The public library is considered to be a “Safe Place” by many men and women. It’s not just a refuge for bookworms and researchers.
A Twitter thread went viral showing everyone how wonderful the idea is.
On March 5, a Twitter user and Atlanta librarian named David posted the following story on Twitter:
Today a woman with developmental disabilities came into the library, and said she was lost. She didn’t know her address, but her phone number was in her pocket on a piece of paper with Elmo on it. She kept saying, “The library is a safe place.”
— David (@schaalfan) March 4, 2022
“Today a woman with developmental disabilities came into the library, and said she was lost. She didn’t know her address, but her phone number was in her pocket on a piece of paper with Elmo on it. She kept saying, “The library is a safe place,” he wrote.
“We called and her guardian came right over,” David continued. “Apparently this happens pretty regularly. They even stayed long enough for her to check out some new books and Sesame Street DVDs. The library is a safe place indeed.”
We called and her guardian came right over. Apparently this happens pretty regularly. They even stayed long enough for her to check out some new books and Sesame Street DVDs. The library is a safe place indeed.
— David (@schaalfan) March 4, 2022
Thousands of other Twitter users responded to the thread with their own stories of libraries being their safe places.
Check out some of them:
I grew up going to the “big pink library” in town and spending hours there. To this day I don’t know what its actual name was, but it was the one place where I felt truly safe and happy in a not so great family life. Thank God for libraries.
— Cathryn Warren (@crwarren) March 5, 2022
Who knew that a building filled with books could be treated like a safe haven?
People can enter and borrow books for free all while feeling safe and that is just an amazing concept.
The public library does not care if one is rich or poor. Enter the building, find your calm and quiet, and just lose yourself into the world of the book you just opened.
My wife works in the public library in Hiroshima. It’s an everyday haven for several elderly men who are mentally pretty fuzzy. They can be grouchy and difficult – frustrated that they don’t understand – but it’s a big part of the job.
— Eric Allan Pyle (@EricAllanPyle) March 5, 2022
Libraries complement other institutions found in cities. Buildings such as health centers, cultural centers, schools, and NGOs are found all over but there has to be a public library.
Libraries welcome people from all walks of life. Those who need an escape, an education, and a brush up on life.
I grew up without much money. At the library I could have whatever I wanted for free. I was an avid reader from a young age. Safe, peaceful, and a doorway to the entire world before you. Magical
— “I’d just be a catcher in the rye and all” (@ButlerCory) March 5, 2022
It’s a safe space that grants access to information. And that allows societies to make better decisions, innovate, and create for the betterment of mankind.
It’s almost certainly a sacred place.
I lost my wallet, with my social security card, (I know you’re not supposed to carry it) ID, bank cards, cash. 5 years later the library calls me to report one of the homeless people out front turned it in. Everything intact, cash still in it.
— Kathryn Dowler (@dowlerkat) March 5, 2022
In a world full of smart phones where information is just a tap away, the library requires its visitors to walk around and move, scouring endless titles for that one elusive book.
There’s something about opening a book as compared to opening Google. Try it.
When I was in Jr. High, my single mom couldn’t afford after school care, and the bus wouldn’t take me all the way home. I spent my afternoons at the library. A few librarians questioned why a 13-14yo kid was alone, they aren’t my babysitters, etc., but most treated me well. :-)
— The Mister (@TheMist79163991) March 5, 2022
Libraries allow minds to wander and think. Of the past, the present, and the future. It is a place that allows minds to be filled with all the wonders of this world.
That’s whether you open a book or not.
In San Antonio and probably countless other locations, the library is a safe haven for the house less population. They have even found ways to accommodate them by adding more eoutlets and USB chargers so they can charge their cell phones while they are there.
— Jennie Mayes (@MommaBearJen94) March 5, 2022
That unassuming building holds vast treasures that most people have forgotten. Do yourself a favor and walk inside. Allow yourself to get lost in the shelves full of books.
Libraries are one of this world’s most amazing places to visit.
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