Generational Third Spaces in our Community

The library is sometimes my family's only third space. As someone who grew up in poverty as a first generation American in an immigrant household, there were no trips to Disney, schools were closed during the summer, and depending on the weather parks, beaches, or the mall were not always the easiest to weather a storm for. Libraries were where my younger brother could access free WI-Fi, libraries were where my mom was able to access free resources to careers, adult school, and health related information, and I could meet up with my friends to read, hang out, participate in an activity, finish school projects, or just get out of the rain or severe heat. Libraries are more than just a place to read. Now as a mom, raising my own two children, libraries have become an even greater place of community for me. They are a place of events, from story time crafts to cultural immersion, and a place to develop new skills and meet new friends from Chess, Lego, and video game clubs, to ballet classes, the coloring sheets and crayons provided, scavenger hunts, and partnerships with our recreation centers and other local community groups. Libraries are our third spaces to meet with people in our community, form relationships, and gather in a safe space. Libraries, here in San Diego, have helped me weather many storms, and that is why the library matters most to me. They were my family's trips to Disneyland even after we built the means to go.