Libraries, Safe Consumption Sites, and Socialism

I regularly think about a screenshot of a tweet that I saw years ago. It said “if free public libraries didn’t already exist and someone tried to invent them, they would be condemned as a socialist plot.” I think of this often.

I love libraries. I love that there are so many people here doing nothing but charging their phones. I love that there are people working on their art at a desk or sitting in a chair gazing out the window. I love that no one is expected to spend money or otherwise have to pay in order to earn the right to spend time here. I love that the bathrooms are open for use — there’s no key or code you have to ask for. I love that you could hang out here all day, from opening til closing, and no one would ever think to say anything or probably even notice. I love that if libraries didn’t exist already and someone tried to propose the idea, right-wingers would call it socialism.

Right on top of the Civic Center Bart station is the Main library; one in the web of 28 total public libraries of San Francisco. It’s five stories tall (plus one below) with a whole floor dedicated to childrens’ books. There’s a whole section for the deaf and hard of hearing. There are reservable little office space nooks behind glass walls and doors. There are countless outlets. There are clumps of rows and tables with desktop computers free for public use; just log in using your library card number and pin number. There are printers too, and I’m pretty sure that this is the only time I’ve ever spent money in a…