A podcast celebrating libraries as vital “third places” inspired by the idea of “third spaces.”
Sociologist Ray Oldenburg coined the term “third space” to describe social environments separate from home and work — places where community, conversation, and connection happen naturally. A Third Place riffs on this idea, focusing on libraries as welcoming, vibrant environments that nurture learning, creativity, and belonging.
Created to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the University of Melbourne’s Baillieu Library, this podcast features captivating conversations with Professor Peter McPhee and distinguished University alumni—from the groundbreaking philosopher and author Peter Singer to the dynamic Australian actor Alice Garner—sharing their stories and reflections on the power of these special places.
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A podcast celebrating libraries as vital “third places” inspired by the idea of “third spaces.”
Sociologist Ray Oldenburg coined the term “third space” to describe social environments separate from home and work — places where community, conversation, and connection happen naturally. A Third Place riffs on this idea, focusing on libraries as welcoming, vibrant environments that nurture learning, creativity, and belonging.
Created to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the University of Melbourne’s Baillieu Library, this podcast features captivating conversations with Professor Peter McPhee and distinguished University alumni—from the groundbreaking philosopher and author Peter Singer to the dynamic Australian actor Alice Garner—sharing their stories and reflections on the power of these special places.
Episode Title: Gillian Triggs – Law, justice, and the power of public spaces
A Third Place
16 minutes
1 week ago
Episode Title: Gillian Triggs – Law, justice, and the power of public spaces
In this episode of A Third Place, international human rights leader Gillian Triggs reflects on her student days at the University of Melbourne and the spaces that shaped her path from young law student to President of the Australian Human Rights Commission and now Assistant High Commissioner for Protection at the United Nations. Triggs recalls the Baillieu Library as both an academic lifeline and a social hub, and the lecturers who inspired her to see law not just as rules, but as a tool for justice. She also speaks about the stresses and rewards of public life, the importance of civic and community spaces—from trams to libraries—in fostering empathy, and why encounters in everyday places can transform how we see refugees, migrants, and each other.
A Third Place
A podcast celebrating libraries as vital “third places” inspired by the idea of “third spaces.”
Sociologist Ray Oldenburg coined the term “third space” to describe social environments separate from home and work — places where community, conversation, and connection happen naturally. A Third Place riffs on this idea, focusing on libraries as welcoming, vibrant environments that nurture learning, creativity, and belonging.
Created to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the University of Melbourne’s Baillieu Library, this podcast features captivating conversations with Professor Peter McPhee and distinguished University alumni—from the groundbreaking philosopher and author Peter Singer to the dynamic Australian actor Alice Garner—sharing their stories and reflections on the power of these special places.
