Public libraries for community building

Public libraries are a suggested strategy to increase community involvement (Sorenson 2021, Samsuddin 2020, Igarashi 2023, Kosciejew 2019, Morgan 2016, Scott 2011) and social capital (Sorenson 2021, Kosciejew 2019, Morgan 2016) among patrons of library resources, gathering spaces, and programming. Additional evidence is needed to confirm effects.

Public libraries may increase community involvement through participation in formal and informal activities and meetings, along with unplanned interactions (Samsuddin 2020, Igarashi 2023), which may increase social inclusion (Sorenson 2021). Public libraries may also encourage patrons to use materials and forms of technology that are new to them (available on-site and often for checkout), such as computers, tablets, and e-readers, which may reduce the digital divide between older and younger users as well as those with lower and higher incomes (Sorenson 2021). Experts suggest that resources and support available in public libraries such as assistance for small businesses, career resources, and access to government and community services, may contribute to community involvement (Scott 2011). Public libraries can provide a natural hub for community partners and local stakeholders to come together to discuss and address community needs (Whiteman 2018). Additional research is needed about how libraries enhance reading, democracy, and culture in a community (Sorenson 2021).

In public libraries, patrons meet and interact across different stages of life and socio-economic status through both formal and informal activities, which may build trust and increase social capital (Sorenson 2021). Public libraries may increase community collaboration by offering free, accessible, universally available meeting spaces and services, information and technological equipment, and supporting literacy skills for all ages (Ferguson 2012). Public libraries may support vulnerable populations, including refugees, by providing information and services that help them adjust to their new community; these efforts may increase trust, social capital, and community involvement (Kosciejew 2019). Public libraries may also be used as cultural spaces to share local Indigenous knowledge such as languages, traditional tools and techniques, and for culture preservation (Samsuddin 2020).

Through community-based partnerships, public libraries may improve access to social services, whether by having social workers located on-site, social services training for library staff members, or linking library patrons to community-based social service partners (Lee 2022d). Additional research is needed about how social services may be offered in libraries, particularly as the compounding social issues of poverty, trauma, and mental health challenges continue to grow (Lee 2022d, Morgan 2016). Experts suggest that partnerships between libraries, public health agencies, health care systems, and policymakers are needed to expand infrastructure, programming, and training to meet the needs of all community members utilizing library services (Morgan 2016). Public libraries may also serve as shelters and resource hubs following natural disasters, coordinating with and leveraging their resources for use by first responders and other emergency services (Ghorbanzadeh 2021, Bishop 2013).

Public libraries are generally perceived as trusted public institutions and are intended to be politically impartial (Ferguson 2012). Recent research has shown no significant relationship between public library usage and political affiliation (Lund 2020). A Tennessee-based study suggests that offering voter registration assistance and election information at libraries may increase civic participation (Herbert 2021).

Public libraries are a suggested strategy to reduce disparities in access to resources, services, and public spaces for community involvement among residents with low incomes, youth, older adults, rural residents, and other vulnerable populations (e.g., veterans, immigrants, refugees, individuals experiencing homelessness, etc.) (Igarashi 2023, Kosciejew 2019, Morgan 2016, Takyi 2023). Public libraries offer materials, resources, and services free of charge, which increases access to information and broadband for patrons with low incomes and can reduce the digital divide between people with higher and lower incomes (Igarashi 2023). Public libraries are a safe, free space for children to go for educational activities such as homework assistance and tutoring or for social activities such as story time, creative programs, and video games (Scott 2011). Youth from disadvantaged backgrounds may experience greater benefits than more advantaged peers (Igarashi 2023, Morgan 2016). However, additional research is needed regarding how public libraries may best meet the resource and information needs of LGBTQ and gender variant youth (Robinson 2016). Creating additional library branches or establishing mobile library branches in communities with larger populations of minoritized residents or residents with low incomes may bring materials and programming directly to underserved neighborhoods (Cheng 2021). Some community members, such as those experiencing homelessness, may seek out public libraries as a safe, climate-controlled place to take refuge from weather (Morgan 2016) and to access resources and connect to social services (Igarashi 2023).

Public libraries are designed to welcome residents from across a community, regardless of race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, age, or gender, which may promote social interactions across groups and bridge cultural gaps (Igarashi 2023, Sorenson 2021). Experts suggest that public libraries may increase social capital within a community, especially among individuals with low incomes, older adults, parents of small children (Sorenson 2021), and individuals with mental health and substance use conditions (Morgan 2016) and may also increase trust in society (Ferguson 2012). Through collaborations with social services providers, public libraries may connect patrons, including rural residents, with critical forms of social, financial, or medical assistance and to partners located on-site or in the community (Lee 2022d, Samsuddin 2020). Public libraries can offer specialized resources, programming, and services for older adults (Igarashi 2023, Lenstra 2020) and veterans, which may include large print materials along with designated spaces to gather as a group or to meet with counselors or on-site social service providers (Roy 2016).

Experts recommend that librarians have backgrounds similar to the community to facilitate relationship building, which may increase trust in public libraries both as institutions of learning and community support (Igarashi 2023).

Following the Revolutionary War (1775-1783), public libraries were established to address the public’s demand for literature and to keep pace with the educational movement spreading across the nation (Kevane 2014). The first tax-supported library was established in the city of Peterborough, New Hampshire in 1833 (DPLA-US Public libraries). The U.S. had more than 3,500 public libraries by 1920, in part through funding provided by industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie’s funding helped establish over 2,500 libraries worldwide (DPLA-US Public libraries). Yet, some communities, particularly in the segregated Southern U.S., rejected Carnegie’s funding based on the assumption that these grants would stipulate admittance regardless of race (Steele 2020a).

State and local racial segregation laws prevented Black individuals from accessing public libraries and many other public facilities well into the 1960s. Segregated libraries were established for Black individuals after the Supreme Court upheld the 1896 Plessy vs. Ferguson decision that “separate but equal” facilities were constitutional; however, these libraries did not receive equal amounts of funding or resources (DPLA-Segregated libraries). Protests over many years influenced three critical events that led to the desegregation of public libraries: the Supreme Court ruling of Brown vs. Board of Education, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (LOC-Brown v. Board, DPLA-Segregated libraries). Although segregated libraries legally ended, many public libraries in formerly redlined, segregated neighborhoods and rural communities still struggle with limited budgets and have fewer resources than public libraries in more affluent areas (Wheeler 2004, Sin 2011).

Founded in 1876, for 150 years the American Library Association (ALA) has championed information access and protected the rights, privacy, and access of patrons, recognizing the right to privacy since 1939 via the Library Bill of Rights (ALA-150, ALA-Privacy). The Library Bill of Rights was further strengthened in 1948 and librarians strongly resisted censorship pressures from Senator Joseph McCarthy during the early Cold War era (Robbins 2001).

Some state and local governments have attempted to reduce public library staff and funding in response to librarians’ refusal to censor and remove materials regarding history, race, gender identity, sexuality, or reproductive health (ALA-State of libraries). In 2023, the ALA reported 695 attempts to censor library materials; most challenges were to books written by or about a person of color or a member of the LGBTQIA+ community (ALA-Book challenges).

• What would equitable funding for public libraries by your state or local government look like? What should policymakers consider when making funding decisions?
• Who uses your public library? How easily accessible are your local libraries for all members of your community? How can your community ensure materials, resources, services, and programming address the needs of those who would benefit the most?
• How can your public library partner with local social workers, policymakers, public health, health care systems, local governments, or academic libraries to offer additional services?
• Does your public library’s activities and programming reflect the voices and interests of all local residents? What efforts are needed to create inclusive environments?

As of 2025, there are over 9,200 public library systems and 17,000 public library buildings nationwide (LTG-IMLS data 2025), offering access to billions of books and providing services to communities, including broadband internet (ALA-Broadband). The number of libraries in a community varies, particularly the distribution between urban and rural areas, while the size of libraries and available resources depends upon funding (Samsuddin 2020).

Public libraries may establish partnerships with local social service agencies and organizations to meet the broader social and mental health needs of their communities. The Chicago Public Library (CPL) System partnered with AMITA Health to develop the Social Worker in the Library Program to address the needs of patrons experiencing homelessness, mental illness, and other challenges (CC-Library). Additional partnerships with local government and the Chicago Department of Public Health established permanent funding for mental health services and programming, available at CPL locations across the city (CPL-Mental health, CDPH Mental Health Centers, Lawndale News-CDPH MHS).

Some public libraries are incorporating knowledge shared by mental health professionals into programming and services for patrons. Public libraries in San Diego are training librarians in mental health first aid to identify mental health-related symptoms and administer de-escalation strategies. In New York City, public libraries’ partnerships with mental health programs are increasing public access to mental health information and support (APA-Stringer 2020). Many libraries also offer naloxone kits for opioid overdose reversal that patrons can take home as one way to address increased substance use in their community (APA-Stringer 2020).

‡ Resources with a focus on equity.

ALA-Community engagement^‡ - Public Library Association, a Division of the American Library Association (ALA). Community engagement & outreach.

MCLS-Extension^‡ - Monroe County Library System (MCLS) Outreach Department. Extension/outreach services: Bringing library resources to under-served members of our community. Rochester Public Library, Rochester, New York.

NYPL-Community resources^‡ - New York Public Library (NYPL). Community resources.

SLNC-Community engagement^‡ - State Library of North Carolina (SLNC). Community engagement: Public relations, outreach, volunteers/friends of the library.

* Journal subscription may be required for access.

ALA-150 - American Library Association (ALA). (2026). 150th anniversary: For our libraries, for 150 years more. Retrieved July 16, 2026.

ALA-Book challenges - American Library Association (ALA). Press release: American Library Association releases preliminary data on 2023 book challenges. 2023.

ALA-Broadband - American Library Association (ALA). Issues & advocacy. Broadband.

ALA-Privacy - American Library Association (ALA). (2025, June 29). Privacy: An interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights. Retrieved July 16, 2026.

ALA-State of libraries - American Library Association (ALA). The state of America’s libraries: Libraries adapt and innovate in the midst of record-breaking censorship challenges. 2023.

APA-Stringer 2020 - Stringer H. Libraries as mental health hubs. America Psychological Association (APA). 2020;51(3):26.

Beloit Public Library - Beloit Public Library (BPL). Health department to have a presence at BPL. Beloit, Wisconsin.

Bishop 2013* - Bishop BW, Veil SR. Public libraries as post-crisis information hubs. Public Library Quarterly. 2013;32(1):33-45.

Blackwell 2000 - Blackwell, A. G., & Colmenar, R. (2000). Community-building: From local wisdom to public policy. Public Health Reports, 115(2-3), 161–166.

CC-Library - Community Commons (CC). Social worker in the library Chicago.

CDPH Mental Health Centers - Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH). (n.d.). CDPH Mental Health Centers. Retrieved August 27, 2025.

Cheng 2021* - Cheng W, Wu J, Moen W, Hong L. Assessing the spatial accessibility and spatial equity of public libraries’ physical locations. Library & Information Science Research. 2021;43(2):101089.

CPL-Mental health - Chicago Public Library (CPL). (2023, December 26). Mental health and social services available at CPL locations. Retrieved August 27, 2025.

DPLA-Segregated libraries - Digital Public Library of America (DPLA). A history of U.S. public libraries. Segregated libraries.

DPLA-US Public libraries - Digital Public Library of America (DPLA). A history of U.S. public libraries.

EveryLibrary - EveryLibrary. Where does public library funding come from?

Ferguson 2012* - Ferguson S. Are public libraries developers of social capital? A review of their contribution and attempts to demonstrate it. Australian Library Journal. 2012;61(1):22-33.

Ghorbanzadeh 2021* - Ghorbanzadeh M, Ozguven EE, Tenney CS, et al. Natural disaster accessibility of small and rural libraries in northwest Florida. Public Library Quarterly. 2021;40(4):310-329.

Hammock 2023* - Hammock A, Pandolfelli G, Samuel T, et al. Understanding how suburban public librarians respond to the health and social needs of communities. Library & Information Science Research. 2023;45(1):101217.

Herbert 2021* - Hebert HS, Lambert FP. Providing voter registration and election information in libraries: A survey of public libraries in Tennessee. Public Library Quarterly. 2021;40(1):33-46.

Hummel 2022 - Hummel, K. (2022). Libraries transforming communities: The movement towards civic hubs. National Civic Review, 111(2).

Igarashi 2023* - Igarashi T, Koizumi M, Widdersheim MM. Overcoming social divisions with the public library. Journal of Documentation. 2023;79(1):52-65.

Kevane 2014 - Kevane M, Sundstrom WA. The development of public libraries in the United States, 1870-1930: A quantitative assessment. Information and Culture. 2014;49(1):117-144.

Kosciejew 2019* - Kosciejew M. Information’s importance for refugees: Information technologies, public libraries, and the current refugee crisis. Library Quarterly. 2019;89(2):79-98.

Lawndale News-CDPH MHS - Lawndale News. (2023, March 30). Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) begins offering mental health services in select libraries. Retrieved August 27, 2025.

Lee 2022d* - Lee S, Bae J, Sharkey CN, et al. Professional social work and public libraries in the United States: A scoping review. Social Work. 2022;67(3):249-265.

Lenstra 2020* - Lenstra N, Oguz F, Duvall CS. Library services to an aging population: A nation-wide study in the United States. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science. 2020;52(3):738-748.

LOC-Brown v. Board - Library of Congress. Exhibitions. Brown v. Board at fifty: “With an even hand.”

LTG-IMLS data 2025 - Library Technology Guides (LTG). (2025, September 2). Increased public library usage shown by IMLS survey data [press release]. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Retrieved July 13, 2026.

Lund 2020 - Lund BD, Hendrickson BL, Walston M. Election voting and public library use in the United States. Evidence Based Library and Information Practice. 2020;15(4):4-15.

Morgan 2016* - Morgan AU, Dupuis R, D’Alonzo B, et al. Beyond books: Public libraries as partners for population health. Health Affairs. 2016;35(11):2030-2036.

Philbin 2019 - Philbin, M. M., Parker, C. M., Flaherty, M. G., & Hirsch, J. S. (2019). Public libraries: A community-level resource to advance population health. Journal of Community Health, 44(1), 192–199.

Public Health Sauk County - Sauk County, Wisconsin. Public Health Sauk County partners with local libraries to create and improve breastfeeding spaces.

Robbins 2001* - Robbins, L. S. (2001). The Overseas Libraries controversy and the freedom to read: U.S. librarians and publishers confront Joseph McCarthy. Libraries & Culture, 36(1), 27–39.

Robinson 2016* - Robinson T. Overcoming social exclusion in public library services to LGBTQ and gender variant youth. Public Library Quarterly. 2016;35(3):161-174.

Roy 2016* - Roy L, Barker M, Hidalgo LL, Rickard FA. Public library services for veterans: Selected brief case studies. Public Library Quarterly. 2016;35(3):222-242.

Samsuddin 2020* - Samsuddin SF, Shaffril HAM, Fauzi A. Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, to the rural libraries we go! - A systematic literature review. Library and Information Science Research. 2020;42(1):100997.

Scott 2011* - Scott R. The role of public libraries in community building. Public Library Quarterly. 2011;30(3):191-227.

Sin 2011* - Sin S-CJ. Neighborhood disparities in access to information resources: Measuring and mapping U.S. public libraries’ funding and service landscapes. Library & Information Science Research. 2011;33(1):41-53.

Sorenson 2021* - Sørensen KM. Where’s the value? The worth of public libraries: A systematic review of findings, methods and research gaps. Library and Information Science Research. 2021;43(1):101067.

Steele 2020a - Steele JE. A history of censorship in the United States. Journal of Intellectual Freedom & Privacy. 2020;5(1).

Takyi 2023* - Takyi S, Antwi RB, Ozguven EE, et al. Measuring spatial accessibility of public libraries using floating catchment area methods: A comparative case study in Calhoun County, Florida. Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives. 2023;22:100944.

Wheeler 2004* - Wheeler M, Johnson-Houston D, Walker BE. A brief history of library service to African Americans. American Libraries. 2004;35(2):42-45.

Whiteman 2018 - Whiteman ED, Dupuis R, Morgan AU, et al. Public libraries as partners for health. Preventing Chronic Disease. 2018;15:170392.

WI DPI-Public libraries - Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (WI DPI). Public libraries.