There are many intersections between public and community college libraries, both in the populations they serve and their functions within their local communities. Both types of libraries play a crucial role in supporting the diverse needs of their communities, serving as hubs for education, information, and essential services.
Maximizing partnerships between public and community college libraries therefore presents a significant opportunity, suggests this report from Ithaka S+R. Overall, both types of libraries have strengths in the representation of basic needs services but also exhibit potential gaps in service promotion and provision. While public libraries are particularly strong in community outreach and broad service offerings, community college libraries excel in targeted support for students through career and academic resources. As crucial hubs for education and information, both library types can utilize information on their basic needs gaps to better serve their communities, especially as the pandemic worsened basic needs insecurity for students and community members alike.