Books are what distinguish libraries from other public community spaces

Evidence

Take out the books and it is hard to see what marks these institutions out from other public community spaces or government offices. They would soon lose much of their clientele. For books have one key characteristic that differentiates these users from any of the other groups who meet in library space. Anyone who wishes may join the community of book readers at any point in their lives, and they may equally leave or suspend their membership (a characteristic libraries share with organised religion). — Andrew Pettegree, Arthur der Weduwen, The Library- A Fragile History, 940

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to modern library discourse on ‘third places’ and whether community spaces can survive bookless. — connects to: Random browsing distinguishes libraries from other community spaces — Andrew Pettegree, Arthur der Weduwen, The Library- A Fragile History, 942; Aslam’s nailed-to-the-ceiling library figures cosmopolitanism under threat
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Andrew Pettegree, Arthur der Weduwen, The Library- A Fragile History, 940

Broader Connections

• Random browsing distinguishes libraries from other community spaces #expands (0.75) — Andrew Pettegree, Arthur der Weduwen, The Library- A Fragile History, 942