Friday, February 20, 2009

Race and Place

-The features of the "yellow place" were mostly of negative connotation, with anti-theft bars, very little reading space, early closing hours, and non-interactive or inviting staff members. (p. 31)
-The features of the "white cathedral" on the other hand were the opposite, with it being very large, a more complete and inviting atmosphere (i.e. lots of books, nice chairs, etc.). They also had a very intuitive and friendly staff. (p. 31 - 32). 
-In term of barriers there was an obvious logistical one in the sense that the "white cathedral" was a significant distance away which wasn't walkable, but psychologically the author experienced a feeling as if she didn't belong, like the library wasn't for people like her. (p. 32). After visiting this new library she no longer felt as if her yellow library could compare or was even worth it anymore, and stopped going there all together.
-Hall was writing this article to all of us in a way, to show us how something that is supposed to bring a community together can actually segregate it and discriminate against certain types of people. She wants people to realize that these "social institutions" are crucial in bringing communities together and breaking down barriers, and that if they create barriers themselves, it will only have a negative effect on the community. I think she also tries to make other librarians realize that they should feel particularly responsible for shouldering the burden of making sure libraries reach out to all those in the community and bring people together.

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