Seattle Public Library
Shamichael Hallman, author of “Meet Me at the Library: A Place to Foster Social Connection and Promote Democracy,” will speak on Monday, April 14 at Town Hall Seattle about why the public library may be our best hope for bridging current societal divides and creating strong, inclusive communities. Please join us! (Register here.)
In an era when federal funding to libraries is under threat, his topic couldn’t be more timely. Hallman is the director of civic health and economic opportunity at the Urban Libraries Council and former senior library manager at Memphis Public Libraries.
As a preview of his talk, he kindly answered a few questions from us.
SPL: Why are libraries uniquely suited to foster connections and promote democracy?
SH: To cultivate a strong, healthy democracy, we need places where people can show up regardless of their beliefs or how much money they have in their pocket. We need places where people can just be, and the library fits that bill exceptionally well. Once you walk into a library, you have access to a variety of opinions and thought, intellectual freedom in practice. Libraries offer so many opportunities for shared experiences that allow us to show up and learn from and about each other.
Libraries offer so many opportunities for shared experiences that allow us to show up and learn from and about each other.
What has been surprising to readers in terms of what libraries do?
I recommend that people go to the website of their local library and browse “additional services.” You’ll see everything from help with mapping your genealogy to launching a business to cultivating a new hobby. In my book, I also wrote about the growing trend of “library of things”: Libraries are loaning everything from sewing machines and fishing rods, to car diagnostic kits, which fits into the idea of a circular economy.
What other programs have been inspiring to you?
Folks in Seattle are probably familiar with Citizen University and the work of Eric Liu and his team. I’m constantly inspired by their Civic Saturday gatherings and how they’ve been replicated by libraries across the U.S.
During the book launch, we had an event at Mesa County Libraries in Grand Junction, Colorado, that was a “human library,” where people could “check out” a human and engage with that person over a conversation.
What are the biggest threats to public libraries right now, as well as opportunities?
For years now, libraries have faced unprecedented challenges to our collections, especially books that touch on issues of race, gender, and sexuality. This threatens the foundational core of libraries — to introduce readers to a variety of topics through a variety of lenses. I’m working on a national campaign about why intellectual freedom matters and why it’s important to democracy.
We’re also seeing many funding challenges at the federal and state level, which affect the ability to deliver quality services and to keep staff members safe.
As I wrote in “Meet Me at the Library,” one of the biggest opportunities for libraries is continued community engagement and a move from transactional to relational connections. I think most people would agree that we are a lonely and divided society. Libraries have the place, the people and the programs that could help unite us in this very difficult time in our country.
What actions do you hope your book inspires in readers?
Get a reintroduction to the library and advocate for it: Get a card, attend a program, engage in the experience of checking out a book. Beyond that, you can volunteer, make a financial contribution, or write a letter to a local elected official saying how much you value the library in your community.
Shamichael Hallman will speak at Town Hall Seattle on Monday, April 14, at 7:30 p.m. Reserve your tickets here. This event is presented by Town Hall and The Seattle Public Library, and supported by The Seattle Public Library Foundation, The Gary and Connie Kunis Foundation, and The Seattle Times. Community partners are Friends of The Seattle Public Library, the Soapbox Project, and Elliott Bay Book Company.
You can find copies of “Meet Me at the Library: A Place to Foster Social Connection and Promote Democracy” at your local bookstore and (of course) at your library.
Source: Seattle Medium
