Race and Place MIS

"But to localize that moment, to act as if as it belonged to that one specific library, would be too simple. Rules that unintentionally compound and redouble social exclusion, economic isolation, and, inevitably, race and class lines abound in libraries. There is no indemnity." Hall, pg. 33.

I think this quote sums up the theme of the entire article. Written by someone who works for the library, you can feel the frustration that the author feels about this harsh reality. Libraries, which are meant to be a beacon of equality and learning, are plagued by race and class problems the same way many other American institutions are. Hall speaks about the shock that her grandmother went into when they visited a library in a more affluent neighborhood, and how even at a young age, she noticed the inequality and discrimination that effected her local library. While Hall does point out that some libraries are making attempts to appeal to the needs and wants of their communities, she also explains how some libraries have material that is so irrelevant to the surrounding community, that books are hardly even taken out. This article, written by a woman who knows the library system, is placing the blame of library inequality on the people who work in the libraries. She asks them to take the responsibility and make libraries a less discriminatory, more equal institution.