Spring is here

Hello from the Iso Omena Library! It's a beautiful library with plenty of books and places to sit. It inspires, this place.

Spring is finally here, which means it's only -1 degrees here, with a little bit of snow. This time we had thought we could pack our winter clothes away. But alas, the Finnish weather gods came with a snowy middle finger to our faces.

I have started coming to the library for the past couple of weeks now. It has mostly been about having a place to sit, learn and think. At home, there is always something or the other that needs your attention. You should have specific places for specific things you do. You should write at a specific place each day. You should not sleep where you write. And so on.

The library then has been the place where I study (which is for AZ104 now).

But that has made me think about libraries and communal spaces.

Growing up I did not have access to a library. The one library I did know was in my school and that remained locked all throughout the year. In all my twelve years at the school, I visited the library once, and that was during the library period. We took books out of the racks, sat goofing around for around half an hour and then left.

The Iso Omena library is not only a library. In this shared space, you also have Neuvola, Kela and the health centre. The library itself has makerspace (think 3D printers), music rooms and meeting rooms. The Oodi library has gaming rooms as well. Iso Omena library does not however!

I visited the Ranganathaswamy Temple some time back with Prerna. I do not enjoy visiting most of the temples we have in India. But this temple was different. It felt old. It felt massive. There were huge stone pillars. There was a large hall and a courtyard where we sat for a bit. And then we talked. About how this place was not only a place of worship. About how it was also the centre for all activities in town. A place of learning, a place for functions of all sort, a place for entertainment. That is something that we are missing these days.

As a child, I did not have access to a library. A place where I could go to study, sit and think. A place I could have had some chance meet with new friends. Talk to someone outside of the people I knew already.

Communal spaces are important. They allow for serendipity. They allow for people of varying view points to sit and debate, without you know shouting. They limit isolation. And that is important. Designers and planners should think about that. Many are. Clearly. But a place does not have to be only one thing. A library can be more than one thing. It can be a cafe, a play ground, a community centre!

Let's make more libraries!

What am I thinking about?

• Virtual machines, containers, and all things compute.
• Note taking, knowledge management and what makes a note evergreen?
  • And constantly reminding myself, note taking is about thinking. Not note taking.

What am I reading?

Ever since I've known about John Scalzi, I've known him as the 'Hugo award winning novelist for Redshirts'. For one area reason or the other I could never get around to reading the said novel. Well, I am reading it now. And it is so much fun!

And that is all folks! See you next week.