Thursday morning, 8:45 a.m. Fifteen minutes before the opening, an unusual line snaked in front of the doors of the Grande Bibliothèque overlooking the Berri-UQAM metro. Friday during the day, same scene.
When passing the Duty, the cafe in the lobby of the place was more lively than ever, and the crowd more motley. The floor was strewn with more trash than usual—napkins, spring mud, fallen leaves. But who could have foreseen this “crisis popularity” and the housekeeping that would come with it?
Virtually all the seats were occupied by people who were visibly settled in for a while—coats curled up behind them, computers on their knees, water bottles on their feet. Nests of electric wires had been woven near the sockets to recharge the cell phones that slept at their ends.
“This is the highest traffic we have recorded in three years,” confirmed Claire-Hélène Lengellé, of the Grande Bibliothèque. Thursday, 8453 visitors passed. On Friday, they were 7,794. “In comparison, since the beginning of February 2023, we have recorded between 4,700 and 4,800 visits per day. On Saturday and Sunday, traffic was back to normal.
Further on, Rosemont metro station, at the Marc-Favreau library, an employee questioned on the fly on Friday during the closing explained that the library had announced at 11 a.m. on its Facebook page that it was opening exceptionally at 1 p.m., in full Good Friday, to help its users in unusual circumstances. “We must have had 500 people for a shortened day, when no one knew we were going to open. Usually we have, what…? Yesterday, I would say we saw between 500 and 900 people, maybe, for a full day, ”he explained with a tired face and a voice full of pride.
Join the city, with the people
For several years, public libraries in Quebec have been working with the idea of becoming a third place, a welcoming social environment that is neither home nor work. That so many people spontaneously retreated to libraries for refuge while their homes were unplugged is a sign of success. Libraries can be an oasis.
And they can be an example, too. As for the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, which opened its ticket offices – free admission! – Thursday and Friday. “We wondered how we could help, too. That was our priority, ”explained communications director Michèle Meier on Friday, who saw a lot of small families circulating in the museum, and had more strollers than usual, at a glance.
“As a museum, we want to be this third place for Montrealers. We are now working towards the idea that the museum must fit into the community, participate in it. Libraries have done this already; they are ahead of us, of museums. »
“How can we join them, change the perception that people have of museums, while respecting our imperatives? How can we move from vertical to horizontal, be less elitist and more inscribed in the city? It is with gestures like this that we want to start doing it, ”continued Mr.me meer.
“The challenge for us is financial. We can’t sustain that for very long, maybe two or three days. But there, the gesture for the community was definitely a priority. »
Visiting, circulating and moving the work in progress, specific to the museum experience, also meant that this reception “in case of emergency” did not create any unusual problems. “We don’t have the spaces and the seats, like in the library, where people can settle down and stay, analyzed Mme meer. Because of the necessary protection of the works, we cannot bring anything to eat in our rooms, not even a gourd of water; so no, it’s not dirtier than usual. »
On Thursday, the museum had called in additional mediators to offer additional activities to young visitors whose schools were closed due to the storm. On Friday, the director “didn’t have enough staff to do it again.” Flexibility, a speed of reaction were therefore requested from the employees. “I have a few who have come to me to tell me how proud they are that their museum is doing this. »
Will the effects of climate change and the extreme weather events it will cause force libraries and museums to transform themselves more regularly into welcoming places? Theaters, which sometimes have beautiful welcoming cafes, but rarely teams accustomed to providing continuous reception outside performance periods, should they open their doors in such circumstances? So many questions that require reflection.
At the time these lines were written, the City of Montreal had not answered the questions of the Duty overcrowding in its libraries during last week’s power outages.