Date Approved
5-10-2007
Embargo Period
3-30-2016
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A. in School and Public Librarianship
Department
Special Educational Services/Instruction
College
College of Education
Advisor
Shontz. Marilyn
Subject(s)
Libraries and community--New Jersey; Public libraries--New Jersey
Disciplines
Library and Information Science
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate how one local New Jersey public library contributed to the revitalization efforts of its community by building social networks that benefitted all members of the community. Because the nature of the study dealt with conditions that were social, the qualitative method of research was chosen. A personal interview was used to collect information on how the library built social networks within the community it served by identifying and connecting the library's assets to the community's. The data were compared to a model developed from a previous study, The Engaged Library: Chicago Stories of Community Building (2005), conducted by John Kretzmann and Susan Rans from the Asset-Based Community Development Institute at the Northwestern University in Evanston Illinois. The study concluded that a small public library can contribute to the development efforts of a community if the library takes a holistic, comprehensive approach to its out reach and library service efforts.
Recommended Citation
Snyder, Barbara J., "How the public library contributes to community building: a case study" (2007). Theses and Dissertations. 846.
https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/846
