Claiming Public Space: Athens City Public Library

For this project, we decided to research the Athens City Public Library. The library is open to various community members and would be classified as a 'pseudo-public' space, as described by Mitchell (1995).

Figure 1: Outside view of Athens City Public Library located on Home Street

Athens City Public Library as  "Representation of Space"

       According to Mitchell (1995) a "representation of space" includes how it is planned, controlled, and ordered (p. 115). More simply, this means what was the intended purpose of the public space and how is the space controlled and monitored.

       After completing research and observations about the library, we have discovered this library was intended to be utilized by various community members. Further, the space is meant to provide people with access to different forms of media, including books, movies, and even Internet access. In an interview conducted on November 22 with a Athens' librarian, named Luke, he explained this pseudo-public space is intended to be "a community center to enrich people's lives through media." This same idea can be found on the Athens Public Library home page. On the home page, a large yellow box contains the words "empower," "enlighten," and "embrace," as shown below in Figure 2. These words suggest the library is a place to help strengthen community members by giving them access to library materials, as well as a place to visit and interact with other people and different forms of media. The library can help to empower and enlighten one's mind.

Figure 2: Screenshot of Athens Public Library Home Page. Link: http://www.myacpl.org/about

      Not only is the library's intended use shown via our interview with Luke and the library's website, but its intended use is represented via the organization and order of the space. When visiting the library, there are no restrictions on what kind of person may enter the building; everyone is welcome. Further, the space is filled with various books, movies, and other forms of media, as you can see in Figure 3. The seating is surrounded by stacks of books, movies, and games, encouraging community members to engage with the media within the space as well as other patrons.

Figure 3: A few of the book shelves located inside the library.

     The library includes numerous types of seating for community members to use. There are individual type desks for people to work alone without being disturbed. The library also provides tables for more group orientated work or for patrons to even play games together (see Figure 4). During our visit, we even saw  computers located within the library for multiple purposes, ranging from playing online games to doing homework, as pictured in Figure 5. There is even a section devoted solely to children's activities and books. All of these different organizational features within the library show the public space is indeed intended to be for all community members to visit and access the surrounding forms of media.

Figure 4: An example of the organization of the space. As you can see there are both individual desks and group tables, encouraging all types of community members to visit and utilize the public space.

Figure 5: Computer space for community members to utilize.

     The final aspect of a "representation of space" deals with how the public space is controlled. According to Luke, the library and its staff expects visitors to be respectful of each other, the staff, and library materials. The library's 'Customer Code of Conduct' supports Luke's comment, which is depicted in Figure 6. These rules expect all patrons, employees, materials, and the space in general to be treated with respect. Further, the rules also emphasize the importance of safety within the public space.

        Safety is an important issue in this space and needs to be ensured to both patrons and employees. During our interview with Luke, he explained he rarely sees bad behavior within the public space. This comment along with our observations leads us to the conclusion much of the control is passive, usually enforced by other patrons and the expectations of the library and staff to maintain a respectful environment. Everyone in the library was relatively quiet, polite and did not disturb anyone. Therefore, the passive control of maintaining a community, family-friendly environment was passively controlled.
     One can also see passive control displayed on the library's front doors. There are two signs banning both guns and smoking in the library. However, these are simply signs that help to control the public space, making this a form of passive control. 

     While much control in the Athens City Public Library is passive, Luke explained there are some instances when people are disruptive. In these cases, librarians become 'private police,' as their jobs requires them to perform a policing function and role within the space (Valentine, 2001). Luke explains in these situations, "9 times out of 10, I ask the person to please stop" the disruptive behavior and they "normally stop." However, in those rare cases, Luke has the authority to ask someone to leave the library. Therefore, the librarians serve as the private security of the library since their job allows them to actively control and maintain the space and who is allowed in it, as discussed by Valentine (2000).

Athens City Public Library as “Representational Space”

     According to Mitchell (1995) a “representational space” includes how space is appropriated, lived in, and used. In other words, representational space pertains to the usages of a given space.

    After observing patrons at the library, it became apparent that the space is utilized by a large cross section of community members. Although functioning as a typical library, the space also carries out a variety of other functions. Community members are able to rent bicycles from the library, hold meetings, play an assortment of games, let their children roam around the play area, and attend events such as knitting group or poetry night.  The library also functions as a place of tranquility as well as a safe place for community members to gather in.

    While conducting research on a single visit, infants, school-aged children, college students, middle-aged community members, and the elderly were all observed in the library at one time. The infant children were observed crawling around a designated play area as seen in figure 8. The play area is equipped with many games and toys and is conveniently located next to the children books.

 Figure 8. View of children’s play area

Figure 9. School-aged children using library computers

    The school-aged children were observed using a computer to work on a school project as seen in figure 9. The computers are equipped with Internet access as well as Microsoft Office making them convenient for not only students but for community members without Internet access in their home. The college students were observed doing research and studying on their laptops as seen in figure 10. The library contains many small tables that are out of the way of foot traffic offering a quiet space without distractions. Community members are able to connect to wireless Internet instead of having to use the computers provided by the library. Middle-aged community members were observed holding a meeting in the library a seen in figure 11. The meeting took place in a small closed off room that offered privacy for not only the members participating in the meeting but for other patrons of the library.

Figure 10. Table where college students were studying

Figure 11. Community members holding a meeting

    The elderly were observed using the library computers as well as utilizing the vast expanse of chairs and beanbags for reading as seen in figure 12. Large chairs are found throughout the library. In many instances, the chairs are turned to face large windows with views of the surrounding landscape. Beanbags are also found throughout the library offering patrons a comfortable alternate to chairs and desks.

Figure 12. Community member relaxing on a beanbag

    On the library website, a list of events also describes uses of the library as seen in figure 13. The library hosts events ranging from birth circle and baby story time to yoga for people 50 and up and an information session on how to use social media. Events are aimed at all age groups. A complete list of events located on the library website depicts the age range that each event is designated for. Many events are aimed at older adults and young children but events for teens, young adults, and middle-aged adults are also available.

Figure 13. Screenshot from the library website

    The design of the library allows community members, no matter their age or intended use, to use the space harmoniously without much distraction, supporting its intended use. The allocation of specific areas catering to different groups allows the space to remain calm and ordered. The children’s play area is located far away from the single desks and small tables that allow for quiet study and reading. Private rooms are available that allow discussions to be held behind closed doors. Because the space has a functional design and is well maintained, it seemed as if each patron was content with how the space was being used. Numerous types of patrons ranging from children to the elderly were observed utilizing the public space, proving the space is used as it was intended for.

    One subgroup we did not find at the library during our observation period were high school aged students. The library does host many events that cater to high school aged students/young adults. These events include the teen advisory board and anime card club. The library also has a vast collection of DVDs as well as games that appeal to the younger crowd. However, It would be interesting to conduct observations at multiple times throughout the week to get a better sample of people that utilize the library.

Perspectives of Public Space

The Athens public library as a “representation of space” and a “representational space” coincide together by the fact the library is meant to be used by multiple groups of community members in Athens County. From Mitchell (1995) definitions, we have observed how the library is planned, controlled, ordered, appropriated and used in way that is beneficial to a whole range of people in the examples that we have found.The only way we can see conflict through these two lenses is the way how the space has expanded beyond its function as a library. It has become a place where you can not only access literature and media material but also have access to community events and outdoor activities.

The library’s committee has managed to combine different elements in the way the library is organized through its seating areas, the access to different media and events to attract its patrons. The two perspectives of public space in this case has resulted in creating calm and controlled environment for the people to use the space together in harmony. We do observe that the library is utilized by numerous groups of community members from young children to the elderly. The shows the function of the library as a public space for the community is being fulfilled. 

2 Examples of 'Spaces for Representation'

      The Athens Public Library certainly serves as a ‘space for representation’ (Mitchell, 1995) for several groups that otherwise may have challenges becoming ‘public’. Judging from the events listed on the Library’s website (seen in figure 13), there are two examples of marginalized groups who are given a space in the public through the use of the library to come together and become more legitimate in the public eye. One of these groups is teenagers and the other group is mothers.

     For teenagers, the Athens Public Library acts as a space for meeting and activity that allows teens some autonomy when it comes to decision and use of space. The Library hosts a Teen Advisory Board (http://www.myacpl.org/events/teen-advisory-board-2014-12-03) where any teen in 9-12^th grade may come and give input and make decisions concerning what it best for their demographic in using the space.  This is an excellent example of a group being able to represent themselves and make themselves heard, even if it is within the context of a library. The Library also offers several other events and spaces for teens to participate and make use of public space. These events include a creative writing workshop (http://www.myacpl.org/events/creative-writing-workshop-teens-2014-12-06) and anime card club (http://www.myacpl.org/events/anime-card-club-2014-12-06). All of these events and groups invite anyone to participate. This space and control given to teens in the Athens community is significant since, as Valentine (2001) points out, 'youth' or teens occupying public spaces are sometimes viewed as being deviant or violent. This teen-directed programming through the public library grants teens the ability to contradict that point of view.

      The opportunities that the library provides for mothers to become public are fairly comprehensive and concern issues that are debated when it comes to what’s ‘appropriate’ in public. The two groups that provide spaces for mothers are Birth Circle (http://www.myacpl.org/events/birth-circle-2014-11-26) and La Leche League (http://www.myacpl.org/events/la-leche-league-2014-12-15).  Both of these groups serve the needs of new mothers but also provide a space for experience mothers to join and share knowledge. Birth Circle focuses on the topic of pregnancy, birth, and early motherhood and La Leche League is a group the focuses on the topic of breastfeeding, which also happens to be a topic up for debate as to whether or not it is acceptable in the public sphere. The interesting thing about these groups being a part of a public space is that this contradicts the ‘norm’ of public space being dominated by the ‘masculine’ and that the home is the ‘right’ space for women (and even more, for mothers). For these reasons, women often find themselves excluded or constrained in public spaces (Koskela, 1999). These groups hosted at the Public Library give opportunities for mothers to be in public space and discuss topics related to motherhood. Additionally, they give a chance for networking that might be otherwise challenged by the dominant public or even just challenging to achieve in terms of finding a welcoming and accepting public space that meets mothers’ needs.

      In conclusion, staying true to 'spaces for representation' as Mitchell (1995) describes, these specific groups representing teens and mothers who may otherwise be excluded from public space are able to make claims in the context of the Athens Public Library.