Finding Community at Your Library

By Devon Evans, Assistant Director at Brewster Ladies’ Library

Did you know many consider libraries to be a “third space”? This is a term that was coined by sociologist Ray Oldenburg in the 1980s. Your library is a third space because it is a place where you can spend time that is not home or work.

Patrons can socialize, learn new skills and ideas through programs, or simply sit and read the newspaper in a place different from their home. Your library is also one of the few remaining places that people can visit for an extended period of time, without being expected to buy something.

Finding Community at Your Library

If you are a library user, you likely know that your library offers more than books. They have DVDs, video games, and items (like sewing machines) that you can check out and take home – for free! However, if you are a patron who comes in to check out items and quickly leave, or uses the library from home through digital e-books, audiobooks, and movie downloads, you may be missing out on the sense of community that your library offers.

Programs at Your Library

At Brewster Ladies’ Library, we have several spaces (some quiet and some not) where you can come to sit and study, read the paper, or browse books. We invite you to attend our variety of free programs. Many of our programs run weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly.

For example, every week our Youth Services Librarian, Miss Michelle, leads 2 story times! The story times give children a chance to socialize and play with each other, and their caregivers a chance to talk with other grownups.

For new parents, this aspect is especially appreciated. If you or your child is a Swiftie, you might have attended Miss Michelle’s Taylor Swift album release party in March. Missed it? No Problem! You can attend our December celebration of Taylor Swift’s birthday. Our Makerspace program, for ages 6 and up, was extremely popular; therefore, we are bringing it back this year. This program allows children to explore science and the arts as a form of play.

We have plenty of October offerings for all ages. For children, there is a movie matinee with Monsters, Inc., a Halloween Parade with special musical guest Paul Kehoe, a Halloween costume swap, and a Halloween Scavenger Hunt that takes place all month. In addition, we’re having a pet costume contest where you can dress up your favorite pet and send their photo to ysevents@brewsterladieslibrary.org. Adult patrons can go on a “Grave Situation Tour” through the Brewster Cemetery or attend our Matinee in celebration of the original Twilight Zone.

We also have 2 October-themed programs through our Virtual Speaker Series, which you can watch from the comfort of your own home. These programs are the Smithsonian Institute presenting “A Journey into the World of Bats,” and author Silvia Moreno-Garcia , who is known for her gothic-themed novels, who will speak about Latin American Fiction.

Adult recurring programs include a monthly Loss of Spouse Grief Support Group and a bi-weekly yoga class. Brewster Ladies’ Library offers more than programming and a space. On a monthly basis we display works by local artists, and in November we hold our annual pottery sale in conjunction with the Potter’s Guild. We also schedule outreach hours for other nonprofits to come to our library and engage with the community. On a Cape-wide level, the CLAMS consortium created a “passport” to encourage patrons to visit all the Cape Cod libraries and learn more about them. Though the passport was created in the summer, year-round patrons have shown an interest in continuing the passport program throughout the off-season.

If any of these activities are of interest, we invite you to join our library or your library in your own community! You can find out more about the above programs and more through our library website at brewsterladieslibrary.org or visit us at 1822 Main Street in Brewster. We hope to see you soon!

Contributing Author: Devon Evans, Asst. Director of Adult Services & Ref.,
The mission of the Brewster Ladies’ Library, established in 1852, is to be a cultural and life-long learning community center that provides free access to a range of resources, activities, and professional assistance to further enhance the quality of life of the community.