Today’s site visit was to the Koninklijke Bibliotheek (KB) National Library of the Netherlands. After a behind-the-scenes tour of the facility we met with Erik Boekesteign, a Senior Advisor at Koninklijke Bibliotheek. During his presentation he made one claim that really stuck with me; the extravagant and expensive libraries don’t deserve more attention that the small, community libraries that are working to give access and sanctuary to its community. Small, community libraries don’t often have the budget or resources of larger public and national libraries, but this doesn’t mean that their work is any less important or necessary. In fact, these small and underfunded libraries are often sanctuaries for people, namely children, in low-income communities who don’t have the same education or safety resources around them.
I’ve typically viewed libraries to be a place for children and young people. There is an organization in the township of Soweto, South Africa called the Kliptown Youth Program (https://www.kliptownyouthprogram.org.za/) and it works to combat the cycle of poverty in the community by providing education, extracurricular, tutoring, and food resources to the children in the community. Two of the newest additions to the additions to the program are the computer lab and….the library! This library is growing with the help of motivated staff and some generous investors, but the real success stems from the community’s desire to see the next generation succeed. This example of community building and offering a safe space for children is the reason I see libraries as essential aspects of a community fabric. They are a reliable resource distributor and can be designed to cater to the needs of the community in which they are in. Yes, large and impressive libraries can provide a seemingly endless array of sources and amenities, but to have a community that is built around a shared, safe space for learning and growth is an unparalleled value
KYP Library
"KYP learners and community members are able to select books to read from KYP's library, which continues to grow. The library includes picture books for the younger children, fiction and non-fiction for the older students, and, importantly, many of the textbooks that learners use in their classes at their respective schools. "
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