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Just an observation here. I live in an immigrant neighborhood in St. Paul, MN, and find that every time I walk into the local library it's a God-bless-America moment. The place is full of kids working out the internet on a large bank of computers. There are always a couple English classes underway. There are meeting rooms that are almost constantly booked. The fiction section is nothing to write home about, but you can order any book in the system and get it delivered within a few days. Despite the fiction gap, there is a deep selection of auto repair guides, home handyman titles, books in Spanish and Hmong, etc. There's even heated underground parking, and this in a poor, central-city neighborhood. I guess my point here is that a library can still be pulled off right in some places, and when it is done right in can make a tremendous difference in a community. This library is the social hub of this neighborhood.
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