Reading Libraries: A Study of Boston through the Codman Square and Honan-Allston Library Branches

Dublin Core

Title

Reading Libraries: A Study of Boston through the Codman Square and Honan-Allston Library Branches

Description

This paper presents a study of the City of Boston through two of its library branches. Insofar as ordinary people comprise the constituency of libraries, the premise of my research is that studying libraries and how they are utilized is a way of understanding local communities. This is a particularly fitting approach for studying Boston, a city that prides itself on its academic reputation and its rich library history. Boston was the home of the first free municipal library in the country, and was subsequently the first library system to establish branches in local neighborhoods. Local libraries have evolved to serve the unique needs of their communities. Whereas the Codman Square Library in Dorchester serves a population that is struggling to overcome poverty and violence, the Honan-Allston Library serves a neighborhood with less material need but more concerns about upcoming development in the area. My personal observations and my interviews with librarians at both the Codman Square and Honan-Allston Libraries lend insight into both the disparity between and the vibrancy of two distinct neighborhoods in Boston.

Creator

Becky Gould

Files

http://dighist.fas.harvard.edu/courses/2015/USW24/files/original/eddbb46c2008c1238d8cf3a763bc3de5.png

Citation

Becky Gould, “Reading Libraries: A Study of Boston through the Codman Square and Honan-Allston Library Branches,” USW24, accessed March 28, 2024, https://usworld24.omeka.fas.harvard.edu/items/show/20.