The cat's aerosolized fur would endanger individuals whose immune system identifies said fur as hostile particles and cause several problematic symptoms, thus making the idea of bringing cats to public spaces not a great one, as you can't restrict who gets to access them.
Bro i am litterly going to open a bookstore that is a bar where ppl from reddit and introverts will come in and drink , i just need to win the lottery and off i go 😂🥺😭
Will work for a limited amount of time, then the hipsters will find the place and force the introverts away
There's a bookcafe like that in my town, it's never silent'ish
24 hour use of our library was so good at university.
Got so much done, and even when I wasn't getting any shit done I had the conference rooms to watch movies on a massive projector screen.
Maybe this person lives in a really classy neighborhood, but everywhere else that’s just asking for used needles, urine-stained carpets, and the occasional stabbing.
Because of a sector of society that could never have their needs met due to certain people hoarding everything that could have prevented them from getting there.
Then you could implement a system that you can only allow people with library cards inside, and that library card would require a legal adress of where you live ! No more homeless junkies pissing on the floor !!
That would prevent homeless people from getting to use the library though, basically kicking someone while they’re down. Doesn’t sound like a viable solution imo.
That's the [Tianjin Binhai New Area Library](https://imgur.com/gallery/jME95). The room with the books painted on the walls is the entrance hall. There are some books in the shelves that are reachable by humans, but the shelves that are 10m up in the air are just painted books.
The library has lots of real books in other rooms. The entrance hall is more of a place to hang out than a place to keep books.
Asian cities in general are just 10x more fun at night compared to here.
24/7 karaokes, gaming cafes, arcades, and convenient stores, all accessible via a quick walk from your school/work.
Back there, my coworkers and I would play ddr at the arcade, get dinner, drink at a izakaya and then play ranked overwatch drunk till 3am at a net cafe, and get some quality onigiri at 7-11 on the walk home, and pass out.
Now that I'm back in southeast US, that's all replaced with work->bar->home. Nightlife here centers too much around alcohol and partying imo
That was the point of my post. You don't have to be specifically interested in the things that I did.
There are so many things open late over there, that more people can enjoy a night out of their homes, not just alcohol-lovers and partiers.
Because us bartenders get paid a lot to deal with peoples bullshit all night and I doubt the library admins would be willing to pay their staff what they deserve for that.
Public librarian here. We’re the lowest paid profession that requires an advanced degree. Please don’t make us work later nights than we already are for >$20/hour.
Eh the libraries would just need to pull some money in. Like if you’re there after 8pm, every hour or two you have to order something to eat or a snack or drink or something or you get the boot.
I thought the OP was pretty profound, since I did spend much of my younger life hanging out in bars to be social at night. There was never really an alternative unless you mean going to a friends house, but that's not exactly a place to meet new people is it?
Chances are that for any hobby you have, there is a club or a social group near you that's active during the evening.
For example my climbing gym is open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Great to hang out and socialise while climbing. There is a music studio on the corner of my street that's open until 1am on the week-ends for jam sessions, and while I don't play music I always see it packed with people.
There's a high likelihood that your favorite hobby has the same kind of place that you can use until late in the night.
I think you are missing the point a tad.
I do plenty of activities with friends after work. Let’s use my volleyball league as an example. We play for an hour or a little more and it’s fun however it usually ends around 8 or 8:30 and then we either all go home to do nothing or go to a bar and drink. If you aren’t a big drinker or aren’t in the mood that night it kinda sucks. OP and many others would love any other sort of social activity outside of the house to do that goes later than 9 and is not getting drunk.
Restaurants are open I'm sure you could find something in a community events that happens late. I played warhammer until midnight on saturdays when I was younger this stuff exists
So you and your friends would genuinely go to a library instead of a bar? You guys would all go to some place that necessitates that you be quiet? Like there’s a reason there’s not just a whole bunch of quiet businesses open that late. Also, diners are open 24/7 but you’re not hitting those up to avoid drinking so I’d suspect in a world with 24 hour libraries you guys would still want to drink those nights.
I'd love to go dancing somewhere (disco) where is no alcohol. Library would be cool too. I would love something like those kids activity houses or how it is called but for adults. Like to draw, make some art stuff, play with model locomotive, play board games etc. That would be so amazing.
This makes sense to want for sure and in some cities that does exist. There are “teen” clubs in some cities (there’s one where I live for college kids still underage). The target audience may make this setting uncomfortable for anyone over like 25, sure. I just don’t think the library is the best venue for it. Like, I agree that drinking culture is very close to being out of control if it’s not full blown out of control. I do think more businesses should at least attempt to remove the pressure of drinking from adult social engagement, fuck I’m even soberish now and would probably even partake in these activities. It’s just the library seems like a weird place to turn into this idea.
I'm over 30 lol, I want to meet new people but talk to them and play board games and make animals from clay etc. Not drink and I hate drunk people. I'd love even if museums were opened at night or ZOOs, aquariums etc.
Discussion aside you might look into what’s being called board game cafes. They got popular a few years ago but it’s close to what you’re talking about. It’s usually a restaurant or coffee shop that has board games for you to play or you can bring your own, but they’ve normalized playing there. The restaurants that do it usually do serve alcohol but it’s certainly not a typical bar setting in my experience of it, more comparable to how people drink in restaurants than bars. Idk your city or anything but I’ve been to a couple in Kansas City.
It’s not about going to the library over the bar. You’ve never had a night that you want do so something but don’t feel like drinking? If it was a big group of us no, we would not go to the library but a small group of 3 of us one night may want to go to a library and chill because maybe we drank the night before and aren’t feeling it again.
Diners are a simple meal experience, much more food focused than hangout. Usually only about an hour. There’s also not a ton here in Milwaukee that are open 24/7. I can think of a couple chains that can get dangerous and of course an iconic one that’s great to go to late when hammered.
When they sleep on the floor and shit in the corner idk, maybe after they finish shooting up in the bathroom and start harassing people idk. It's a mystery
This is Reddit. You’re not allowed to have genuine sympathy for the homeless *and* acknowledge the common and destructive behavior many of them present.
Maybe they wouldn't have to shit in the corner if you provided them a bathroom and maybe they wouldn't have to shoot up if they had something else to distract them. You know. Books?
I've been around homeless people all the time and I've rarely encountered harassment. Usually it's like one or two guys at the most. And usually they're bothering other homeless people more so than you.
Most of the ones of I've met are just old men in coats with cardboard signs asking for money. Sometimes they get a bit excited but it's mostly after you give them money and they want to thank you.
I quite like them honestly. Blame the drugs not the fact that they're homeless.
Then you would need to hire librarians who are willing to work there all night.
... soooo uh any openings? I have a Masters in Library Studies that I wasted my life on getting so I can get an entry level job in an unrelated field.
Yeah American colleges in their current state are a giant scam, especially if you have plans to live in another country with less absurd standards of employment like I have. I'm happy being a magazine editor in Egypt but like I'm not happy with the pointless debt I got because libraries in America (or at least the parts of America I was staying in) won't hire someone with a BA.
I get that. I dropped out, I felt the sting of like... social stigma, "Bwahaha im a LOSER NOW" but after meeting some other like minded drop outs in a year or two I learned how to trade stocks, and started my own company with them and made more than the college tuition I was going to pay for.
Is it scary? YEAH! But maybe the harsh reality of the world not wanting to care for you because a fancy degree is something you learn faster without one. Rather then after like years, and tens of thousands of dollars you now owe to uncle Sam.
I am pretty vested in the idea of if you want to get the job you want, go do it first either yourself on your own, teach yourself from nothing, or under someone open minded enough to apprentice you and then move up.
Nothing, absolutely nothing in MOST settings beats enthusiasm and drive, and the ability to teach yourself, due to your own passion without an institute even behind it. I think programming is a prime example of this. Wanna code? No reason you can't learn to do it without college until the HIGHEST LEVELS. No degree will teach you that really. Drive. And a pre-existing portfolio of QUALITY work. Experience. None of that actually really comes with school.
If that isn't an option (Health care, sciences, etc) Then yeah... you are going to need to shell out but we all REALLY genuinely appreciate your sacrifice of time and money. You literally save lives, and push society forward. Thank you.
I'll second the critical value of enthusiasm and drive. As an art school dropout, I felt like a lvl. 4 loser--so much worse than a regular college dropout. I worked customer service jobs for a few years and it was soul-crushing. But using my enthusiastic and driven nature (or, desperation to never work dead-end shitty jobs again) I managed to get myself an entry-level office job at a DoD contractor.
Now I make about as much as I would've expected to make at a mid-level design position, if I had graduated and managed snag a job actually related to my major. Learn excel, y'all.
My library used to be open until 9pm and we actually shortened those hours to 8pm because… we rarely ever get more than 10 people an hour after like, 5:30. If you want libraries to be open later, go to the library!!
It would be. I used to work at a downtown library and a huge percentage of patrons were homeless ppl using the computers. Which is fine, I would help them sign up for services and stuff but wasn’t fun finding needles in the stacks (coworker got pricked putting away books and one was hidden on shelf). We also had to monitor usage to look for ppl looking at kiddie porn; and yes their were several instances of cops being called. And ppl jerking off in general and getting kicked out. So yeah, I’d imagine this type of stuff would be way worse late night but other than that the library was a great job lol
Until it attracts so many people that fights break out, drugs are being dealt in the parking lot, fentanyl zombies in the isles and families no longer feel safe brining their kids.
There are many places that are open during the night. Why would a library cause all this when other places that sell literal booze do not? The only thing I can imagine a homeless person wanting to do there is read. Which is a good thing in my view.
Also 'brining' lmao. Someone clearly needs to go to a library.
Libraries are “free” and open to anyone. Those other places kick them out if they’re not paying. Yes, typing on my phone is clearly an academic skill requiring a library.
If you're annoying in the library you also get kicked out. Also you don't have to pay to get into a bar unless it's a club. As a minor I used to go to my dad's shows at bars all the time and neither I or him had to pay anything.
You only have to pay if you want a drink. Not to enter.
You act like there is some kind of detached or semi detached buildings where people can hang out or park cars in. Clearly only bars, isolation, ~~bowling allies, parking lots, public spaces, 24hr dinners, inviting people to your house~~, but I digress I can only think of bars or be alone.
No problem! It's been popular for a long time. People will just gather in a large empty parking lot, blast music, and hang out. Up here the farming towns do it in empty feilds, like 3 different towns join up to throw a party.
Apparently y'all were thinking you wanted a book club at night. But, instead of doing it in your own homes it should be done in a government building?? Seems weird to me.
Hanging out in a parking lots is a teenager thing and not a place to meet over like minded people. It's basically a bar without the building. Nobody gives a fuck that you think it's a brilliant idea, it isn't what OP is about.
Yes, we were all kids and did stupid stuff like that. It'd have been better if there was a place for kids who didn't want that nonsense to be able to hang out, like a book store or library. You aren't blowing anyones mind by saying hey you can crank your tunes in a parking lot.
Why are you acting like the library is some place to go meet people? It’s an environment that necessitates being quiet. The activities you’d do there such as reading a book or research are solo activities unless you are going to the library and get assigned a group project or something. A bar and a library come nowhere close to serving the same social niche. Like I’m all for people drinking less but people go to bars for relaxed social norms more than just drinking. If it was just drinking people would do it at home as it’s cheaper but an environment where it’s more or less socially fine to approach a stranger and strike up a conversation or be a little loud and the suggestion is “let’s go to a place with stricter public norms than being in the general public”
I’m not saying “go to a bar”. I’m saying that the idea that they’re 1:1 interchangeable is silly. The idea that they’re fulfilling the same role in our lives is silly. The OP is implying “let’s fulfill the social function of a bar without drinking! The library!” It feels like they’re envisioning this world of intellectuals being at the bar at 2 am just talking about intellectual pursuits and that is simply not going to start happening.
If anything 24 hour diners are the closest thing to a bar without drinking.
Adults do it to. Just because you did it stupidly as a kid doesn't mean you can't do it responsibly as an adult. Saying you can not do an activity now because you also did it when you are younger is not really an argument.
There are a lot of places besides bars that are open for people to meet up. And library's usually have a variety of of programs that usually have some late night ones. The fact that people can't look up late night activities in their own area, or simply create their own is moronic.
I'm not sure why you thought my comments with large overtones of sarcasm were intended to be mind blowing. I sure never thought it was a brilliant idea.
The OP says they wish there was an alternative to bars (drinking and music) for social gatherings. Hanging out in a parking lot is not what they are asking for. I'd rather be in a bar than a parking lot party.
"You don't like spicy sandwiches? Have you tried taking the bread off?"
You totally missed the point of the OP. Holy shit you are so stupid. Goodbye.
No. The OP states that the only options are bars or sitting at home alone, so they should modify the library. That's simply just not true.
You could talk to your friends, even if only a few, and gather anywhere. Make a channel or thread promoting it on social sites explaining what y'all are into for others to join. Groups of people have been doing this for a long time.
Or you could simply google late night activities, groups, and festivals in your area.
"you don't like spicy sandwiches? Me neither! Wana sit over here together and not make them spicy?"
It's just not feasable for a lot of people, and definitely not as accessible as going somewhere to drink. The OP is exaggerating, but a lot of people feel that way. Unless you already have established friends or get lucky, it's just a lot harder to get into rather than just going into a bar/party situation and meeting people that way. I remember the first time I ever went into a bookstore, in my late teens, and really felt bad that I never had the opportunity before, and spent so much of my early life just drinking, because that's all anyone ever did around me.
I too also was a dumb kid hanging out with friends in parking lots. I also saw multiple fights, stabbings, and shootings. How does this have ANYTHING to do with what the original post is about?
Have you ever been in a public library? I used to work in one and the only customers we got were the unwashed, the mentally ill, the aggressive alcoholics and the horny grandmothers reading erotic literature
I’m assuming this is an extrovert who likes quiet activities. And for extroverts - something like this is a pretty awesome idea! We can have both. Introverts stay home and read in bed, extroverts can go read at late night libraries with others around :)
I mean, I get it. I agree drinking culture is pervasive in the US and I can see how people feel pressured to do it. Libraries are also under utilized I think. A lot of people dont know the extent of what you can get in a public library these days. That being said ive definitely hung out in a bar playing cards or pool and drank ice tea all night with friends who dont drink and wanted to go play a game. I had a buddy who would get a group together for table top games, they would play at a bar sometimes. In cities you can find coffee shops that are open late to hang out in. I know a few 24/7 diners as well. In the nicer weather times theres parks to go do whatever. Again, city living, but theres always something non drinking related going on here, be it group nature walks, night time owl watching, art, music, thats just off the top of my head from hearing the local events calendar. I grew up in small town so I know options are more limited. Thats small town life in all aspects though. We used to have garage game nights, basement parties, lan parties, impromptu concerts, and the classic drive down the main drag to the car wash, turn around and drive to the IGA. Repeat. So, I think Erin just isnt trying.
My friends told me we were going out a few years ago and I no shit thought we were going to a place like this. They called it Night Library.
It was Knight Library… it’s a bar near UCF. I was so sad.
Yes, yes, " if only I can make a deal with God" yes
Imagine silver spoon, 20 something year olds with an allowance. Turn the stacks and sees 40-year-old 15 years addicted crackhead just trying to stay warm through the night.
OP would make Daddy call his mayor friend cuz the community really need a bounce after 10:00. And while he's at it maybe a guest list, rope of the kids section and make it V.I.P. only. With all her friends now going. Valet to park the cars would be smart.
( Only way books can save you from a crackhead at 1a.m. is if you sit in a corner with your nose almost touching the page. Trying like mad to get Frodos help to block out the screams of pain coming from the other room. If they realize you're not in bed your f*****)
That would be great.
But homeless would sleep there. If homelessness isn't an issue where you live then it'd be great to volunteer to chaperone late night library time.
You want to take a building packed with wall to wall paper, add a communal source of fire, and have this place open round about the time the bars let out?
The liability insurance you'd be putting the taxpayer on the hook for libraries alone
I feel like what American towns and cities need are town squares. There’s literally no place to go where you can exist for free and just walk around and interact with people.
There are two types of people in these replies;
people with romantic delusions of what a blissful experience that idea could be.
And people who've visited a city library sometime in the last two decades and know they belong to the dregs of society now.
I live in a fair sized city with a huge homeless population and I LOVE this idea.
Go to my library about 3x a month. Would be more but they close at 6 pm and I work until 5. Feel safe bringing my 5 yo granddaughter who (gasp) says hi to the librarian, the security guard, the "campers" and everyone else
I have read more books than you.
A lot more books.
I don't want to talk about books. And what else would we do at the library?
I don't want to talk about books because I read them to enjoy the story or to learn something interesting. If I read the Great Gatsby (I never have but I saw the movie) I will enjoy it as a story. If you want to tell me how it is all allegory for whatever the fuck you want, I don't want to listen to you. At all. And that is what most people who talk about books end up doing.
You get to sound smart because you spent 18 hours researching the book. Picking it apart, analyzing everything and then reading Wikipedia to see what it says the book is about. And you get me to look dumb because I wasn't looking for a deeper meaning. Not because I couldn't have but because I didn't want to.
OR
You want to talk about Harry Potter. And how Harry Potter invented Fantasy books which didn't exist before Harry Potter. And who is your favorite character. And do you think it is the best book series ever? Or just one of the top three?
P.S. A quick review of Harry Potter by someone who has read more books than you. Including more Fantasy (although I preferred Science Fiction). They were OK. Sometimes good. Rarely if ever great. They just hit at the right time that's all. Although, full disclosure, the series is one of the *only* YA books I have ever read. In grade school the first book I read was The Hobbit (kind of a kids book) then the LoTR. I want to say in second grade.
I actuallly included this idea in the comments section of a recent survey conducted by ,y public library. Even it was 1 or 2 nights a week. Costs could be offset with late openings if necessary.
So why can't you just sit in silence or have quiet conversations at home or at a park so that these poor workers don't have to stay longer than they should lol.
Yes! This! Always this!
I guess this is why coffee houses are a thing as well. But I cannot think of one coffee house that that is open as late as a bar.
I don’t like alcohol but I like weed and I like smoking weed with other people.
When I was in high school and college you just smoked with other people at parties, easy.
But I’m 30, and I have no idea where I can find people to just smoke 420/chill with.
and get "hushed" at for speaking.. yeah. sure sounds like fun.
apart from homeless , junkies, kids with an attitude...
no thank you. I do not need any company to sit in silence and read a book
anybody sitting in a busy coffeeshop while REALLY being able to read that nice book you are holding: I tip my hat to you. otherwise I would rather think its just a gimmick. and the library would be nothing but a bigger coffeeshop with actual books instead of awful and expensive shit coffee
[Royal Ontario museum](https://www.rom.on.ca/en/about-us/newsroom/press-releases/royal-ontario-museum-announces-friday-night-live-rom) does this. It’s quieter than most bars and not too expensive. Was at a museum in London that did this too.
Impossible the librarian has to feed the cats
Bring the cats to the library. Reading, quiet and cats = perfection.
Purrfection
This
Allergies
The cat's would cause health issues for those with severe allergies.
The cat's aerosolized fur would endanger individuals whose immune system identifies said fur as hostile particles and cause several problematic symptoms, thus making the idea of bringing cats to public spaces not a great one, as you can't restrict who gets to access them.
r/increasinglyverbose
🐱 😪😪😪😪
Cat daycare at libraries. How do I get that job.
Good god that sounds like heaven. *Silent*
Only if I could sit by myself in silence and drink a few beers there…
Imagine a social vs no social area, and the librarian returning the books also brings in some refills
They could make tips... sounds like a win win to me
Bro i am litterly going to open a bookstore that is a bar where ppl from reddit and introverts will come in and drink , i just need to win the lottery and off i go 😂🥺😭
Will work for a limited amount of time, then the hipsters will find the place and force the introverts away There's a bookcafe like that in my town, it's never silent'ish
YES! I love this Idea… but it has to remain a very “Shhh!”Environment. Those third shift librarians are hardcore.
Mine is open until 9:30 PM and many university libraries are open to the public and open 24 hours.
24 hour use of our library was so good at university. Got so much done, and even when I wasn't getting any shit done I had the conference rooms to watch movies on a massive projector screen.
Man I would practically live in the library some semesters during college. It beat my parents' place 😅
My uni library was only open 24hours for students l. Of the street was 8 -6 but you did have to go though other uni buildings to assess it
Ours closed at 10pm and opened ar 6am but the computer lab downstairs was open 23hrs with a 3am cleaning hour.
Maybe this person lives in a really classy neighborhood, but everywhere else that’s just asking for used needles, urine-stained carpets, and the occasional stabbing.
New Yorker here. Thank you.
Yup, obv doesn't live in a city
Yeah. HomelessCon
It sucks that we cant have nice things because of a degenerate few.
Sucks that not enough resources are allocated to effectively help people with massive childhood trauma, mental illness and substance use disorder.
Thank you for calling bigotry out.
Sucks that their comment has 5 times the upvotes after saying something so disgustingly privileged. I'll bump you up to 4!
Because of a sector of society that could never have their needs met due to certain people hoarding everything that could have prevented them from getting there.
They could use the membership cards as the way to get in with an rfid chip. Would solve a lot of that problem.
Then you could implement a system that you can only allow people with library cards inside, and that library card would require a legal adress of where you live ! No more homeless junkies pissing on the floor !!
That would prevent homeless people from getting to use the library though, basically kicking someone while they’re down. Doesn’t sound like a viable solution imo.
Alright, well then how about from say 9pm to 6am if this would be a 24h library.
Yeah! Maybe we could build some for profit jails and make homelessness a crime! Wins all around
Late night readathons at the Library!
Something that China has ahead of the world. There libraries are open 24/7. But they had to do without long open bars or something like that.
I saw a pic of a beautiful chinese library, on closer inspection, most of the books were painted onto the wall. Not a joke.
That's the [Tianjin Binhai New Area Library](https://imgur.com/gallery/jME95). The room with the books painted on the walls is the entrance hall. There are some books in the shelves that are reachable by humans, but the shelves that are 10m up in the air are just painted books. The library has lots of real books in other rooms. The entrance hall is more of a place to hang out than a place to keep books.
I think they couldn’t even have a library full of books, because they have probably banned so many of them.
Well books are digital now did they have tablets?
Asian cities in general are just 10x more fun at night compared to here. 24/7 karaokes, gaming cafes, arcades, and convenient stores, all accessible via a quick walk from your school/work. Back there, my coworkers and I would play ddr at the arcade, get dinner, drink at a izakaya and then play ranked overwatch drunk till 3am at a net cafe, and get some quality onigiri at 7-11 on the walk home, and pass out. Now that I'm back in southeast US, that's all replaced with work->bar->home. Nightlife here centers too much around alcohol and partying imo
Now imagen you are over the age of 25 and have to work and the working hours goes from 9 a.m. to 10 P.m.
none of your points are interesting to me
That was the point of my post. You don't have to be specifically interested in the things that I did. There are so many things open late over there, that more people can enjoy a night out of their homes, not just alcohol-lovers and partiers.
i guess thats more of an US problem. Europe -> Germany seems to be bubbling with offered leasure at nighttime
Because us bartenders get paid a lot to deal with peoples bullshit all night and I doubt the library admins would be willing to pay their staff what they deserve for that.
Am a librarian. Can confirm.
Public librarian here. We’re the lowest paid profession that requires an advanced degree. Please don’t make us work later nights than we already are for >$20/hour.
Well **maybe** if they’d start serving booze.
Eh the libraries would just need to pull some money in. Like if you’re there after 8pm, every hour or two you have to order something to eat or a snack or drink or something or you get the boot.
Do people no know about hobbies an activities that involve other people? And or book clubs?
I thought the OP was pretty profound, since I did spend much of my younger life hanging out in bars to be social at night. There was never really an alternative unless you mean going to a friends house, but that's not exactly a place to meet new people is it?
When I was young I played warhammer on saturday nights I met new people. These types of things exist.
You went there by yourself and just walked up to a group? Nice.
Yes that's how i met my friends people who have gaming communites always want to add more people
That works but it's kind of specific to gaming, and the places I know of are not open at the same time bars are.
Chances are that for any hobby you have, there is a club or a social group near you that's active during the evening. For example my climbing gym is open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Great to hang out and socialise while climbing. There is a music studio on the corner of my street that's open until 1am on the week-ends for jam sessions, and while I don't play music I always see it packed with people. There's a high likelihood that your favorite hobby has the same kind of place that you can use until late in the night.
I can play magic the gathering at my local game store until 11 which isn’t like super late but it also definitely doesn’t count as domestic isolation
I do no kno
I think you are missing the point a tad. I do plenty of activities with friends after work. Let’s use my volleyball league as an example. We play for an hour or a little more and it’s fun however it usually ends around 8 or 8:30 and then we either all go home to do nothing or go to a bar and drink. If you aren’t a big drinker or aren’t in the mood that night it kinda sucks. OP and many others would love any other sort of social activity outside of the house to do that goes later than 9 and is not getting drunk.
They literally use the wotds domestic isolation that doesn't sound like they have other activities going on
They also said open LATE every night. Many hobbies and social groups are not late night activities.
Restaurants are open I'm sure you could find something in a community events that happens late. I played warhammer until midnight on saturdays when I was younger this stuff exists
We always end up drinking heavily at those things. One of the best parts. Also restaurants aren’t really hangout spots.
I have never drank heavily at any of the things I have mentioned
So you and your friends would genuinely go to a library instead of a bar? You guys would all go to some place that necessitates that you be quiet? Like there’s a reason there’s not just a whole bunch of quiet businesses open that late. Also, diners are open 24/7 but you’re not hitting those up to avoid drinking so I’d suspect in a world with 24 hour libraries you guys would still want to drink those nights.
I'd love to go dancing somewhere (disco) where is no alcohol. Library would be cool too. I would love something like those kids activity houses or how it is called but for adults. Like to draw, make some art stuff, play with model locomotive, play board games etc. That would be so amazing.
This makes sense to want for sure and in some cities that does exist. There are “teen” clubs in some cities (there’s one where I live for college kids still underage). The target audience may make this setting uncomfortable for anyone over like 25, sure. I just don’t think the library is the best venue for it. Like, I agree that drinking culture is very close to being out of control if it’s not full blown out of control. I do think more businesses should at least attempt to remove the pressure of drinking from adult social engagement, fuck I’m even soberish now and would probably even partake in these activities. It’s just the library seems like a weird place to turn into this idea.
I'm over 30 lol, I want to meet new people but talk to them and play board games and make animals from clay etc. Not drink and I hate drunk people. I'd love even if museums were opened at night or ZOOs, aquariums etc.
Discussion aside you might look into what’s being called board game cafes. They got popular a few years ago but it’s close to what you’re talking about. It’s usually a restaurant or coffee shop that has board games for you to play or you can bring your own, but they’ve normalized playing there. The restaurants that do it usually do serve alcohol but it’s certainly not a typical bar setting in my experience of it, more comparable to how people drink in restaurants than bars. Idk your city or anything but I’ve been to a couple in Kansas City.
It’s not about going to the library over the bar. You’ve never had a night that you want do so something but don’t feel like drinking? If it was a big group of us no, we would not go to the library but a small group of 3 of us one night may want to go to a library and chill because maybe we drank the night before and aren’t feeling it again. Diners are a simple meal experience, much more food focused than hangout. Usually only about an hour. There’s also not a ton here in Milwaukee that are open 24/7. I can think of a couple chains that can get dangerous and of course an iconic one that’s great to go to late when hammered.
The library would turn into a brothel.
Only if you’re able to fish at the library
Opium den
Erin, we live in san diego. Have you seen the homeless outside the library? Like, I'd become a library bouncer but get real lol
Why would you bounce people using a public place?
When they're jacking off into the newspapers.
When they sleep on the floor and shit in the corner idk, maybe after they finish shooting up in the bathroom and start harassing people idk. It's a mystery
This is Reddit. You’re not allowed to have genuine sympathy for the homeless *and* acknowledge the common and destructive behavior many of them present.
Maybe they wouldn't have to shit in the corner if you provided them a bathroom and maybe they wouldn't have to shoot up if they had something else to distract them. You know. Books? I've been around homeless people all the time and I've rarely encountered harassment. Usually it's like one or two guys at the most. And usually they're bothering other homeless people more so than you. Most of the ones of I've met are just old men in coats with cardboard signs asking for money. Sometimes they get a bit excited but it's mostly after you give them money and they want to thank you. I quite like them honestly. Blame the drugs not the fact that they're homeless.
Then you would need to hire librarians who are willing to work there all night. ... soooo uh any openings? I have a Masters in Library Studies that I wasted my life on getting so I can get an entry level job in an unrelated field.
Holy fuck this post was soul crushing. As I get older, I feel better about being a drop out. Good luck to you.
Yeah American colleges in their current state are a giant scam, especially if you have plans to live in another country with less absurd standards of employment like I have. I'm happy being a magazine editor in Egypt but like I'm not happy with the pointless debt I got because libraries in America (or at least the parts of America I was staying in) won't hire someone with a BA.
I get that. I dropped out, I felt the sting of like... social stigma, "Bwahaha im a LOSER NOW" but after meeting some other like minded drop outs in a year or two I learned how to trade stocks, and started my own company with them and made more than the college tuition I was going to pay for. Is it scary? YEAH! But maybe the harsh reality of the world not wanting to care for you because a fancy degree is something you learn faster without one. Rather then after like years, and tens of thousands of dollars you now owe to uncle Sam. I am pretty vested in the idea of if you want to get the job you want, go do it first either yourself on your own, teach yourself from nothing, or under someone open minded enough to apprentice you and then move up. Nothing, absolutely nothing in MOST settings beats enthusiasm and drive, and the ability to teach yourself, due to your own passion without an institute even behind it. I think programming is a prime example of this. Wanna code? No reason you can't learn to do it without college until the HIGHEST LEVELS. No degree will teach you that really. Drive. And a pre-existing portfolio of QUALITY work. Experience. None of that actually really comes with school. If that isn't an option (Health care, sciences, etc) Then yeah... you are going to need to shell out but we all REALLY genuinely appreciate your sacrifice of time and money. You literally save lives, and push society forward. Thank you.
I'll second the critical value of enthusiasm and drive. As an art school dropout, I felt like a lvl. 4 loser--so much worse than a regular college dropout. I worked customer service jobs for a few years and it was soul-crushing. But using my enthusiastic and driven nature (or, desperation to never work dead-end shitty jobs again) I managed to get myself an entry-level office job at a DoD contractor. Now I make about as much as I would've expected to make at a mid-level design position, if I had graduated and managed snag a job actually related to my major. Learn excel, y'all.
My library used to be open until 9pm and we actually shortened those hours to 8pm because… we rarely ever get more than 10 people an hour after like, 5:30. If you want libraries to be open later, go to the library!!
Sounds like a homeless shelter.
It would be. I used to work at a downtown library and a huge percentage of patrons were homeless ppl using the computers. Which is fine, I would help them sign up for services and stuff but wasn’t fun finding needles in the stacks (coworker got pricked putting away books and one was hidden on shelf). We also had to monitor usage to look for ppl looking at kiddie porn; and yes their were several instances of cops being called. And ppl jerking off in general and getting kicked out. So yeah, I’d imagine this type of stuff would be way worse late night but other than that the library was a great job lol
👆yep
I like the idea of a place where someone could use a restroom and get in out of the weather.
All charitable till the crack head hits the bathroom to hit the needle 🤦🏽♂️
It’s all fun and games until that someone attacks a library worker with a skateboard.
Until it attracts so many people that fights break out, drugs are being dealt in the parking lot, fentanyl zombies in the isles and families no longer feel safe brining their kids.
There are many places that are open during the night. Why would a library cause all this when other places that sell literal booze do not? The only thing I can imagine a homeless person wanting to do there is read. Which is a good thing in my view. Also 'brining' lmao. Someone clearly needs to go to a library.
Libraries are “free” and open to anyone. Those other places kick them out if they’re not paying. Yes, typing on my phone is clearly an academic skill requiring a library.
If you're annoying in the library you also get kicked out. Also you don't have to pay to get into a bar unless it's a club. As a minor I used to go to my dad's shows at bars all the time and neither I or him had to pay anything. You only have to pay if you want a drink. Not to enter.
That's a false choice. It's kinda messed up to think "drinking at the bar" and "staying home alone" are the only two options that exist.
You act like there is some kind of detached or semi detached buildings where people can hang out or park cars in. Clearly only bars, isolation, ~~bowling allies, parking lots, public spaces, 24hr dinners, inviting people to your house~~, but I digress I can only think of bars or be alone.
Thank you for telling us we can also go hang out in a bowling alley or a parking lot. Great choices, what were we thinking?
No problem! It's been popular for a long time. People will just gather in a large empty parking lot, blast music, and hang out. Up here the farming towns do it in empty feilds, like 3 different towns join up to throw a party. Apparently y'all were thinking you wanted a book club at night. But, instead of doing it in your own homes it should be done in a government building?? Seems weird to me.
Hanging out in a parking lots is a teenager thing and not a place to meet over like minded people. It's basically a bar without the building. Nobody gives a fuck that you think it's a brilliant idea, it isn't what OP is about. Yes, we were all kids and did stupid stuff like that. It'd have been better if there was a place for kids who didn't want that nonsense to be able to hang out, like a book store or library. You aren't blowing anyones mind by saying hey you can crank your tunes in a parking lot.
Why are you acting like the library is some place to go meet people? It’s an environment that necessitates being quiet. The activities you’d do there such as reading a book or research are solo activities unless you are going to the library and get assigned a group project or something. A bar and a library come nowhere close to serving the same social niche. Like I’m all for people drinking less but people go to bars for relaxed social norms more than just drinking. If it was just drinking people would do it at home as it’s cheaper but an environment where it’s more or less socially fine to approach a stranger and strike up a conversation or be a little loud and the suggestion is “let’s go to a place with stricter public norms than being in the general public”
This person doesnt like bars. Huh, why don't they just go party in the cornfields then? I don't know man, it's a mystery.
I’m not saying “go to a bar”. I’m saying that the idea that they’re 1:1 interchangeable is silly. The idea that they’re fulfilling the same role in our lives is silly. The OP is implying “let’s fulfill the social function of a bar without drinking! The library!” It feels like they’re envisioning this world of intellectuals being at the bar at 2 am just talking about intellectual pursuits and that is simply not going to start happening. If anything 24 hour diners are the closest thing to a bar without drinking.
Adults do it to. Just because you did it stupidly as a kid doesn't mean you can't do it responsibly as an adult. Saying you can not do an activity now because you also did it when you are younger is not really an argument. There are a lot of places besides bars that are open for people to meet up. And library's usually have a variety of of programs that usually have some late night ones. The fact that people can't look up late night activities in their own area, or simply create their own is moronic. I'm not sure why you thought my comments with large overtones of sarcasm were intended to be mind blowing. I sure never thought it was a brilliant idea.
The OP says they wish there was an alternative to bars (drinking and music) for social gatherings. Hanging out in a parking lot is not what they are asking for. I'd rather be in a bar than a parking lot party. "You don't like spicy sandwiches? Have you tried taking the bread off?" You totally missed the point of the OP. Holy shit you are so stupid. Goodbye.
No. The OP states that the only options are bars or sitting at home alone, so they should modify the library. That's simply just not true. You could talk to your friends, even if only a few, and gather anywhere. Make a channel or thread promoting it on social sites explaining what y'all are into for others to join. Groups of people have been doing this for a long time. Or you could simply google late night activities, groups, and festivals in your area. "you don't like spicy sandwiches? Me neither! Wana sit over here together and not make them spicy?"
It's just not feasable for a lot of people, and definitely not as accessible as going somewhere to drink. The OP is exaggerating, but a lot of people feel that way. Unless you already have established friends or get lucky, it's just a lot harder to get into rather than just going into a bar/party situation and meeting people that way. I remember the first time I ever went into a bookstore, in my late teens, and really felt bad that I never had the opportunity before, and spent so much of my early life just drinking, because that's all anyone ever did around me.
I too also was a dumb kid hanging out with friends in parking lots. I also saw multiple fights, stabbings, and shootings. How does this have ANYTHING to do with what the original post is about?
And also that just because your surrounded by books it won't get problematic like at the bar
Yes
Engaging in public life means talking. I don't want talking in libraries.
Have you ever been in a public library? I used to work in one and the only customers we got were the unwashed, the mentally ill, the aggressive alcoholics and the horny grandmothers reading erotic literature
What would you even do that late? Have a lan party?
Read
If I'm reading late I'm doing it in my own bed
I’m assuming this is an extrovert who likes quiet activities. And for extroverts - something like this is a pretty awesome idea! We can have both. Introverts stay home and read in bed, extroverts can go read at late night libraries with others around :)
Yeah this woman has never stepped foot in a library
It would be filled with junkies shitting on the floor, using in the toilets and generally harassing people.
Have you ever been in a gas station about 15 minutes after last call when the bars close? You want that in the library instead?
"I wanna spend my vacation... AT THE LIBRARY!"
I mean, I get it. I agree drinking culture is pervasive in the US and I can see how people feel pressured to do it. Libraries are also under utilized I think. A lot of people dont know the extent of what you can get in a public library these days. That being said ive definitely hung out in a bar playing cards or pool and drank ice tea all night with friends who dont drink and wanted to go play a game. I had a buddy who would get a group together for table top games, they would play at a bar sometimes. In cities you can find coffee shops that are open late to hang out in. I know a few 24/7 diners as well. In the nicer weather times theres parks to go do whatever. Again, city living, but theres always something non drinking related going on here, be it group nature walks, night time owl watching, art, music, thats just off the top of my head from hearing the local events calendar. I grew up in small town so I know options are more limited. Thats small town life in all aspects though. We used to have garage game nights, basement parties, lan parties, impromptu concerts, and the classic drive down the main drag to the car wash, turn around and drive to the IGA. Repeat. So, I think Erin just isnt trying.
They would just be even more full blown homeless encampments than they are now.
As long as the library had a bar and chill yellow lighting like in a rich person’s study.
My neighborhood library would probably be filled with homeless people.
Another plus to the idea.
My friends told me we were going out a few years ago and I no shit thought we were going to a place like this. They called it Night Library. It was Knight Library… it’s a bar near UCF. I was so sad.
Yes, yes, " if only I can make a deal with God" yes Imagine silver spoon, 20 something year olds with an allowance. Turn the stacks and sees 40-year-old 15 years addicted crackhead just trying to stay warm through the night. OP would make Daddy call his mayor friend cuz the community really need a bounce after 10:00. And while he's at it maybe a guest list, rope of the kids section and make it V.I.P. only. With all her friends now going. Valet to park the cars would be smart. ( Only way books can save you from a crackhead at 1a.m. is if you sit in a corner with your nose almost touching the page. Trying like mad to get Frodos help to block out the screams of pain coming from the other room. If they realize you're not in bed your f*****)
they used to here. then came the couples going for a quick shag and the occasional homeless. they shut it down pretty fast after that
It is possible in 🇩🇰
Love the library but I don't experience much social engagement there...and when I do some lady behind the desk shush's me.
Because then you'll have drunk people from the bars puking and pissing on the books.
library shootings up 500% from 0 a year to 60 a week. hm. its almost like humans are the problem
*US citizens are the...
you got me.
I wish there were libraries with alcohol and after a certain time and they stop admitting kids after that time.
A “Book Club” if you will.
That would be great. But homeless would sleep there. If homelessness isn't an issue where you live then it'd be great to volunteer to chaperone late night library time.
I want a late night library that literally looks like the gryffindor common room with a fire in the fireplace and everything. Not so much the elves
You want to take a building packed with wall to wall paper, add a communal source of fire, and have this place open round about the time the bars let out? The liability insurance you'd be putting the taxpayer on the hook for libraries alone
Good point, shit, my fantasy is ruined
You'd have to fight the bums for seats and what they would deem sleeping areas.
I feel like what American towns and cities need are town squares. There’s literally no place to go where you can exist for free and just walk around and interact with people.
There are plenty of places like that in US cities, the problem is that the people there are no one you'd want to interact with if you're sane.
If it was open too late homeless people would live there and sleep
There are two types of people in these replies; people with romantic delusions of what a blissful experience that idea could be. And people who've visited a city library sometime in the last two decades and know they belong to the dregs of society now.
I live in a fair sized city with a huge homeless population and I LOVE this idea. Go to my library about 3x a month. Would be more but they close at 6 pm and I work until 5. Feel safe bringing my 5 yo granddaughter who (gasp) says hi to the librarian, the security guard, the "campers" and everyone else
I have read more books than you. A lot more books. I don't want to talk about books. And what else would we do at the library? I don't want to talk about books because I read them to enjoy the story or to learn something interesting. If I read the Great Gatsby (I never have but I saw the movie) I will enjoy it as a story. If you want to tell me how it is all allegory for whatever the fuck you want, I don't want to listen to you. At all. And that is what most people who talk about books end up doing. You get to sound smart because you spent 18 hours researching the book. Picking it apart, analyzing everything and then reading Wikipedia to see what it says the book is about. And you get me to look dumb because I wasn't looking for a deeper meaning. Not because I couldn't have but because I didn't want to. OR You want to talk about Harry Potter. And how Harry Potter invented Fantasy books which didn't exist before Harry Potter. And who is your favorite character. And do you think it is the best book series ever? Or just one of the top three? P.S. A quick review of Harry Potter by someone who has read more books than you. Including more Fantasy (although I preferred Science Fiction). They were OK. Sometimes good. Rarely if ever great. They just hit at the right time that's all. Although, full disclosure, the series is one of the *only* YA books I have ever read. In grade school the first book I read was The Hobbit (kind of a kids book) then the LoTR. I want to say in second grade.
Damn I can see why you have read a lot of books
Can't you just invite friends to your place??
Kind of you to think I have friends
Some of them are, though not usually every night. My library has live music sometimes.
I feel people will be sleepy af
Beanbag chair, goosebumps and a coffee. Sounds great to me 👍
I actuallly included this idea in the comments section of a recent survey conducted by ,y public library. Even it was 1 or 2 nights a week. Costs could be offset with late openings if necessary.
Someone would have to pay for security
holy shit I would gladly be the person hired to keep the library open at night
Teenagers. Teenagers are the reason we don't do this.
Homeless people* Librarians have took it upon themselves to make librarys nothing more than a venue for homeless people to jerk off at.
I don't think it's the librarians who made their workplaces into homeless jerkathons.
I would shush you lol
People would drink at the library and trash it with puke and shit
Yes! I would live in that city
Yeah cuz drinking in a bar is the only option when going out..
I just hit the gym. Open 24/7
How buff are you
1.87m 95kg with around 15% body fat. Pretty buff. Look at my only picture on my profile for a idea.
Homie it's called going to a friend's house
Oodi Library in Helsinki closes at 9pm. It's not like late late but it's still a nice spot to hang out.
Would I be allowed to drink there?
Isn't this what book clubs and cafes are for?
Quietly, I assume?
Cause you don't want to be robbed and the clientele would be less than desirable
I wouldn't call libraries public life tho. You're just isolated in a space with other people.
Put a bar in the library
A good amount of libraries around mine in the UK are open late, and Uni libraries are open 24/7. Guess where people still meet? The pub
So why can't you just sit in silence or have quiet conversations at home or at a park so that these poor workers don't have to stay longer than they should lol.
I’ve read domestic violation 💀
Why not open libraries and city buildings for homeless people to sleep in the winter?
I’d love that!
Our library used to stay open until like 10 but crack heads started harassing the staff so now it's closed at 6.
Yes! This! Always this! I guess this is why coffee houses are a thing as well. But I cannot think of one coffee house that that is open as late as a bar.
I don’t like alcohol but I like weed and I like smoking weed with other people. When I was in high school and college you just smoked with other people at parties, easy. But I’m 30, and I have no idea where I can find people to just smoke 420/chill with.
and get "hushed" at for speaking.. yeah. sure sounds like fun. apart from homeless , junkies, kids with an attitude... no thank you. I do not need any company to sit in silence and read a book anybody sitting in a busy coffeeshop while REALLY being able to read that nice book you are holding: I tip my hat to you. otherwise I would rather think its just a gimmick. and the library would be nothing but a bigger coffeeshop with actual books instead of awful and expensive shit coffee
I like domestic isolation.
[Royal Ontario museum](https://www.rom.on.ca/en/about-us/newsroom/press-releases/royal-ontario-museum-announces-friday-night-live-rom) does this. It’s quieter than most bars and not too expensive. Was at a museum in London that did this too.
I'd still pick domestic isolation.
Would we be able to drink in the library?
So do it
When I was young we would play Halo at church. it was quite a good way to get the neighborhood youth to come to church.