《🇺🇸🇹🇼圖書館》
只要有機會出差，都會觀察一下當地地標；有趣的是，除了政治經濟意義的建築物、紀念碑，幾乎在歐美各國，圖書館也都是當地著名地標。
華府的國會圖書館、威尼斯的聖馬可國家圖書館、部落格斯特拉霍夫修道院圖書館：這些「智慧之家」在都會發展的過程中，扮演傳遞知識的重要角色，也是民眾社群的中心。
隨著市長訪歐返國，我們共同思考臺北市立圖書館的作用。有一些分館，例如北投分館，典雅美觀，又是可持續性綠建築，大數分館，則是鋼筋水泥混凝土。所以我一開始的想法是，如何讓我們的圖書館「變美」。
但我的實習生葉皓勤（Marcin）給了我另一個觀點，我們應該以「社區」為主體考量，他也推薦舊金公立圖書館，作為我們參考的對象。
因此我的團隊，特別邀請也是我們姊妹市，舊金山公共圖書館館長Michael Lambert先生，透過視訊，與我跟台北市立圖書館副館長王淑滿團隊會晤
我感謝Michael的團隊，耽誤他們下班時間 (沒辦法，時差)，分享舊金山圖書館在多元化、環保、循環經濟的成就。
稍微說幾點，在多元化的部分，館員如果會說英文以外的其他語言，並用這些語言服務: 加薪。除此之外，舊金山圖書館與民政，移民局有非常深度的合作，針對新移民遇到的法律問題，有律師駐點，並且提供電腦以及英文課程等。
台灣有許多新移民及移工，圖書館能扮演的腳色，應該更大，參考舊金山的一些案例。
除此之外，舊金山圖書館以社區需要為導向的方針，還在其他層面出現，比方說”種子圖書館”，讓小朋友有機會透過圖書館這個場域，去照顧植物，其他包含友善的綠建築，活化綠屋頂，0排碳，烹飪，3D打印等等以社區需要為主體的活動，更是族繁不及備載。
我特別邀請館長以及團隊，下次來台北市交流時，去北投圖書館看看，給我們一點意見，看完書之後，再泡點溫泉，喝點咖啡，多消費一下，促進台美關係。
我希望每一天都能夠讓台北好一點，政策經過比較，討論，切磋，都會更完善，讓世界走進台北，讓台北走進世界。
#台北 #舊金山 #圖書館
During my travels, be they for business or for leisure, I have come to realize that public libraries are important landmarks of cities around the world. The Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., the National Library of St. Mark’s in Venice, Prague’s Strahov Monastery’s Library – all of these “Houses of Knowledge” serve as a testament to the importance of information in the development of these metropoles. This inspired me to think about the role of libraries in the urban fabric of Taipei. While some of them are true gems, such as the beautiful and environmentally sustainable Beitou Branch Library, others are rather nondescript concrete blocks. I reached out to my team and requested they conduct research on potential beautification initiatives we could implement.
Marcin, our Senior Intern from National Chengchi University, encouraged me to consider a different approach. “True beauty is the beauty from within”, they say, so in our quest to make libraries more relevant we should perhaps prioritize revising library programming. This is how we decided to reach out to our partners across Taipei’s sister cities to learn more about their best practices in making library programs more diverse, more accessible, and more relevant in the digital age.
Michael Lambert, the City Librarian of the San Francisco Public Library, and his team were extremely generous with their time and shared with us in detail how they use library programs to foster multiculturalism, environmental awareness, and circular economy across the Golden City. I was very impressed to learn about the breadth and depth of their programs as well as the willingness of Mr. Lambert’s team to collaborate with other departments and institutions in the City of Francisco. I am certain that our exchange will considerably enrich the new Strategic Plan of our own public libraries here in Taipei.
Last but not least, I sincerely hope that today’s videoconference is just the beginning of a fruitful and long-lasting exchange between Taipei and San Francisco Public Libraries.
