Beyond the Desk: Librarians as Keepers of Public Space

Increased population and need for public services, coupled with a lack of public spaces have driven the Los Angeles Central Library to evolve over time, offering civic resources and becoming a communal place that goes beyond the traditional understanding of a library. Despite decreased staffing, the connection to and provision of services from the library to external spaces—both physical and virtual—has increased dramatically. The institution continues to adapt to the dynamic social, economic, and climatic needs of its patrons, especially those most vulnerable among Angelenos. The Central Library and the librarians who sustain it occupy a space between public commons, civil refuge, social services coordinator, and educational resource conglomerate. As public spaces become less accessible, library patrons have more frequently sought access to social and technical services in the Central Library. We seek to understand the Central Library’s role in providing essential public services that extend beyond the physical boundaries of the library. Our observations incorporated archival research through collaboration with historians, map specialists, and librarians; spatial analysis through our own observations and interviews, and what the Urban Humanities Initiative program guides termed “multi-sensory attunement (the use of sound, smell, and feel to ‘make sense’ of space).” To do this, we created a "thickmap" to call attention to the ways in which the library has provided for the public both within the traditional expectations of what a library and its staff can provide, and well beyond.