Architecture of Belonging: Libraries and Public Health

Authored by: Daniel Jung

Art by: Sophia Liu

A home away from home. Defined as locations outside of work and home, third places serve a critical role in building a community’s economy, connectedness, and civic pride [1]. Whether they’re public locations like parks or commercial locations like gyms, cafes, and barber shops, third places offer relatively affordable, easily accessible avenues to engage in social interaction. With over half of American adults citing societal division and isolation as a significant source of stress, any solutions to solve this fragmentation are vital [2]. Yet, policymakers and researchers still often overlook third places, neglecting a potentially powerful source of community uplift [3]. Today, we’ll examine a standout archetype of a third place, one that effectively engages with a surprisingly wide array of societal issues: the public library. 

The public library’s unique positioning makes it a cornerstone of American communities, rooted in an infrastructure of trust that few other institutions can claim to match. Unlike hospitals or social welfare offices, which can carry a stigma of uncaring bureaucracy, libraries are widely viewed as neutral and safe for the community [4]. This trust is matched by an unparalleled reach: over 95% of the U.S. population lives within a public library service area, and their user base is remarkably diverse [5]. In any given year, two-thirds of Americans without a college degree and half of those with a household income under $30,000 utilize a public library, proving that these spaces are well-utilized by those who need them most [5]. 

As the U.S. continues to underspend on social services compared to other developed nations, spending just 56 cents for every dollar spent on health services, libraries have been forced to evolve into frontline health and social service providers [4]. This evolution is visible in food deserts like Baltimore, where the Virtual Supermarket Project allows residents to order groceries at the library using food stamps [5]. The day to day impact of public libraries is felt in the direct clinical care provided through flu vaccinations and physical assessments, and in the administrative support given to patrons navigating the complexities of the Affordable Care Act [5]. There’s additional evidence pointing to their efficacy specifically with the senior population, as studies of 12,000 participants aged 70-95 years old have found library visits were associated with better cognitive outcomes, health habits, and social well-being [6]. Libraries have even become sanctuaries in times of crisis, with staff in San Francisco and Denver training as social workers to place hundreds of homeless patrons into permanent housing and administer Narcan in opioid overdose scenarios [4]. To cap it off, investment in libraries pays immediate dividends in their normal functions as well: The American Economic Journal found that capital investment increased library visits and children’s attendance at events by 5-15%, on top of improving reading test scores in following years [7].   

Yet despite the overwhelmingly beneficial impact that public libraries convey, they’ve been increasingly deprioritized and underfunded by both local and federal leaders. In 2025, the first federal investigation of public libraries in decades surveyed 16,400 public libraries and found that nearly 40% had a critical function(heating, air conditioning, ventilation) in poor condition, and a staggering 70% had a backlog of deferred maintenance work [8]. To pour salt on the wound, the Trump Administration’s 2026 budget request proposed eliminating the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences, a federal organization that provides grants to libraries nationwide [9]. As public libraries come under fire, it’s imperative that people support them with their votes and dollars, protecting these vital third places and opening a new chapter for U.S. libraries. 

References:

1. Finlay, J., Esposito, M., Kim, M. H., Gomez-Lopez, I., & Clarke, P. (2020). Closure of 'third places'? Exploring potential consequences for collective health and wellbeing. Health & Place, 60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2019.102225

2. American Psychological Association. (2025, November 6). APA poll reveals a nation suffering from stress of societal division, loneliness. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2025/11/nation-suffering-division-loneliness

3. Cattell, V., Dines, N., Gesler, W., & Curtis, S. (2008). Mingling, observing, and lingering: Everyday public spaces and their implications for well-being and social relations. Health & Place, 14(3), 544–561. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2007.10.007

4. Horrigan, J. B. (2015, September 15). Libraries at the crossroads. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2015/09/15/libraries-at-the-crossroads/

5. Philbin, M. M., Parker, C. M., Hirsch, J. S., & Flaherty, M. G. (2019). Public libraries: A community-level resource to advance population health. Journal of Community Health, 44(1), 192–199. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-018-0547-4

6. Htun, H. L., Teshale, A. B., Owen, A. J., et al. (2026). Public library visits and later-life health and well-being: evidence from a longitudinal study of older adults in Australia. Journal of Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-026-02676-5

7. Gilpin, G., Karger, E., & Nencka, P. (2024). The returns to public library investment. American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 16(2), 78–109. https://doi.org/10.1257/pol.20210300

8. LibLime. (2025, December 20). Faltering foundations: Feds find libraries falling apart. https://liblime.com/2025/12/20/faltering-foundations-feds-find-libraries-falling-apart/

9. Candid. (2025). The funding crisis facing America's public libraries. https://candid.org/blogs/todays-funding-crisis-facing-us-public-libraries/