Alexandria Library's Blog: Keep The Change

Press release from Alexandria Library's Blog:

2021-04-28

The Library Book, the title selected for this year’s All Alexandria Reads (AAR), is a compelling history of the Los Angeles Public Library. The library caught fire on April 29, 1986; the origins of which are still being disputed.  I remember 1986, hitchhiking to Colorado and spending a year on the Continental Divide, the newness keeping me on high alert. The first quarter of 1986 was a period of breeched beachheads to the progress we had made in technology and the community foundations we’d become accustomed to. With the Challenger shuttle exploding shortly after takeoff in January to the Chernobyl nuclear disaster on April 26, the story of the fire at the library was lost to more poignant disaster headlines of the day. But the not too subtle thread of these happenings are lost to the ill ease we have when confronted with an event beyond our control.

This last year we have been reminded of how fragile the building blocks of life really are when met with the unexpected yet all too regular hiccups to our normal comfort zone. This particular hiccup we have been living in for the last ear has created a traumatic ripple effect to our “normal” way of life. Our world has been turned upside down. Forced isolation, and a then second look at those menial jobs we always consider outside our appreciation, but discovering they are the very foundation of our way of life. 

I recently read a reevaluation of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Maslow misinterpreted the Blackfoot teachings he received. The Hierarchy of Needs is not about individual actualization, but it is about community actualization and cultural perpetuity.

For example: The streets were empty when we first went into isolation. Then they were repurposed for skateboards, roller blades, families and bikes. It was like we were relearning our environment and who we were all over again. The landscape was being re-purposed. The work we made was done at home if possible. The lifeline many counted on was available because of the heroes we discovered always there on the invisible lifeline. In a sense we were on this collective journey discovering how we fit in this new community. Loss will do this to you. Nonessential businesses were forced to reach out to the community and find new ways to show their relevance. The library was no different. And like the Los Angeles Public Library after the fire in 1986 finding new ways to interact with the community, we found ways to adapt. The 21st-century strategy was to go virtual. Just like the schools and because the technology is readily available in this community, our virtual services can be called a success. And like the local businesses, the library implemented curbside services to get our materials into the hands of our patrons.

Welcome to the 21st-century. I’ve spoken with some of the local restaurant managers and they believe post pandemic, curbside services will continue to be offered long after we have collectively healed and the threat of COVID-19 is minimized. Teleworking in virtual meetings are likely to be a mainstay. Conferences and festivals such as Art On The Avenue will continue to have a strong online component. 

Just like when you turn Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs upside down, community is the goal and it is the purpose of what we do. This is how we grow stronger by reconnecting to each other.

Contributor: Brack S.Branch: Duncan Branch

This press release was produced by Alexandria Library's Blog. The views expressed here are the author’s own.