Wednesday, June 26th - Idea Store Whitechapel

Today I ventured to Whitechapel to visit the Idea Store. The Idea Store project was initiated in 1999 in the Borough of Tower Hamlets. They wanted to “reinvent” the library as the community was dissatisfied with the current service. They partnered with the Learning and Skills Council and the Tower Hamlets College to revamp their strategies and spaces. What makes Idea Stores unique is that they are always located in areas with high foot traffic, as the community wanted their libraries to be more accessible and in areas they were already travelling in.

The physical space itself was really interesting. There are five levels with many areas for different uses, including:

• A outdoor terrace
• A dance studio (complete with changing room for performances)
• Conference room
• Learning labs (that can be booked for programs but also used as general workspace)
• Art gallery wall (with a rotating collection)
• Surfing spaces (seating with access to outlets, as well as nearby printing and copying stations)
• A cafe that also has a small “living room” area with a couch and television
• All gender washrooms
• A piano

I was impressed by the amount of comfortable seating available, as well as workspaces with outlets. The space reflects the variety of programming and events that take place here, including:

• Computer classes
• Dance classes
• Medical clinics
• Career and job search workshops

There are also displays with pamphlets from other community organizations.

One the first floor, along with familiar sections like Staff Recommendations, they have a designated Core Collection. This collection is defined as “a list of books, CDs and DVDs that are in stock at an Idea Store/library; the titles are classic, bestselling or well-regarded titles that should be in stock in any library in the country”. This list is always being added to and users can suggest new titles to be added to “the pantheon of literary classics”. It’s not just the classics, but new publications as well, and the community has input as to what gets added. I think it’s really awesome that people have a direct voice in deciding what they think is really important and should always be available. There is also a section dedicated to small independent publishers.

The Whitechapel Idea Store has a particular focus on the subjects of business and health, with a designated Health Zone and a Business Zone. Posters for related programs are posted in these areas and clear labeling means subjects are easy to locate on the shelf. It makes me wonder if this community has a particular interest in these subjects and therefore they're given more prominence.

Visit the Idea Store Whitechapel's website here