Libraries are truly something amazing. My local one offers an incredible amount of stuff, all for just 15€/year. They have their own streaming-service, you can lend e-books and magazines easily online, rent consoles/videogames, water, tea and coffee either free or just 1€, events to learn languages, hang out or just get together with the local community, book trades, the list goes on. More people should support their local libraries, they need/deserve it much more than so many other services.
I'm fully remote and finding places to get away resonates. I tried the library, but the artificial lighting, lack of infrastructure (especially large monitors) and maybe also the lack of a more social space where you are actually allowed to talk made it a less than ideal experience.
But I concur that libraries as places for people to meet and do some sort of intellectual goal-oriented activity (as opposed to bars and other places of entertainment) are a great idea. I like what cities like Helsinki have done with Oodi, a library that also offers workspaces for people to do all sorts of things.
This was such a refreshing read, thank you for sharing. I really resonated with your reflections on remote work and how the lines between “home” and “work” blur so easily.
I’ve also been searching for an alternative work environment myself, something outside the usual cycle of home office and noisy coffee shops. Your perspective reminded me that libraries are not only underrated but also deeply valuable spaces for focus, creativity, and even joy.
I’m definitely inspired to give my local library a chance!
This remote worker is fortunate that no-one else does this because it would rapidly worsen. And I'm sure there's more than a handful of remote workers in their area so it would quickly descend into slots and worsen the 'regular purpose' of the library.
Great read, it sums up the daily struggle I feel for working from home and how to mitigate its effects. I will surely try to visit more libraries from now on.
> So what to do? Go to nearest coffee shop. You’re lucky if they don’t play tasteless trendy music. You’re lucky if a waiter doesn’t keep asking if you need anything, isn’t intrusive, and doesn’t subtly let you know when it’s time to leave by checking on you constantly . You’re lucky if no teenagers talking loudly about their-whatever-teens-talk-about-these-days. Oh, by the way, pay a lot of money to be here and to drink a nice cup of burnt coffe.
Astonishingly entitled. The point of a coffee shop isn't to provide you with a nice space to work but to sell coffee.
I find libraries immensely soothing and am lucky enough to have several nearby to rotate through so I have also done this.
Combining a cycle to get there and coming back with a new book in my laptop bag is a good feeling.
Video calls are tricky, since you don't want to disturb others. Audio calls can be an excuse to take a walk outside in the sunlight. But I generally try to plan around calls and make the trip when I want to focus.
I'm also happy with just a laptop, which not all developers are.
I also quite like the background noise of students doing homework and old people getting taught how to use computers and the other human life going on quietly in the background. The occasional group of toddlers having a sing-song is a special treat.
In the US, libraries are free, have bathrooms, and you can spend the whole day. Hence, urban libraries have become de facto homeless shelters with all the social problems that implies. Suburban libraries are still pretty great places to work or read, but city libraries are a tragedy compared to what they were when I was growing up.
One of my favorite libraries to work from was the Cudahy Library at the University of Loyola in Chicago. It's a stunning glass building looking out directly on Lake Michigan. I'm not sure if this is still the case, but it used to be that anyone who lived in the neighborhood could get a "community" library card without being a student.
What I like most are that most libraries are lively without being distracting. There is some movement but it’s not excessive. I’ve found it a great place for focused study and deep reading.
> So what to do? Go to nearest coffee shop. You’re lucky if they don’t play tasteless trendy music. You’re lucky if a waiter doesn’t keep asking if you need anything, isn’t intrusive, and doesn’t subtly let you know when it’s time to leave by checking on you constantly . You’re lucky if no teenagers talking loudly about their-whatever-teens-talk-about-these-days. Oh, by the way, pay a lot of money to be here and to drink a nice cup of burnt coffe.
You're right, but there are coffee shops that are actually friendly to work at. When I was living in Rome, I compiled for myself a maps list of work-friendly bars https://maps.app.goo.gl/8nZUdYEbs7H8MCDd7 - Now I moved to London and I'm doing the same
Great write up and I share very similar ideas. But I wish there was something a little more than a library where people with similar interests can actually socialize and build a sense of community.
> So what to do? Go to nearest coffee shop. You’re lucky if they don’t play tasteless trendy music. You’re lucky if a waiter doesn’t keep asking if you need anything, isn’t intrusive, and doesn’t subtly let you know when it’s time to leave by checking on you constantly . You’re lucky if no teenagers talking loudly about their-whatever-teens-talk-about-these-days.
I used to work from coffee shops until I realized how annoying it is to have a café full of people working on their laptops. A once lively place that was supposed to be an escape to relax, meet friends or read a book has turned into a soulless office environment. I want to go to a café to escape work, not to be reminded of it by constant keyboard sounds or video calls.
> You’re lucky if a waiter doesn’t keep asking if you need anything, isn’t intrusive, and doesn’t subtly let you know when it’s time to leave by checking on you constantly .
> Oh, by the way, pay a lot of money to be here and to drink a nice cup of burnt coffe.
How entitled can you be to think that you can occupy a table for the whole day and expect to only buy one coffee?
> Then rent an office or subscribe to a co-working space? What? I get paid to work, not to pay for it.
Yes, that is exactly you are supposed to do. If you are working remotely and can´t afford a co-working space you are probably underpaid. Your salary should either include that expense or your employer should cover that for you.
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[ 3.1 ms ] story [ 39.3 ms ] threadBut I concur that libraries as places for people to meet and do some sort of intellectual goal-oriented activity (as opposed to bars and other places of entertainment) are a great idea. I like what cities like Helsinki have done with Oodi, a library that also offers workspaces for people to do all sorts of things.
I’ve also been searching for an alternative work environment myself, something outside the usual cycle of home office and noisy coffee shops. Your perspective reminded me that libraries are not only underrated but also deeply valuable spaces for focus, creativity, and even joy.
I’m definitely inspired to give my local library a chance!
This remote worker is fortunate that no-one else does this because it would rapidly worsen. And I'm sure there's more than a handful of remote workers in their area so it would quickly descend into slots and worsen the 'regular purpose' of the library.
Astonishingly entitled. The point of a coffee shop isn't to provide you with a nice space to work but to sell coffee.
Combining a cycle to get there and coming back with a new book in my laptop bag is a good feeling.
Video calls are tricky, since you don't want to disturb others. Audio calls can be an excuse to take a walk outside in the sunlight. But I generally try to plan around calls and make the trip when I want to focus.
I'm also happy with just a laptop, which not all developers are.
I also quite like the background noise of students doing homework and old people getting taught how to use computers and the other human life going on quietly in the background. The occasional group of toddlers having a sing-song is a special treat.
https://chriswolak.com/2020/05/31/library-visit-loyola-unive...
You're right, but there are coffee shops that are actually friendly to work at. When I was living in Rome, I compiled for myself a maps list of work-friendly bars https://maps.app.goo.gl/8nZUdYEbs7H8MCDd7 - Now I moved to London and I'm doing the same
I used to work from coffee shops until I realized how annoying it is to have a café full of people working on their laptops. A once lively place that was supposed to be an escape to relax, meet friends or read a book has turned into a soulless office environment. I want to go to a café to escape work, not to be reminded of it by constant keyboard sounds or video calls.
> You’re lucky if a waiter doesn’t keep asking if you need anything, isn’t intrusive, and doesn’t subtly let you know when it’s time to leave by checking on you constantly .
> Oh, by the way, pay a lot of money to be here and to drink a nice cup of burnt coffe.
How entitled can you be to think that you can occupy a table for the whole day and expect to only buy one coffee?
> Then rent an office or subscribe to a co-working space? What? I get paid to work, not to pay for it.
Yes, that is exactly you are supposed to do. If you are working remotely and can´t afford a co-working space you are probably underpaid. Your salary should either include that expense or your employer should cover that for you.