In his book, Klinenberg primarily gives examples of how people benefit from the social infrastructure created in certain places. They very likely have differing political and religious views, support different sports teams, watch different television shows, or read different kinds of book. What happens when people gather in these places? People who are very different from each other come together and become part of a community.

Klinenberg defines social infrastructure as “physical conditions that determine whether social capital develops and whether human relationships and connections are formed.” Simply put, it refers to places or things that bring people together, that help create a community. Libraries aren’t always thought of as “essential services” when municipalities are facing difficult budget years, so having a different way of describing what libraries do as “infrastructure” is very valuable. As I read Klinenberg’s book, I recognized many of the concepts library leaders have for decades struggled to communicate to funders and stakeholders. The concept of public libraries as social infrastructure captured the attention of many people. News of both publications immediately started flowing into my email box and social media feeds. A few months ago, sociologist Eric Klinenberg wrote an opinion piece for the New York Times called “ To Restore Civil Society, Start with the Library” and subsequently published the book Palaces for the People which describes his work around the concept of social infrastructure.

Klinenberg palaces for the people