Where Everybody Knows Your Name: Creating the Third Place Andrew Tweet, MLIS, MA, Librarian
Te idea of a third place began with the sociologist Ray Oldenburg’s book Te Great Good Place published in 1989. People already knew of third places, both real and fictional. Te Cheers theme song had been playing for eight seasons and the Inklings had long since stopped meeting at the Eagle and Child pub in Oxford. However, Oldenburg put into words what had previously existed as a shared feeling. He defined a third place as the location in a community where nobody is forced to go, but everybody belongs. He further defined a third place by the effect it had on its regulars. Tird places build community and social capital among their regulars.
Bowling alleys, libraries, churches, clubs, eateries, coffeehouses, parks and plazas are all examples of third spaces that give rise to community bonds. Social capital helps communities function well in the same way that monetary capital helps businesses function well. He termed these “great good” places because they provide individual benefits as well as benefiting the greater good.
Oldenburg points out a number of features that define third places. Tey are not your home (first place) or your workplace (second place); instead, they are a refuge from both those places. People typically think of third places as their “home away from home.” Tere is less hierarchy and structure than work or home. Conversation is usually the point of being in a third place. Tere are regulars and the mood is playful, although the place itself may be homely. While they are not formal learning institutions, there is a lot of informal learning that arises from the conversations held there.
Educators, pastors and businesses have all picked up on the concept of third place and used it to improve the experience at their respective establishments. Tis is why churches have traditionally been built with large narthexes, fellowship halls or courtyards. More recently, they have emphasized coffee bars and lounge furniture. All aim to provide third places for the congregation that build community and social capital.
College campuses need third places to build community and encourage informal learning too. College third places are often physically and socially located between the dorms (home) and classrooms (work). Tey function as the student’s community hub. Tey may outwardly serve a specific need like exercise, caffeine, study space or books, but the reason they matter is because they build community and support informal learning. Te social capital built in campus third places can last a lifetime for students. Often college networks are the first people to call when in need of a job, moving to a new community, or looking for a church recommendation. Tat is valuable capital to take with you.
Oldenburg, R. (1999). Te great good place: Cafés, coffee shops, bookstores, bars, hair salons and other hangouts at the heart of a community. New York: Marlowe.
Oldenburg, R. (2001). Celebrating the third place: Inspiring stories about the “great good places” at the heart of our communities. New York: Marlowe & Co.
10 JESSUP MA AZINE
| | JESSUP MAGGAZINE
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32