Sociologist Ray Oldenburg coined the term “third place,” which refers to “places where people spend time between home (‘first’ place) and work (‘second’ place). They are locations where we exchange ideas, have a good time, and build relationships” (Butler and Diaz). For our students, the second place could be considered the classroom, the site of their daily work. The school library, then, could be considered a third place, where students find connection. As Butler and Diaz note, third places build communities because they are levelers of social class and background, and encourage informal conversation, serving as a living room where people feel comfortable to spend unstructured time doing what makes them happy.
In this session I would like to share with other library professionals the ways in which I have been re-creating our library at Waipahu Intermediate into a third place. Three focus areas are:
- Physical Space (furniture, layout, displays, passive programming)
- Student Voice & Choice
- Cultural & Linguistic Inclusiveness
I will share examples of collecting data, collaborating with teachers, and incorporating student work and ideas to shape our library culture.
