Eric Klinenberg knew he and his audience were on the same page when he spoke Tuesday about the role libraries play in society.

“We live in this moment where a lot of people believe that libraries are creatures of a different area,” he said at a talk in the Landmark Center in St. Paul. About 200 heads nodded sadly, some of them glancing back toward the now-shuttered James J. Hill Reference Library across Rice Park. The nonprofit closed in June due to lack of funding.

Klinenberg was the inaugural speaker for Catalyst Conversations, an annual event sponsored by the Friends of the St. Paul Public Library that brings leaders in the library field together with city leaders to talk about how libraries can help solve the city’s biggest challenges. He wrote “Palaces for the People,” which asserts that social infrastructure, or things that bring communities together, is critical for the health of society.

It’s why, he said, libraries will never be obsolete, even as the iPhone generation finds less and less need for physical books.

“Libraries existed before printed books did,” said Greg Giles, senior director of development of the Friends. “It’s a place where people could get resources and that’s still happening today.” He said Klinenberg’s talk affirmed to him that St. Paul is on the right track with its library system.

The modern library in St. Paul does much more than shelve books, he said. It offers English classes, has a social worker on hand, brings authors and readers together, provides homework help, computer help, classes and more.

Giles challenged those who think libraries sit empty and waste public funds to visit the Rondo Community Library on Wednesdays when school lets out.

“You will see 100 kids in the homework center learning together, getting help, getting a snack,” he said. “I dare you to walk out of there thinking the library doesn’t matter.”

Mayor Melvin Carter, a former trustee on the Friends board, joined the conversation Tuesday. After plugging recent changes, such as eliminating library fines, he asked what more could St. Paul do.

“We live in this funny moment where people who are fans of the libraries celebrate it, think of it as a home away from home, a palace for themselves, but there still are in several cities lots of people who think the library is outmoded and unnecessary,” Klinenberg said. “How do we get people who aren’t already walking into the door of the library, to come in?”

He challenged Carter to make the library more accessible, by having it open on Sundays and stay open later during the week and keep getting the word out, possibly through marquee events that draw people in.

Beth Burns, president of the Friends, is up for the challenge.

“It’s part of our responsibility to help people move past the antiquated idea of libraries and understand how vibrant they really are,” she said. She and the staff put up an idea board at the event to gather ideas from attendees.

“Introduce programs specific to loneliness,” one note read. “Let’s get all branches open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week,” said another. One note, written by someone who understood Klinenberg’s challenge to connect with others, simply read, “How can I help?”