | TEDxMemphis

[Music] some of my fondest memories as a child involved Public Library's as a introverted highly sensitive kid libraries were a safe space sanctuary in libraries I could always find a welcoming librarian who would help me find a great book or appointment to the right and reference material so I could finish a report they also pointed me to some really really great resources one of the first books that I begin to love as a child was a children's novel called encyclopedia brown which told the exploits of a young boy detective and I think one of the reasons why the book fascinated me so much because it was the first time I'd ever met or why I got named Leroy beliebers were such such cool places right I mean there were those access to computers there was access to other technology there were lots of clubs and things that I could take a part of and one of the amazing things were all the programs that were offered after schools on the weekends things around arts things around science things around math these programs provided a really valuable opportunity for me to meet people that I might otherwise never meet and through these interactions I could understand that the people who were a part of these programs that we had a lot of things in common that we had a lot of the same interests in common I think that's one of the powers of public spaces that it gives us the ability to interact and meet people that we might not meet it's been long understood that social cohesion develops through repeated interactions through shared experiences with each other the way in which we learn about each other the way in which we know about each other the way that we feel about each other it's often shaped by the experiences that we have together fry quite quickly though what we discover and what we see is that these interactions are not happening we are in fact isolating ourselves separating ourselves along almost every category and I believe that it's time to change that and I believe that social public spaces are our parks our libraries our community centers have a tremendous ability to do that this work is deeply important to me one of the reasons why is this there are some moments that that define you some moments that just shape you the things that you just never forget one of those moments came from me in the spring of 2019 I got to have a conversation with a woman named grace grace and the spring of 1960 took a kind of a fateful trip to a library with a few friends and some college classmates story goes and the reports show that when grace and her friends got to this library they were not rude they were not rowdy that they they entered the library quite calm we just looking to be served however merely upon entering the library the librarians there informed them of the segregation laws and call the police within a few months of the police being called Grayson her friends were arrested and placed in jail a reporter came by the next day enacted a librarian why she had called the police on Grayson her friends and the librarians responsible was not that they were rude or loud or obnoxious but the reason why the police were called was because grace and her friends were Negros wonder if we might sit with that for a minute I'm in awe of that conversation because 57 years later I became the manager of the branch in which that happened and I remember looking miss grace in the eyes and saying miss grace if it had not been for what you did as an 18 year old college student I now as a black man couldn't manage this branch and I made a commitment to grace I made I made a pact with Miss grace that as long as I was serving as the manager of that space that we would do everything that we could to make that space as inclusive as possible and here's how we're gonna do it when you think about the word library what word immediately comes to mind I took an unofficial poll while I was doing an outreach event and so really interesting answers came right some people said technology some people said computers most people said books I think that's what most of us would say right but for the purpose of this talk I'd like for us to exchange the word books for another word oh so I have nothing against books I there are probably a hundred books in my house right now that every time I walk in the door they look at me saying read me read me read me for the purpose of this conversation I wonder if we might change the word books for the word bridge there are two bridges in the city that gets you across the mighty Mississippi and into the state of Arkansas one of those bridges the Harahan bridge has a couple of spaces for cars couple spaces for trains and then one space for for pedestrian and if you've never walked across that great for that big river crossing I would highly encourage you to do so it's a wonderful trip to make but each year thousands of people by foot by bike by scooter take the trip across the Mississippi into Arkansas and it takes them that they're able to see places and things that they otherwise never would see and that's the beauty of bridges I believe our public spaces in our parks libraries our community centers have the opportunity to serve as a bridge to introduce us to people that we might not otherwise see in the spring of 2017 I assume the managing role of kostet libraries historic libraries the city's first library so much history is in this library and we began to think about what it would take to reimagine this historic branch much of this work is rooted in a national initiative called reimagine the civic Commons which is a national project happening in many cities across the country that is focused on public spaces that's the heart we're asking ourselves how might we look differently at public faces in the way that we design them in the way that we manage them in the way that we program them in the way that we maintain them and some fascinating data is popping up all across the country I spent some of these years traveling to different cities and trying to try to just learn as much as I can about libraries how they function how they operate and what I'm discovering is that is that the story is it's kind of the same no matter where you are whether it's Seattle or San Francisco whether it's Chicago or Detroit whether it's Philadelphia or Akron or even in Africa where I've been able to see libraries and khempal in Nairobi the question is the same that the issue is the same that the libraries are realizing that they must make some pivots now there are all types of people who come in libraries people who come in to use the computer there are people who are coming to get out of the elements there are people who are coming to for a story time program with their child and the library must take and continue to to meet those needs but the library should also begin to thinking about other ways that we can meet new needs that our community has and I believe one of those most pressing needs is to provide a space where people from all walks of life incomes ethnicities can have a place to gather we're doing this work now at Causton library thanks to the reimagine of civic commons grant but thanks to some state and local grants we're doing this as a team so it's not just myself we've got architects and designers we've got city employees we've got great volunteers who are downtown we're kind of collaborative doing this and here's how this is gonna play out so I'm just kind of just kind of imagine when we walk with me wait we expected to oaktree open this branch in October of this year here's a little bit of what you'll see as you walk down to 33 South Front Street you will mainly notice that there are a variety of trees that offer a lot of shade you will see various colorful plantings that invite you into the courtyard upon walking into the court you are you going to see a variety of comfortable seating that is accessible to people of all ages and mobilities to the left you'll see a great piece of public art that will be a show it so a nice a Mockingbird coming out of the ground to the left of that you'll see a wonderful green space work we'll have a variety of outdoor activities yo good Tai Chi outdoor readings and it'll be a wonderful place just for you to hang out on a Saturday afternoon upon walking in the inside as you look as you look to the right you'll see a cafe space yeah well you're putting a cafe in a library what about that that'll serve a variety of fresh seasonal food I from there if you look to the left you'll see a vibrant children's space filled with all types of books that we'll use to engage children and not just that then what there's also going to be a study rooms private meeting spaces for you to be able to do your work and your study and your gathering and we're doing that because of this there's a tradition kind of in the libraries that when you walk into the library we want to shatter that we want that the moment you walk into the library and it's a welcoming space and that when you see somebody you haven't seen in a while a neighbor a friend a co-worker and it's okay to talk to them as you walk up on the second floor there's going to be a variety of things that you're going to see so they're right you're gonna see a performing arts space a flexible multi-use space that we'll be able to do dance classes and in acting classes film screenings corporate gatherings places for you and your business or your company to meet and not just that we're gonna have a co-working space because co-working is is big in our economy but we recognize that everyone doesn't have access to that and so we're going to have a space that has lockable storage of this space that has equipment you to be able to get your business or your creative endeavor off the ground and not just that we're gonna also add recording spaces to recording spaces one audio side one video side are you aspiring home musicians we got a space for you come and record your project with us can I produce your next creative work with us because here's the thing all of the equipment that you need the laptops the cameras the camcorders the microphones the mixers we'll have it all your library card gets you there all of this creates the space all of this creates of space of a vibrant community space a vibrant technology space a vibrant cultural space where we will be able to celebrate all that we are and I hope that you will join us and this is everything that I have told you thus far it involves you consuming all the wonderful things that we have but I believe if this is going to actually work the way I think it can work it's going to require two things of you the first thing is that it will acts of you to contribute just as much as you consume so libraries are very kind of consumer restaurant we go we get our books we leave we go we go to the program relief we go we used to cook but we used to computer we leave but I'm asking you to contribute to the fabric of the of the library and that may look like you just bringing a friend when you come to the program that might be you arriving a few minutes early to help set up or break down that might be you call the library say hey I have us gift I have a skill I play the guitar I know how to code I know how to do taxes I know how to say it business gives up and I would love to maybe once a month help the community what's the skill that I have see when we do that we're onto something the second thing that is going to require I think this is the most important thing is for you to offer below me instead of other here's the thing that we've learned if there's nothing else that we've learned from Casa the history of Casa is the danger that happens when one people group decides that another people group is not worthy of a public space and so what I would ask of you when you walk in this library and you see people who think a little bit different than you and you see people who have a different religious belief than you and you see people who have a different sexual orientation than you and you see people who who have who have a different worldview than you that you would not other them but you would invite them into a beautiful community what we all can gather we all can share what we all can learn listen y'all we're doing some special in downtown Memphis with this library it is a model for the nation to see and I and I think what I'm most excited about is not that I'm leaving it but that us together are gonna make it special thank you so much [Applause]

Channel: TEDx Talks

Views: 71,198

Keywords: TEDxTalks, English, Social Science, Community, Inequality, Library, Racism, Social Interaction

Id: JI2CLgq3LLk

Length: 15min 5sec (905 seconds)

Published: Tue Mar 17 2020