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Population

From Closure to Connection: A Sociological Study of Public Libraries in Rural U.S. Jihyun Shin*, Jihyun Shin,

Public libraries in rural U.S. communities have evolved beyond their traditional lending roles. Notably, many public spaces have emerged as exemplary third places providing essential social and cultural functions within rural communities. Drawing on Oldenburg’s (1989) theory of the “Third Place,” this dissertation explores how rural libraries function as meaningful community spaces within the broader framework of demographic change. In other words, this dissertation investigates how demographic change relates to the closure, maintenance, and extension of rural libraries across three interconnected studies. The first chapter analyzes the relationship between population decline and state-level library closures. The second chapter examines how rural libraries can sustain their services in the community at the sub-county level despite declining populations. The third chapter explores how rural libraries engage with newly emerging immigrant populations. By situating rural libraries within sociological frameworks of demographic change and the theory of third place, this dissertation deepens sociological understanding of how population dynamics shape public spaces, specifically rural libraries in the U.S.