Q. Many public libraries are facing difficult budget decisions. In two different questions intended to elicit how important the library is as a neighborhood or community activity center, African-american respondents indicated strong support at a level higher than the white respondents. The other half of the sample was asked how often people mentioned the public library as a place that serves as a community center. These findings are consistent with earlier studies about roles of the public libraries as perceived by different racial and ethnic groups, among them George D'Elia and Joey Rodger's Public Opinion about the Roles of the Public Library in the Community . In many communities, the library building anchors a downtown or provides an stable base for an economic region.
Libraries are safe and neutral space.
They provide space, support and resources that are particularly valued by minorities. These findings suggest that libraries which continue to cater to a white middle-class while the population base changes are neglecting a powerful political base. It may seem difficult to redirect services to minorities in a Newt Gingerich society opposed to social services and culture. The Benton findings suggest they must. Flint, Michigan, Broward County, Florida and Brooklyn, N.Y. are but three examples of public libraries in which such a strategy has been particularly successful.