Libraries as a Means of Human Connection

The narrative’s many references to different aspects of library function are all connected to the author’s, Susan Orlean, central contention that the primary purpose of a library is to facilitate human connection. Both purpose and that connection, Orlean suggests, can be found in everything from the lending of books to the opening of computer-populated workspaces, from the establishment of mobile libraries to the ongoing practice of libraries opening their doors to the homeless.

Orlean deepens this thematic contention with her detailed examination of the centuries-long history of libraries in general, and of the decades-long history Los Angeles Central Library in particular. As part of these examinations, she makes the claim that the idea of fostering human connection is fundamental to the very nature of a library, even if that connection is not necessarily in person. Both anecdote and narration suggest...