Sociologist Eric Klinenberg, who wrote a book about the summer of 1995 in Chicago where nearly 700 people died from heat, is suggesting that library branches be outfitted to cope with extreme weather. More than that, he’s saying we should actually build more branches for this purpose. He argues that in emergencies people gravitate to places they like and libraries already offer some community resources. See this NYTimes article for a thought-provoking discussion.
Shira S.
