Day 21. Vancouver Public Library

featuring the tiny people who visit libraries.

👋🏼 Hello, reader.

Public libraries are fascinating places. They are used by all kinds of people for all kinds of things - not only books!

It took me ~40 minutes to get to the downtown branch of the Vancouver Public Library. On the way I listened to Roman Mars on the 99PI podcast, speaking about how libraries digitized in the early 90s.

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I like the different ways that private life expresses itself in public spaces. The library is a unique public space because it used by so many different people for their own reasons.

At every table, there are people reading something they could not otherwise own or access. But just as many people are here not* for what’s on the shelves. Some are here because it’s quiet. Some for the free wifi, some because it’s warm.

Here’s what I think it is:

There are few places in a city today that let you simply be, that let you derive a value - knowledge, safety, space, quiet, water, wifi - without extracting payment.

I also made this drawing.

I left it behind for a stranger to find.

It’s a practice of “art abandonment” (I just joined the FB group!) where artists leave their work for strangers to find and take away. I am doing it for reasons of catharsis. More about this soon.

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