MIS-"Race & Place"

The MIS I chose is on pg. 32 of "Race & Place" and states, "Like so many other library workers and advocates, I want to believe that the library is unerringly socially progressive, occupying some sacred dimension that sets it apart. above. But the truth is, there is no such vacuum". 

I chose this because although this comment highlights her underlying point of how grim and disadvantaged her community seemed to be, especially in regards to obtaining information, this sort of blanket statement seems to simultaneously contradict what she had previously noted about the "white cathedral library" and other libraries she experienced during her studies. By stating that libraries do not promote social progression, to me it is unclear what she thinks the role of a library is, or should be. Later on, she states "But I am also increasingly dejected by libraries that, intentionally or not, detach themselves from their surrounding communities..." These two statements seem to be opposing, however I could be misinterpreting what she really was trying to portray...maybe she meant just for her own community, not for every single library. It is clear that the community library she grew up with does not foster up-to-date or advanced technologies, and it undoubtedly suffered from social inequities. I think that the community in which the author lived in undoubtedly had struggled with social progression given the lack of material and technology that her library had, however the point of our class is to think that there are libraries that do address this bridging for social capital that can promote social progression.