Third Places: Bookstores & Libraries
Books are a staple of humanity. Creating not only verbal but also written language is not something seen in other creatures. The need to create, preserve, and share thoughts, knowledge, and stories is vital to humans and we have developed numerous ways to do so. Through libraries and bookstores, humans have imagined a shockingly enduring method of sharing the written word. However, the future of the book and the locations in which they are stored seem to always be in question, despite all historical evidence to the contrary. The future of the bookstore and library are ours to shape, and given the high value placed on books, it seems as though their presence will continue, even if we reinvent what these spaces can be.
History
It might come as a shock to many, but until the 19th century, bookstores rather than libraries acted as third places. The history of the library is long and incredibly detailed, but to break it down simply, for most of human history, libraries were limited to either monastic libraries or personal libraries for the rich and powerful. In the case of monasteries, monks were enlisted to create manuscript scrolls to study religious texts and to prevent them from being idle. These libraries were small, but they would grow as the years went on and technology allowed for increased production. This eventually would become an income source for these religious groups, as powerful people sought to obtain bespoke manuscripts for their personal collections.
As for the rich and powerful, their motivations were often either to collect necessary reference works for their professions or to obtain the flashiest objects for conspicuous consumption (occasionally both). This was easier in the years before the invention of printing, which created rapid growth in book production (by this point, scrolls were no longer the means of storing information, replaced by the codex, or what we now know as a book). With increased numbers of books came a reduction in price, which made books available and affordable to increasingly numerous individuals, diminishing the strength writing once held to showcase one’s wealth.
This led to a growth in the number of personal libraries for working professionals of varying income levels as well as subscription libraries, similar to modern-day streaming services in that you pay an annual fee for access to a certain collection of books—a privatized version of the modern public library. While some libraries, such as those in colleges or religious institutions would be somewhat open to certain groups, there was nothing truly public about any library until the 19th century, when public, taxpayer-funded libraries started popping up around the world as symbols of a country’s excellence.
Bookstores, alternatively, functioned as community centers for most of their history, at least in the United States. Often owned by eccentric, book-obsessed owners who wanted nothing more than to have like-minded individuals hanging around to discuss and share books with, these bookstores provided no pressure to make a purchase. Community regulars might show up daily just to browse and chat with others.
Sometimes these bookstores would double as mutual aid locations, some worked well for networking with others in various niche professions, and some bookstores functioned as living rooms or found families for people in their neighborhood. This is something that persists to this day if you visit your local small bookstore.
Present
Bookstores and libraries are hard to kill. People have been claiming that their days are numbered for centuries at this point, but they’re still here. They face existential threats from ruthless, faceless mega-corporations like Amazon, but they are still around. When thinking about the future, people tend to forget that humans have shown us who they are, and they are not quick to change. We love physical items that we can own, we like spending time around other people, we like spending time in the world around us. Anyone spelling the end of in-person book institutions does not take humanity into consideration.
Small bookstores, and even their threateningly larger competition Barnes & Noble, are doing alright for themselves. While not as strong as they have been in the past, they are making their comeback, slowly but surely. With people increasingly burnt out of spending time online (again, humans like tangible and in-person, which the pandemic readily showed us!) bookstores and libraries are there to provide space to spend time with one another. Some bookstores are leaning into cafes and wine bars, others have in-store events, and libraries continue to expand their community offerings with health and social services.
It might seem that in our current age of rampant anti-intellectualism that books, and the places providing them, would suffer. However, it is times like these, of uncertainty and fear in the face of growing fascist power, that people often turn to books and book institutions. Intellectualism protects people, informing them to reduce their susceptibility to abuse and manipulation. Harmful people in power rely on uneducated populations specifically because they are easier to manipulate and abuse. That’s why some of the most important institutions for fighting back against these evils are those that provide knowledge to others. These can be manipulated, as in the Nazi bookstores that previously took root in Los Angeles or state capitalism in Soviet Russia that controlled what books people were allowed to read. However, bookstores and libraries are often full of passionate people who have and do fight back and provide necessary information.
Not only do book institutions bring information to people, but they also bring people from a community together. One of the beauties of both bookstores and libraries is that you can meet and connect with so many different people. Books come in so many topics, interests, and demographic groups that you can meet others with shared interests—or someone outside of your comfort zone who can teach you something new. Expanding your view of the world and the community around you is one of the many beauties of bookstores and libraries.
Future
We certainly don’t know what the future holds. Many individuals and groups have tried to create libraries of the future, focused on computers and other technology at the expense of books, with little success. Again, humans like the tangible, so ignoring that vital aspect of human nature is not going to work.
One problem libraries specifically face is dwindling funding. No third place is free; they’re either paid for out of pocket or with tax dollars. While bookstores are gaining momentum, libraries are lacking in their tax funding, making them difficult to maintain. This is a common historical pattern, as humans like owning and collecting their own books when affordable and accessible. This is seen in the recent popularity of books on social media, with home libraries and book hauls. We may see a decline in public libraries as we have in the past. However, if we value libraries, we can advocate for proper funding or start supporting them individually whenever possible.
Another big challenge with libraries is that people feel they lack the time and energy to patronize libraries. A previous aspect of libraries, and some still have them, is bookmobiles. Libraries on wheels could help reconnect busy people to the library by delivering books and picking them up for those who struggle to access their local library, due to lack of time or transportation or due to disability. And maybe, as people get more burnt out and spend less time online, they will be reminded of the library and all the services they have and continue to add and choose to spend more time there.
As for the bookstores, they have no shortage of clever ways to bring people in. As mentioned previously, coffee shops, wine bars, and in-store events all bring people in. Another interesting concept from an Instagram reel a while back was a speed dating night for book lovers at a bookstore. There are many ways to bring readers in, especially after reading’s pandemic rise in popularity online.
Conclusion
Books have been around for longer than we can even imagine, and they will continue. Books have survived, as have the buildings that house them. No matter the setbacks, be it damage from religious hatred, war, political censorship, natural disaster, or sheer lack of funding, the book and their homes live on. And though they may take different shapes going forward, they won’t be eliminated. And for anyone still worried about the potential of their collapse, remember that we have the power to shape the future we want. And if books, libraries, and bookstores are something we value, we can ensure their survival. Humans will not stop being human anytime soon, and humans love books. Books are not going anywhere.
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