Domain
Social Sciences
Abstract
Libraries are a form of public infrastructure that guide, protect, and preserve the spirit of community. Established as the guarantor of a peaceful, well-informed society, this research evaluates the library's methods and degree of influence over citizens' feelings of community alongside other social phenomena; looking both within and without existing systems, the researcher posits a model of critical librarianship, acknowledging that current practices reinforce existing structures of inequity and privilege. A methodological investigation is then made into the link between library and community through use of secondary data analysis, concluding that strong library systems positively associate with community cohesion on a county level in Kentucky. It is the intention of this research to illuminate the vision of a public library and its reflection of cultural values, connection to democracy, and relationship to communities through an intersectional lens.
Mentor Name
Dr. James Maples
Mentor Email
Recommended Citation
Rehm, Mora N.
(2023)
"Libraries as Community: Investigating Social Infrastructure and Community Cohesion,"
Kentucky Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship: Vol. 6:
Iss.
1, Article 5.
Available at:
https://encompass.eku.edu/kjus/vol6/iss1/5
Included in
Civic and Community Engagement Commons, Inequality and Stratification Commons, Library and Information Science Commons, Other Sociology Commons, Social Justice Commons, Theory, Knowledge and Science Commons