A study of seventeen large public-library systems found that branch closures had effects extending beyond reduced reading. In affected neighborhoods, summer-program enrollment dropped, voter-registration rates declined, and free internet access became scarcer for households without home connections. The library, the authors argue, functions less as a single service than as a node connecting many community functions.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
- A
Voter registration depends on internet access.
- B
Branch closures are bad because they reduce reading.
- C
Public libraries should be privatized.
- Dcheck_circle
The study suggests that public libraries serve as multifunctional community hubs whose closures have wide-ranging effects.
Explanation
The passage's central claim is the multifunctional role of libraries — B. A is partial; C is incidental; D is unsupported.