Exterior Mitchell building. Photo: Daniel Boud/courtesy State Library of NSW
On public space: an interview with NSW State Librarian
Dr Caroline Butler-Bowdon
NSW State Librarian, Dr Caroline Butler-Bowdon has 20 years of leadership experience in public institutions, including Sydney Living Museums and the Art Gallery of NSW. Her career has been dedicated to leadership that connects citizens and visitors to special places, culture and heritage through a broad range of statewide public engagement programs.
Before starting at the Library, she was a Deputy Secretary for Cities and Active Transport for NSW Government, where her work focused on addressing the wellbeing, walkability and activation in our streets, and civic places.
Photo: Daniel Boud/courtesy State Library of NSW
How would you describe the power of libraries as public spaces?
I like to think about parks and libraries as being at the very bedrock of public space and democratic societies. Public libraries are by their very DNA – their very nature – free, open and accessible, and because they're available to everyone, there's a considerable power in them.
I like to talk about them being as our oasis, our sanctuary and an anchor in our lives. They are places where people can come together for comfort and joy, where we can debate and share ideas. They are places for the mind and the soul, and I think that they are symbolic of a neighbourhood’s, or a city's, health. They are key to our identity and character, like any great public space.
In some ways they are the most resilient and successful indoor public spaces that we have, and that is evidenced by the millions of citizens who use public libraries. In NSW, 40% of people are members of their local libraries, which is an incredibly strong statistic that speaks to the value of libraries as public spaces.
I come back to the work that we did on the New South Wales Public Spaces Charter too. Public libraries demonstrate the principles and values outlined in that Charter.
When I think about my leadership here, my focus is really to ensure that every citizen feels like the State Library of New South Wales is a place for them.
Dr Caroline Butler-bowdon - state librarian of NSW
How do you see the role of communities in shaping and caring for public spaces/libraries?
Well, libraries are best cared for by their use. It creates a kind of virtuous circle where libraries are cared for by being used, and then their value to the community and society builds. It’s about community and assisting community. It’s about the essential services and magical experiences that libraries provide. They're that vital third space in people's lives. Beyond their architecture and design, they are places where people come to ask questions and go to for help to find answers. At the State Library of NSW we assist with almost 300 questions a day either in person or via our Ask a Librarian page.
The younger generation has totally embraced libraries too, which is exciting. We are seeing soaring numbers of younger visitors, especially around HSC and university exam times. This is happening in local libraries too. The Marrickville and Concord libraries near me, for instance, are also teeming with students around those times. In some ways it's probably a place to just get through the grind of study, but I think it's way more than that. HSC students have told us they love coming to a library because it helps them feel less distracted than they might have been at home. It gave them both a focus and a kind of freedom.
A school of thought has recently argued that public spaces ‘care for’ their users and communities. What are your thoughts on that suggestion?
Absolutely, I think libraries really care for people. We're seeing a rise in loneliness, which is a cost to our social and cultural life and to our economy. Research shows that "at least a quarter of adults are reported to experience persistent loneliness and the consequences can be highly detrimental to mental and physical health." We've recently seen organisations like The Groundswell Foundation working to counter this rise in loneliness and libraries work to mitigate against loneliness all day, every day too. I love seeing people working individually or together here, while also enjoying being part of a much bigger community.
Libraries are places of prospect and refuge. Even in that kind of very practical way, we’re open the longest hours of the cultural institutions. That matters very deeply to me. We open until 8 pm Monday to Thursday, and until 5pm Friday to Sunday, so people can come after work or stay the whole day. With people living in denser housing too, there's a very practical sense of coming to a library to make use of the resources and facilities, even basic things like air conditioning, clean toilets, drinking water and wifi access.
I think librarians are probably seen as the most caring professionals in the community and our institution's trust levels are exceptionally high. People come to us to seek answers or information, and its librarians and all the staff that work at the library that offer that. With the rise of misinformation in society, the cost-of-living crisis and so forth, libraries have really come into their own. We are seeing record levels of attendance here at the library, and we're not alone.
Journalist Gary Nunn nailed it when he wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald that, "public libraries reflect what a city thinks about the importance of its public service users." That, to me, is about care. Because they are free, open and accessible, libraries care about everyone.
What do you want people to notice/care about the public realm through your work?
For me it’s about the invitation to more and more people to come and use the library, and experience the library, whether or not that's physically or through what we offer online. Drumming up the story of the value of libraries matters to me very deeply, and by extension, promoting the value of public space, and those spaces that are free, open and accessible to community, is absolutely essential.
The State Library for me is also about our extraordinary collections and our extraordinary spaces. This is a place like no other - it's highly distinctive and has a deep deep deep history. When I think about my leadership here, my focus is really to ensure that every citizen feels like the State Library of New South Wales is a place for them.
