re-imagining the library

the very first edition of White Night of Libraries will happen this year in Romania.
it is a brave, much-needed initiative.
on the night of October 1st, 2011, some 50 (and growing) libraries and partnering institutions all around the country will open its doors for thousands of visitors.
each participating library already prepares something special for that very special night.
we are sure it will be one to remember.
and then what?
will these people come back?
how often?
(or ever)
will they send their kids and friends there?
will they continue participating in library’s life?
is there a powerful enough reason for them to do any of the above?

let us play a devil’s advocate here (for the sake of greater good):
people are innocent.
they simply want the best for themselves.  something useful.   or relevant.  or entertaining.
and frankly, libraries, public libraries of today, do NOT offer that.  even close.
we exaggerate and generalize, of course.
or we don’t.
truth is, love it or hate it, unless libraries CHANGE, fundamentally reinvent themselves, they are doomed.
or will simply transform into book archives, or museums (not of the best kind, we dare imagine), or will simply close. in bulks.
unless they CHANGE.

so we thought we’d propose some ideas. try to re-imagine the library of tomorrow.
Barna, Razvan and Andrei K, the team behind A Page, we will write our 3 essays.   and we’d love to hear from you.

love, hate, fix:  the library.  going live next week.