Was können Bibliotheken tun? (III)

„This article has provided [statistical] evidence that large social differences in public library use [in the Flemish part of Belgium] remain even when public libraries are nearby, have large collections, and are inexpensive to use. […]
If the analysis presented here does not give cause to excessive optimism, it also raises the question as to how far the demands that are placed on public libraries prove to be realistic. There are certain steps that libraries and library staff can undertake,but they can only do so much. If public libraries want to develop new strategies to achieve their goals of cultural diffusion and democratization, they cannot do this in isolation. Tackling the social inequalities that characterize library use will have to involve close cooperation with other cultural and social institutions. It will also involve improved scientific knowledge of the relationships between public libraries, local communities, and library users.“ [p.202]
[Glorieux, Ignace ; Kuppens, Toon ; Vandebroeck, Dieter / Mind the gap : Societal limits to public library effectiveness. – In: Library & Information Science Research, 29, 2007, pp. 188-208]