Eight notable books about libraries

Edwin B. Maxwell is the Chief Librarian of Brooklyn Public Library (BPL). A New York City native, born and raised in the Bronx, he began his career at BPL and worked his way through every level of the system, now leading public service across BPL’s central library and 60 neighborhood branches. Over nearly two decades, he has expanded access, supported youth programming, and helped shape libraries as spaces for connection, learning, and opportunity. He believes deeply that reading, in all its forms, belongs to everyone, and that libraries are essential community spaces that show up as real pillars in their communities, meeting people’s needs in whatever way is needed.

At Lit Hub Maxwell tagged eight favorite books about libraries, including:

Wayne A. Wiegand, Part of Our Lives

A history of public libraries that shifts the focus from institutions to the people who use them. Wiegand centers everyday readers and how they moved through libraries, what they chose, and why it mattered. It’s a reminder that libraries are not defined solely by what they offer, but by how communities shape, use, and make meaning from them.

Read about the other entries on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue