Do public libraries help mitigate crime? Evidence from Kansas City, MO - Journal of Cultural Economics

We examine the relationship between public libraries and local crime rates. Previous studies have looked at different factors that could account for changes in crime, but few have focused on cultural institutions as a primary factor. Using crime data from the Crime Open Database and library data from the Public Library Survey, we leverage the geolocation of crimes and libraries and explore the consequences of opening a new public library branch in Kansas City, MO, through utilization of a difference-in-difference strategy. Our results show that public libraries may reduce crime within its nearby proximity; in particular, we find within the nearby proximity of the library; there is a substantial reduction in frequency of burglaries, vandalism, robberies, fraud, and assaults. However, such effects vanish in the distant proximity of the library.