Do you remember the time?
NLB hit the headlines recently for a rather curious incident (nope, not of the dog in the night time!). Heh, this isn’t a “to-park-or-not-to-park” post, but something that caught my attention in the follow-up article run by the same publication.
Yes, there was a reference to a series of concerts held at library@orchard way back when in 2006. [Minor digression: Rock never dies and apparently, neither do bad memories. Did you know the brain remembers the bad experiences better than good ones? Here’s a quick link to a short article. I think I’ve also read it in Mind Wide Open… ]
Back to my actual point, the concerts.
Co-organised by Stomp, they happened to be a series of rock concerts by local bands. Some nights, you’d probably think another earthquake’s hit Sumatra…
Amazingly, some videos are still archived on the Stomp website, a round-up of different views can be found here. All the videos can be found at this other link, but much scrolling is involved (try somewhere around Oct/Sep 2006).
Anyway, we’re gonna be coming up with 2 libraries at Orchard Road, so one of the things we are busy with now is thinking up what these 2 spaces are gonna be like.
I’m thinking, hard rock concerts may not be the best thing to do, but those libraries shouldn’t feel as if you’ve just stepped into an examination hall, all you can hear is frantic scribbling and the flipping of paper.
Thinking “aloud”:
Is the public library only for solitary reading and studying?
What about creative expressions and social learning?
What should a library in Orchard Road be like? Should it be exactly the same as all the other branches?
How would you, gentle reader, attract teens to use the library?
Or, how would you convert those (young and old) who think reading is a waste of time? Obviously, running around with a slightly crazed look in one’s eyes, screaming “read dammit!” doesn’t really work…
We did a poll amongst youths, and they were keen on both “a quiet environment” and “a lively, vibrant environment”, proving that at the end of the day, that’s the way the kueh-kueh crumbles: what people want is to have their cake and eat it.
- Posted by Jillian, now hungry and looking for kueh-kuehs…
March 25th, 2008 at 11:10 pm
i’m no longer a teen, but i’ll throw in my 2 cents anyway…
i remember attending a rock performance at library@orchard. the glass partitions were used, but did not really isolate the sound.
so perhaps an idea would be adopt a “club” concept, ala Zouk or MOS, where there are chill-out rooms for quieter activities (think some libraries have silent reading rooms), and some performance rooms for loud activities (with lots of sound proofing)
but with that concept, you do sacrifice the “walk-in” crowd who happen to pass by the library…
for that, you’ll need an outdoor arena like the old outdoor stage at the esplanade [before it was removed and turned into a grass patch :(]
March 27th, 2008 at 10:19 am
Hi Sze Yong, thx for the idea, we are indeed considering “zoning” in our plans for the new library, hopefully will be able to find a soundproofing technique tt can help us segregate the noise..
We r also looking at the concept of “seasons”… eg the rock concerts in 2006 were held on weekdays were there were less people per se.. If we hold noisier events on weekends and it’s a regular thing, firstly Orchard area will be thronging with people and they’ll generate noise anyhow, so the contrast in noise level won’t be tt great and ppl will accept tt it’s just crowded n noisy. Plus ppl who r willing to brave Orchard Road on a Sat aren’t likely to be the sort who r looking for total silence
April 4th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
It would be a good idea but if you are going to be holding rock conerts, maybe have a sound proof wall so that it won’t disturb readers who want peace to studyu or to browse books.
April 4th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
Oops I pressed sent to early. Anyway as I was saying, I think since teenagers are busy with their social life and school they hardly visit libraries. Maybe you could hold events like inviting local popular authors to the library to give talks and interviews. You can also try to hold contests (if possible), like American Idol where by readers can sign up and sing. That would attracts lot’s of teens as some would be participating and some would be cheering for their friends.
Some of my friends think reading is a waste of time, but unfortunately I don’t know how to cure that problem. -.- I love reading since years and years ago until I have to be told to stop during and study for my exams. XD A outdoor stage would be a good idea like what Sze Yong suggested. My school’s drama club performed at the library@esplanade a few weeks ago and I think that is good idea. Organizing performances or plays by students is another good idea. The library@esplanade was packed on the performance day with teens which is not a common sight.
Do consider my suggestions. ;]
April 9th, 2008 at 9:57 am
hey there Regina!
heard u found our YO! blog too…
Programmes are definitely one of our strategies, we are thinking of trying out a series where teens can pick up a new skill by coming for a few workshops, and at the end they’ll be able to perform or exhibit their works.. what do u think?
April 9th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Ooh that’s a good idea. Yep I found the Y.O! blog from this site. =)) Are you going to be at the meeting this friday?
April 17th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
I am not a teen, rather an old man who likes to read. The libraries are a good source for me to browse and select from various topics and subjects and without having a financial burden, we can explore the new areas.
Of course it is good to make programs that will attract the teens to come to library. But is it the situation that teens come to library because of these programs? I am not sure. I am from old generation. For me I come to library because I love the books. Usually I will select the books, browse a few and sometimes sit a while and read. Mostly will bring back home to read.
However, I don’t like the idea of “modern” library with children running around, parents shouting their children to shut up (more loudly than children). If it is the objective, then it is also a good idea to attract young generations. But don’t call it a library. Call it something like playing ground with brains or some fanciful names. If it is called a “library” please maintain as a traditional sense of “library”.
April 19th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
hi yantontha,
Thanks for your comments!
i guess different people see the library differently, some go for the books, some go to use the internet, some go to study etcetc.
similarly, even for the physical collections (books), they are there for all purposes, not only research and traditional spheres of knowledge but also for leisure reading and entertainment.
i guess what I’m trying to say is that 1 library space may be catered to a particular audience, but it doesn’t mean ALL the libraries are going to be that way…
A space for teens may not fit the traditional image of a library, but then again, is this traditional image necessarily the “model” that would best service all the different users?
also, perhaps as the saying goes “a rolling stone gathers no moss” (which can be interpreted in 2 ways, positive and negative), maybe we can also say that a changing library gathers no dust