Picture this (you probably won’t have to look too far): it’s hot outside. More than hot, it’s the hottest week of the summer (sound familiar?), and your dependence on air conditioner is less of the usual idleness and more of a prevention against heatstroke. Where would you go if the power suddenly went out?
How about a library?
That’s the central argument in Michael Kimmelman’s article “Next Time, Libraries Could Be Our Shelters From the Storm”. While Kimmelman doesn’t do his point much credit by citing places people went to during and after Hurricane Sandy (that were decidedly not libraries), he makes an excellent suggestion.
Admittedly, this article hit close to home. I am an avid reader. I love the fact that libraries exist. It hurts my soul to know that books and other media are lost to storms because libraries aren’t adequately protected. But what if libraries could protect themselves and us at the same time? Stories have supported mankind throughout history—why not make the structures that house them protect us as well? We wouldn’t have to leave books, movies, and old newspapers to the terrible fate of destruction. Not to mention that Kimmelman makes an excellent point when he cites the “lament” of Zadie Smith, a novelist: “Libraries are the only thing left on the high street that doesn’t want either your soul or your wallet.”
Over the years, libraries seem to have been waning in repute (at least, in New York) but they remain the primary place to get literary materials and other media for free, a culturally enriching center in a society that can’t seem to get it’s mind off of the money. Libraries aren’t even a business enterprise—they run on donations given by patrons, government funds, and overdue fines. I’ve gotten many an email from the New York Public Library asking for donations to keep the library system running because funding had been cut. Kimmelman refers to the library system as “always tin-cup-wielding”, but it feels like such a negative description, and there are still branches of the NYPL that are closed for renovation, having been damaged badly by Hurricane Sandy.
While I agree with Kimmelman’s description of the renovation of the Stephen A. Schwarzman building of the NYPL (the big, pretty one behind Bryant Park) as a useless project—the building is already a marvel of architecture, and last time I was there, it didn’t look damaged in any way—he goes out of his way to negatively describe the entirety of the NYPL system in the method that one would describe a beggar, contradicting his own point that funds should not be going to renovate the Schwarzman building, but to the branches that have been closed. Kimmelman also mentions that “potential billions in federal dollars could be available to rebuild the region, post-Sandy”, but that doesn’t do his original point credit.
Kimmelman seems to sway on his point, despite emphatically stating in his article’s title that libraries could be shelters from dangerous storms. I take a stronger stance on this and say that libraries need to be emphasized in society—they are safe havens, not only physically, but for the mind. They provide quiet places to study, think, read, and stimulate the senses with literature and other media. They even seem to be able to potentially provide safety for us in times of natural disasters. According to the article, libraries could potentially be designed in such a way that they would become shelters “with backup generators and solar panels, even kitchens and wireless mesh networks.”
The whole idea of libraries as shelters against storms and other natural disasters might seem idealistic, and I am definitely biased in my promotion of libraries, but take a moment and consider that, if libraries had been able to support people, we could have housed refugees in libraries instead of our schools. They could have had access to working kitchens, wireless network access, and electricity if the libraries had been upgraded.
The idea is that, in order for that to happen, the people need to support the creation of library-shelters. There are libraries in nearly every neighborhood, and if we somehow got the funds or the resources (we seem to have them, if the Bloomberg administration’s gift of $150 million in taxpayer dollars towards the Schwarzman renovation is any indication) to furnish the libraries with the design aspects mentioned in the article, there would not only be safe places for people during storms, but there would be an unlimited amount of possibilities for communities.
So what do you guys think? Could libraries potentially be used as shelters during times of crisis?
Kimmelman, Michael. “Next Time, Libraries Could Be Our Shelters From the Storm.” New York Times. New York Times, 2 Oct. 2013. Web. 3 Oct. 2013.
It seems like you are making two different points if I read correctly, that you think libraries should remain open and that they should serve as protection in the case of natural disasters. I completely agree that libraries should remain open. If we have $150 million to spend on extravagant renovations, then we should have enough to invest in ourselves and by that I mean our libraries. Also, I agreed on your point regarding the library as a place of shelter in times of natural disasters. If my experience using libraries as a refuge during hectic times are any indicator, libraries will make great shelters.
I think this is such a great idea! It reminds me of that movie The Day After Tomorrow. A big part of the movie showed a group of people in NYC during a major global crisis. The library was their only place of refuge when everything went crazy outdoors. (Ironically they ended up burning the books in the fireplace to keep warm, but that’s besides the point, since this article is suggesting a whole design plan for these libraries to accommodate survival needs).
Anyway, I think this use for libraries is the last solution left to give life to a dying industry. Libraries have decreased so much in popularity, especially with the rise of Nooks and Kindles. Yet a lot of libraries in the city are so historic and beautifully made that it would be a shame to discard them. Plus, they’re so big! I feel like they would work even better than the usual shelter of a local high school. This could be exactly what they need right now. Really creative suggestion.
When I read the first paragraph of this blog I instantly thought of the movie “The Day After Tomorrow.” This is a movie where the world is ending/ going into an ice age. The only refuge place in this film is the library. This is because it is not made of glass and has so many additional parts to the building that the innermost one can protect from any cold. You wouldn’t be happy though Joanne because they burn the books to keep the fire ablaze. (hahaha I wrote this before reading other comments)
I think this is a great idea but why is it necessary? You said “They could have had access to working kitchens, wireless network access, and electricity if the libraries had been upgraded.” So they whole idea is to build beds and kitchens in libraries? Who needs it, schools already have kitchens and I’m sure having sleeping bags in either a library or kitchen is not home-like in any way and having the accessibility to more bed time stories isn’t going to make anyone feel more at home.
I actually haven’t seen the movie “The Day After Tomorrow”, but it’s not really the medium in which stories manifest that entices me, it’s the stories themselves–as long as the characters knew the stories and could pass them on, survival is more important.
The idea to upgrade libraries is not to build beds in libraries, but to have places where people wouldn’t have to starve, where they could have access to wireless networks so they could tell their families that they’re alright–a majority of NYC public schools don’t have a publicly accessible wireless network. At the same time, you could give people warm meals and create a sense of community by group reading. That’s my primary reason for advocating upgraded libraries over schools, but we could use both. It doesn’t have to be one over the other–and that’s probably a better idea in any case. More shelters = more space and less discomfort in overcrowding situations. That said, thank you for your comment–you made me see the situation from a different perspective!
The recent issues with the decline of libraries has been prominent and definitely unnerving for many. The library that I got all my books from for instance got hit very badly by the hurricane. After approximately 6 months of renovation it reopened, but it wasn’t the same. For instance, many of the people who worked there were gone. Since I’ve been going to that library for many years, it’s very sad to see this happen. The people who scan your books have been replaced by two machines who do the work for you, a “self-checkout” of sorts. Returning your library books? No problem, just throw them into a bin. Overall, it’s really sad to see this happen in my neighborhood because besides being a place to find good reads, I went to this library if I needed to find something for school. Upon inquiring about a certain book that I needed for an assignment, the one remaining librarian informed me that they no longer had that book because it was destroyed during the storm, and they have yet to get any new books.
Thus, to me, it is impossible for my library to be a shelter because it is purely not safe due to the proximity to the water. As much as I understand the idea, it will only come in handy at certain times of disaster. Otherwise, we are turning a library into a shelter and taking up so much room for this one purpose, yet we may only utilize this shelter very rarely. Thus, as much as I comprehend this idea and think it’s a good one, I don’t necessarily see it as practical.
On the subject of libraries diminishing in size and just dwindling away, I think that issue is much larger. As a tutor, I’ve seen kids come in with their textbooks on CDs. It is hard for me to imagine studying from the computer because it’s simply so distracting, I personally require the physical book in front of me. As much as we discuss this though, it’s really sad because we can’t do much to save these libraries when so many things are changing technologically and so many of us are adapting quite easily to these changes. If I don’t like to read books on the computer, then I can go to the library, but so many others simply don’t mind, and even enjoy the ease of access which is undeniable.
I totally agree with Cate and Jessamyn about the movie “The Day After Tomorrow.” Unfortunately, many libraries are not as strong and big as the one shown in the movie. They aren’t equipped to stand up to natural disasters. Aside from that, there are just so many libraries in NYC that it’ll be costly to renovate them all so that they can serve as shelters. I doubt that, with this economy, we’ll be able to make what you said possible. However, it is something to start thinking about.
However, I wonder if it is necessary. Many schools serve as shelters for disasters and they are well equipped with kitchens. Most schools are safer than libraries as their buildings are made to be stronger and bigger than the average library. So, being the devil’s advocate, why spend more more to make shelters when we have schools that are already established shelters to begin with? Not that it’s a bad idea, but the ultimate point is that, at the moment, that money used to potentially renovate libraries can and should be used to fix the economy first.
This article does remind me of the movie “The Day After Tomorrow” as people mentioned. I feel libraries can be turned into excellent shelters. With at least one in almost every neighborhood as you said, there will be a nearby shelter to almost anyone caught in a natural disaster. The problem is the funding. I do not think it is realistic that people will support the idea enough to fund the project. To turn so many libraries into shelters will require a huge sum of money that I do not think can be collected. It is such a great idea and I support it but I do not think it can become a reality.
This article reminds me of the library near my house. It got renovated through money from Nassau County and taxpayers, and the building is beautiful. During Hurricane Sandy, the library was open for limited hours in order to help Long Islanders charge their electronics. Although nothing in the library was damaged, I wouldn’t recommend this particular library as a place for shelter. The library has windows everywhere and to be in this library when a natural disaster happens would be detrimental. Nonetheless, I believe that libraries can be designed differently to accommodate people and save the books during storms.
This article made me think of how physical books are dying out and how electronic books, such as ebooks, is becoming more available. If there are no more physical books, then what is the purpose of a library? To use the computer? Libraries will not be needed anymore due to every book being purchased through the internet.
I really love going to the library. It makes me sad to realize how most children nowadays don’t often go to the library. When I visit my local libraries, I usually see young adults or adults reading. On your point that libraries should be made into shelters, I definitely agree. It saddens me too how libraries are destroyed in storms because they don’t have the proper foundation or building. I think we should definitely put money to fund these libraries because they encourage education and are a great resource of information. It would be terrible if we lost these resources because of a storm.
However, because we can’t possibly fund every library, I believe the realistic and economic decision is to just fund major libraries that many people go to. Some libraries are smaller and in more remote areas, to get the most out of our funding money I would turn large and populated libraries into shelters.
I agree with you that libraries should be a haven of knowledge as well as a sanctuary for all. This is a great concept but will require a lot of funding. Libararies are already suffering from a lack of financial support, so by starting a project to construct expensive back up power systems and extra utilities like kitchens and bathrooms. However, the price of installing shelter features in libraries will be less than the casualties for future disasters if the availability of shelters for victims is scarce. So for those who object to this library-shelter idea because of the cost, the facility will only save cities money when another natural disaster takes place.
I really think this a great post because it brings up something that is totally different. I pass a few libraries almost every day not to mention the hours I spend at the Baruch library and not once has that idea crossed my mind. I would never put those two idea together but I do think reinforcing libraries as a safe haven for natural disasters is a great idea. I think it could really help protect the people and the books it contains. While I do understand why cost would be concerning, consider how many millions of dollars we spend building and maintaining libraries. Why not spend just a little more to keep them that way.