5 benefits of serious leisure for a public library

Public libraries are an ideal place to promote Serious Leisure for several reasons. First of all, in almost all kinds of SL pursuits there are multiple information rich activities. Participants will actively search, collect, organise, share and produce information. So, a public library is a perfect source of authoritative information usually having good collections of print and electronic resources to meet their clients’ interests. Secondly, public libraries are terrific social hubs and can provide people with the facilities to promote SL pursuits. Thirdly, library staff provide expert knowledge on the information resources for SL activities. Finally, if public libraries promote SL activities, it will create at least the following five benefits:
• Serious Leisure creates social ties and increases social inclusion
• Serious Leisure makes the library environment more engaging and inviting
• Serious Leisure creates communities of interest and Information Grounds
• Serious Leisure builds novel identities and new life styles
• Serious Leisure enriches the library collection and library events