Every year when it’s officially too cold to spend time in parks, and seasonal depression begins to hit, I start to feel the absence of 3rd places more deeply than the rest of the year. A big cure to seasonal depression is planning social time to hang out with or connect with friends, but in the summer it is a lot easier to do that for free.
In the summer, you can go to the park, or take a walk. Most cities have outdoor infrastructure, perfect for hanging out in the summer and the more mild part of fall, but in winter, there are fewer options.
An article from the University of Chicago describes third places as a place after your home (first place), and school or work (second place), where people can go, without having to pay anything, to connect and socialize. A lot of sources list coffee shops as third places, and while they offer a lot to our community, people who want to use the space are often obligated to buy a drink or pastry.
Some people who live in Adel may remember 3rd Place, on the square. The aptly named nonprofit had a goal: to be a space in our community that would bring people together. In its years open, it hosted many coffee mornings, teen hangouts after school, classes, and was even open during sweet corn festivals as a place to buy snacks and sit in the AC.
Many people cannot afford to spend $6 on a coffee any time that they want to hang out with their friends, parks are now too cold, and students are asked to leave the school at 3:35. The local 3rd Place has closed. So…what are we left with? Public libraries.
According to Jessica Delp, the Programming and Community Outreach Librarian at the Adel Public Library, “(Third places) are a common concept in the library world.” She said that in training for a library endorsement, classes teach about libraries being a third place.
Think about it. Libraries meet all of the requirements for a third place: everyone is welcome, they are open for longer than the work day, they have programming where you can meet people with similar interests, but also booths and tables where you can hang out with your friends, or go do homework. Additionally, you don’t have to pay anything to visit; anyone can visit the library anytime it is open.
“I think the library functions as a 3rd Place for High Schoolers as much as they choose it to be,” Delp said. “When you’re younger, you might get drug in with your parents.”
High Schoolers have to make the choice to make the library their third place of choice, but it is an excellent choice to make. Not only is it a fantastic place to hang out, the library offers a number of resources, such as Mango Languages, an online language-learning program, Libby and Hoopla, online libraries with numerous digital books and audio books, Wi-Fi, and more.
“At any time, you can walk into the library, and just be,” Delp said.
