But libraries need to be recognized as institutions that have also supported another incredibly important, and very hard, kind of creative work: the work of the solitary reader, the person who has to lock themselves away with books and ideas in order to produce something worth sharing with others, to have ideas that are worth trading in the scholarly bourse. Of course it’s important to have spaces that support serendipitous hallway conversations, shop talk, and creative brainstorming; but where do those ideas come from in the first place?
….
I think we underestimate the value of public contemplation, and particularly in an era a lot of public discourse around libraries talks about them being community resources or trading zones, it’s necessary to remind ourselves how good libraries can still be havens for thoughtful engagement with ideas.
