[4th] Lecturer Kosuke Yamamoto, Faculty of Sociology "Omoroiyan. Media Library"

What is your image of the library? Is it a "place to read books"?I see.For everyone, the image of the library may be a "school library".However, the role of the library today is not only "a place to read books".In a diversified society, it has come to take on the role of facilitating information access.
For example, public libraries overseas have initiatives to lend Wi-Fi routers.It seems like you are very generous to lend me your router.It seems to be possible to imagine that without access to the Internet, information related to life and employment cannot be obtained.And the problem of information access is not only "not connected to the Internet".Where can I get medical information about the novel coronavirus?Or when trying to get public support, where should I find out about the existence and structure of that system? Not only "people who know know," but also "no way to know" and "cannot deepen understanding" will lead to disadvantages in life in general.Moreover, it widens the various gaps between those who have access and those who do not.Efforts to correct this information gap are also positioned as one of the roles of public libraries.
To put it a little more aggressively, the role of facilitating access to information could be described as a "meeting place".
Japan also has many unique libraries. Libraries working on "access to information for people with disabilities".Library with café, children's study lounge, table tennis table and bouldering.A library where locals gather to talk about their hobbies and love for books... The goal here is not only to provide information about books, but also to promote diverse exchanges between people through information.The Wi-Fi router rental I mentioned earlier is not only aimed at correcting the information gap, but is also one of the aims of connecting with public institutions through the library (for example, going out to borrow and borrow routers) and human interaction.The role of the public library can be positioned as a place where "information" and "someone", and "someone" and "someone" are connected, a "meeting place".
I hope this gives you an idea of ​​the role of the library, which is not only a place to read books, but also a wider range of functions than you might have imagined.

Well, the library was also a meeting place for me.I grew up in a single parent household.Thirty years ago, a fatherless family was a very rare family form.I myself was conscious of the difference from those around me, and thought, "I'm not normal."I thought that those worries were unique to me and that no one understood them.
It was when I was in high school that I began to immerse myself in the library.It's not a positive reason, "I want to read books and study," but simply because "I'm allowed to skip it," not a positive reason.There was a time when I didn't want to go to the infirmary, but I didn't like the classroom.And I was inspired by a book handed to me by a teacher (who also seemed to be skipping) who was going in and out of the library, saying, "If you're going to skip, read this, read that."This is because there are various families in the book, and conflicts with families were told.
For me, the encounter at the library was a simple matter of "it's okay to worry". Instead of saying, "Don't worry," it might be rough to say, "It's okay to worry, worry about it."But I felt like that was the word I was looking for. "Ayako Miura portrayed her family in despair, but it's different in my case." became.Through the library, I met someone who transcends time and space, and reconnected with my past.

By the way, Kansai University of International Studies does not have a library, but a "media library".The word "media" is the key here.
When students say, "I heard a lecture by an interesting university professor and want to learn more," they can solve the problem by "looking up the syllabus (lecture plan)" and "asking the teacher questions."But what do you do when you want to learn more?
"Let's look at Amazon... I don't know which one to read", "Let's search on the Internet... I have only shallow knowledge".The Internet may give you the information you want to know, but it has the characteristic that you can only know the information you want to know.
The media library can be used in such cases.Media means "medium".It would be good if you have an image that the medium is a combination of A and B. A stands for "you". B is the information conveyed by the media.The media library is a place where you can encounter "new information".
Media is not limited to "books".For example, the university's media library has staff to support learning.Office hours are set by teachers.Various events are also planned.It is a place where you can not only gather information, but also "meet people".
When you think, "What kind of books should I read?" or "I want to discuss more," the media library is a place where you can deepen your learning.There will be nosy university professors there. “You should read that,” “I like that movie,” “You should think about this,” and so on.
Studying at university is sometimes called “academics”.New "encounters" lead us not only to learn but also to "question".Encountering, learning, and asking questions, in addition to acquiring knowledge and information, will deepen your learning at university.The university's media library can also be used as a "meeting place" for learning.