The Third Place: The Library as Collaborative and Community Space in a Time of Fiscal Restraint

Abstract

In a period of fiscal constraint, when assumptions about the library as place are being challenged, administrators question the contribution of every expense to student success. Libraries have been successful in migrating resources and services to a digital environment accessible beyond the library. What is the role of the library as place when users do not need to visit the building to utilize library services and resources? We argue that the college library building's core role is as a space for collaborative learning and community interaction that cannot be jettisoned in the new normal.

KEYWORDS:

• Academic libraries
• collaboration
• community
• library space
• third place