The Idea Store: Judith St John at TEDxEastEnd
The speaker argues that 'idea stores' are the future for public libraries because they focus on understanding community context through direct conversation, leading to spaces that feel like they belong to the people. She shows this model's success by recalling how the Tower Hamlets service, which once had poor service, adapted by prioritizing user experience and community feeling over traditional structures. Finally, she urges listeners to assess their own endeavors by speaking directly with the people they serve to ensure future relevance. ## Speakers & Context - Speaker: Unnamed speaker (identifies herself as Judith). - Context: Speaking on home turf about 'idea stores' for public libraries. - Location/Experience: Lived and worked in East London for "20-some years," observing local changes. ## Theses & Positions - Idea stores represent the future model for public libraries and are important more widely. - The core of their approach is understanding the *context* within which they operate. - A successful library service must fulfill the need for a place where people want to go "in the normal course of Our Lives." - Libraries must create a space that makes people "feel good about themselves," rather than forcing them to "beg for the information." - The concept of ownership is critical: a space must "belong to us," regardless of whether it is a public library, school, or sports club. - Effective service requires communicating the inherent *passion* behind the mission, through physical experience. - For public services to survive, they must constantly prove their relevance to the community and adapt to local needs. ## Concepts & Definitions - **Idea Store:** A model for libraries and public services that focuses on integrating learning, information, and community activity into a highly accessible, integrated physical space. - **Canary Wharf:** A rapidly developing commercial area in East London, recognized as a "catalytic" area in the local development context. - **Social Cohesion:** The goal of creating spaces that allow people to gather and "create the things that they need in their lives." ## Mechanisms & Processes - **Community Needs Assessment:** Spent two years having "conversations with local people" to understand their aspirations regarding public libraries. - **Development Strategy:** Did not start by proposing a radical idea, but by listening to what the community said, which led to the realization that services must be accessible during normal daily routines. - **Funding Mechanism:** Utilized a challenge model: raising funds (£1) to secure matching investment (£2) from partners. - **Customer Interaction Focus:** Mimicked the positive aspects of "retail areas," ensuring the experience evoked a sense of love and human connection. ## Timeline & Sequence - Period of investigation: Before the Millennium, specifically referencing **1998-1999** in Tower Hamlets. - Initial Challenge: Tower Hamlets had one of the "worst Library service in London," with **32 London boroughs** involved (including the city). - Initial Work Phase: Spent **two years** having conversations with diverse groups (schools, community centers, older people, business sector). - Future Outlook: Six months from speaking, a new idea store was scheduled to open in **Watney Market**, one of East London's most deprived areas. ## Named Entities - **Tower Hamlets:** Specific borough in London mentioned as having had a historically poor library service. - **Stratford Circus:** Current location of the idea store, cited as a positive example of a place feeling like it belongs to the community. - **Watney Market:** Location cited for the future idea store, described as one of the most deprived areas of East London. ## Numbers & Data - Number of years of conversation: **Two years**. - Historical deficit concern: **32** London boroughs listed. - Funding structure: **£1 raised matched with £2**. ## Examples & Cases - **The poor library service in Tower Hamlets:** Referenced as a case study of service failure that required intervention. - **The Canary Wharf recognition:** Identified as a "catalytic" development area signaling change in East London. - **The pet-hate interaction:** Anecdote of visiting another library where the staff member failed to assist due to an un-working computer, causing the speaker significant frustration. - **The successful interaction:** The speaker's aim is to encounter people from "all walks of life" who can have "a really good human interaction." ## Counterarguments & Caveats - The approach of "not to do anything before we spoke to people" was initially described as "not particularly revolutionary." - Some people initially disliked the name "idea store," requiring the speaker to actively "communicate that passion." ## Conclusions & Recommendations - The primary recommendation is that every professional or volunteer must critically assess if their current work is aligned with what the people they serve *actually* need for their future success. - The ultimate goal is "creating excellent Library services that have relevance to people in the future future." - The call to action is to go back to one's own field and ask if the work is what will "take you forward." ## Implications & Consequences - Without proactive community engagement and relevance, public services risk becoming obsolete or being dismantled by decision-makers who view them as "easy target[s]." - The value of the idea store model is its proven ability to foster social cohesion through shared, desirable physical experiences. ## Verbatim Moments - *"I have seen those changes I have seen the things that have impacted on people's lives."* - *"what it wasn't particularly revolutionary although now when I look back at it it probably was."* - *"we want to go to places that are where we go in the normal course of Our Lives."* - *"we want a place that makes us feel good about ourselves."* - *"it needs to belong to us."* - *"I really hate going into a place and seeing somebody who's not paying attention because I've come there for a reason."* - *"I'm going to take you on a little journey with me back a few years."* - *"What's that all about? Library learning information what more could you want for us."* - *"I think we have to be careful here because not every library is a good library and what we actually want to be doing... is communicating with people creating spaces of social cohesion."* - *"I think that we won't have public services libraries whatever you might want to call them which are fit for the future."*