There is a before and and after to my visit to the Brixton Library. A place that I had passed by before and had not given it a second thought. I grew up in Venezuela, a place where luxuries such as public libraries are scarce and the ones that existed have been ransacked by the current government. The visit was enriched by the people we met that work there. Neill, Amanda and Aviva among others. We spent three hours there. I came in thinking that libraries would be a thing of the past, since most books would soon be digital and came out with knowledge of the significance of what a library really is.
If we look up the definition of Library it says: a building or room containing collections of books, periodicals, and sometimes films and recorded music for use or borrowing by the public or the members of an institution.
This definition needs to be redefined. Let me tell you what I learned on my visit and what definition I would give after my visit.
As you walk in there are two cutouts of black heroes, so visitors can put their faces in them and take photos as the heroes they are. To the right there is this beautiful room that serves as an art gallery. Every month they have a different exhibit, they try to theme it with important topics happening that month. (i.e. Black history month, Women’s day, etc) They had Hew Locke in this month talking about his creative process. Every week they have over 100 children under 5 for reading groups. You can get a library card from the moment you are born. Over a million people visit the library every year. They have physical books, audiobooks, databases, computers, unlimited internet. They have English conversation classes. They also have a VIP (Visual impairment project), which also get together for reading groups another day of the week. They have a club for the deaf. On Tuesday you can come with your guide dog. They have IT equipment that can scan a text and read it out loud, they also have Ipads so you can read the newspapers and magazine articles. They also help the prison and their library with books that prisoners want. They provide sim cards for people with need, they have period products. They help prepare people for interviews, they provide clothes for job interviews. They help people navigate through the system, how to get housing, the freedom pass, how to fill out the passport requirements, and many other things to help. They help bridge the gap for people that have no internet access and are not good with technology. The pandemic has made almost everything electronic which seems like a great thing for some, but this has taken a toll on people that have no access nor knowledge on how to use it. The library has become a space where they can go to get help.
If I had to redefine the word library today I would say: A community building, safe space for all. A sanctuary for all human beings, a place where you can find kindness. Thank you to Neill, Amanda, Aviva and especially our tutor Diana for opening my eyes to all the wonderful things happening in the Brixton Library.