Finding a good book at the mall doesn’t just have to be from the bookstore. It can now be from your local library thanks to a new pop-up library at Ballston Quarter.
According to the Director of the Department of Libraries in Arlington, Diane Kresh, the creation (the third of its kind by the Arlington Public Library) is all about adapting to change and “meeting people where they are.”
“We assume that for all kinds of reasons, not everyone goes to a traditional brick-and-mortar library,” Kresh says. “There are people stopping at the pop-up that don’t even know that less than a mile away is a central library.”
The former retail space is now open weekdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. (except on Fridays) until Aug. 2, and has a handful of amenities for visitors to enjoy.
Visitors can sign up for a library card, browse a stock of popular-interest and children’s books or just kick back and use one of the space’s charging stations for digital devices.
According to Kresh, the pop-up library is showcasing how libraries on a larger scale are allowing public access to services that go beyond just lending out books.
“We are very conscious about how people are using the public space of the library,” Kresh says. Many come to the permanent locations in the area for a quiet place to study and a place to charge a laptop, while others stop by and conduct most of their interactions through the library app once they leave.
That’s why locations like this one, even if temporary, make people aware of the ways the library can become a frequent and reliable resource, no matter what they’re looking for.
“Some local libraries are always really busy because they’re right in the middle of the community [literally], but this way we have another location that can see the library and add it to their daily life tasks,” Kresh says. “You can stop by and get out of the heat, find a comfy chair and read a book.”
And the kids can enjoy it, too.
Kresh is hoping that local children find the library to be a fun, educational and safe space. That’s why local children can also sign up for the library’s 2019 Summer Reading Challenge, when they visit. Children are eligible to earn prizes after 25 days of reading, including tickets to a Washington Nationals game.
“We push reading because it’s something that you can enjoy lifelong,” Kresh says. “It’s fundamental. Even if you’re older, you can still enjoy it.”
And ever since the opening, Kresh has noticed its impact when spending just a few minutes in the space.
“When I was visiting just the other day, there were two young women with their babies there, and they were having a great moment,” Kresh says.
Aside from browsing the collection of books or charging up a cell phone, visitors can also experience Alterspace, a collaborative project with Harvard University’s metaLAB that offers an immersive nook where users can control light, color, sound and space to create their ideal environment for reading. It’s the project’s first location outside of Massachusetts.
As for the library continuing the pop-up beyond early August, Kresh is unsure if it’s term will be extended. But she does know one thing about the Arlington Public Library and its community initiatives: “We are always there and we’re here for everybody,” Kresh says. // Ballston Quarter: 4238 Wilson Blvd., Arlington; Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Friday 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; free
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