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
james.maples@eku.edu
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