Public Libraries Generate Social Capital
That Can Save Lives
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11.06.2019 by Chris Cyr, Ph.D.
When disaster strikes, libraries are there to help.
In California, where many have been forced from their homes due to forest fires
and power outages, libraries like Folsom Public Library have become a refuge
for people who need to charge devices, use WiFi, or just have a place to go. In
March of 2011, a powerful earthquake triggered enormous tsunami waves in the
TÅhoku region of Japan, killing thousands of people, driving hundreds of
thousands from their homes, and leaving millions without electricity and water
service. In the months after this horrific disaster, as hundreds of government
services, NGOs, and private and international relief agencies struggled to help
communities recover, residents also looked to public libraries for help.
Why is that? Libraries don’t provide food, water,
electricity, or medical services. In many cases, libraries had suffered the
same catastrophic losses as their neighbors; staff had perished or been
injured, buildings completely destroyed or unusable, resources gutted. Why,
then, did people so quickly turn to libraries after a disaster? Because of
social capital.
And while we don’t understand all the mechanics of
how these bridges within a community are built, we do know that they’re an
incredibly powerful part of why people value public libraries.
What is social capital?
The most well-known work on social capital came from
Robert
Putnam in the 1990s in his books Making Democracy Work and Bowling Alone.
In Making Democracy Work, Putnam compares Italian regions with similar
political institutions, but different outcomes in the effectiveness of
government. Putnam argues that the difference is a result of each region’s
unique historical and social context, with some areas having greater levels of
community trust—social capital—than others.
Social capital helps society and government
function correctly. When people trust that others will put similar effort to
themselves into building society, rather than just free riding off others’
effort, they are more likely to put in effort themselves. When people do not
have that trust, they are more likely to look out for their own individual
interest, which can sometimes go against the collective interest.
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How libraries create social capital
Libraries are one of the most tangible
manifestations of civic engagement, a place that represents a social and
community investment in learning and shared culture. In the past decade, there
has been an increase in research on how libraries contribute to social capital
in their communities. In particular, libraries create social capital through a
mechanism known as bridging. This is when people in different subgroups within
a community are brought together. READ
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