John Miedema

Interiority is a library phenomenon. It is a set of concepts from psychology, an area of study that offers much to the understanding of libraries but is often underrepresented. Libraries were built by people with interiority, and continue to be served by them, knowing that reading allows us to share minds and thereby understand ourselves and others.
When I started this blog, I called it “Interiority” because I had a number of things to say about it. I plan to take up the thread again now with posts over the next …

Flickr photos tagged with library_interiors
Interiority refers to being within or inside. It is often used when talking about the insides of buildings, but not uncommonly about psychological or spiritual space too. The two senses are related. Much thought goes into the physical design of libraries. Some prefer traditional wood and leather, others seek more light and air, still others prefer the smell of a good coffee. The insides of some libraries feel like home, curled up with a book as it rains outdoors. I know where the chairs belong just …

After walking through the doors of the library, the patron begins a search for information. The patron does not know or care much about about the organizational systems devised by librarians. The foremost thought in the mind of the information seeker is a quality or a question, perhaps half-formed. This is one reason why a library needs both books and computers. The physical relationship between books on shelves and pages in books are well suited to stumbling upon an answer when people take a swing in its general direction. Search …

Librarians are fed up with their bookish stereotype — quiet little old ladies with hair in a bun, spectacles on a chain, always ready with a finger to shush noisy kids. Single for sure. You can find plenty of evidence to bust that image. There’s another stereotype too, that of the lusty librarian, just aching to peel in the stacks. Both stereotypes are female; there are no male librarians, right? At least no straight ones. Hooey.
So why the extreme opposites in the stereotypes? Is there a connection? Is it coincidence …

What do people see in libraries? What has sustained libraries right through the information age, now that there is web access in nearly every home? Could it be the books? There is no doubt that the web is better for some information needs — for searching, for reading snippets and shorter articles, for networking with other material and writers. Still, there seems to be an enduring conviction that books are better for some kinds of reading — longer and more challenging non-fiction, and pleasure reading of fiction and literature.
Good fiction …

Ranganathan gave us the five laws of library science.
The first law states that “books are for use” — don’t deny the public their books. Second, “every person his or her book” — find the book that satisfies the reader’s interest. The laws are simple and enduring.
The laws were written in a time when there was a relatively finite number books in circulation. Today, the availability of information has been amplified tremendously with technology and the web. It is easier to write and publish than ever before, with word processing, cheap …

We have made our way deep into the interior — from inside the library walls, into the mind of the information seeker, into the personality of the reader, looking for a good book. Let’s say we have found that book. The one that fits just right for the reader’s present need. This is no longer a social event. This book is written for this reader alone. It is a place for fledgling thoughts. Who knows what will be discovered? This space must be protected, hence the librarian’s calling to protect …