Purpose -The aim of this paper is to present a model for the public library created by the authors. Design/methodology/approach -The paper is divided into three parts. The first part emphasizes considerations regarding today's focus on both the virtual and the physical library. The second part describes the four-space model, including examples of libraries as illustrations of the different spaces and examples of how the model is being used in the Nordic library-world. The third part pinpoints some critical questions in relation to the model. Findings -The paper shows how the four-space model has been used in different ways in the Nordic countries since it was presented for the first time in a Danish report on public libraries in 2010. Practical implications -The four-space model can be a useful tool in relation to developing, building, designing, arranging and rearranging public libraries. Furthermore the model can be a tool for management and communication in connection with library plans and policy and not least a point of departure for the discussion of the public library's overall role in society. Originality/value -This is the first time that the space model is presented to the library world outside the Nordic countries in a way where examples, usability and limitations are included.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the shaping of public libraries as an infrastructure for a sustainable public sphere through a comprehensive literature review. Design/methodology/approach In order to capture the whole picture of this research field, we utilize comprehensive review methodology. The major research questions are: first, to what extent have research topics regarding libraries as public sphere institutions expanded and diversified? Which theoretical perspectives inform research? Second, which challenges and topics does the research focus upon, such as: social inclusion and equal access to information; digital inequalities; censorship and freedom of expression; and access to places and spaces with a democratic potential and the role of libraries in that respect? Third, what influence has social media exerted on libraries in the context of the expanding digital world? Findings The authors identified mainly four themes regarding the public library and public sphere, such as: the importance of public libraries by using Habermas’s theory; the function of meeting places within the public library and setting those places in the center of the library in order to enhance and encourage democracy; the relationship between social inclusion and public libraries and its functions in current society such as diminishing the digital divide; and the emerging electronic resources and arena of SNS in public libraries and utilizing them to reach citizens. Originality/value Capturing the recent history of this research field through comprehensive review is valuable.

Purpose-The purpose of this article is to present a research project on public libraries in urban development focusing on how libraries contribute to culture-led urban regeneration as icons, placemakers and community vitalization. Design/methodology/approach-The research project is based on case studies of new "cutting-edge" public libraries in Europe and North America. These case studies have been conducted through analysis of documents, observation and qualitative interviews with key informants. Findings-The article finds that new public libraries have re-conceptualized their design, brand and functions as an answer to strategies of culture-led urban regeneration, and at the same time they have actively contributed to urban development by changing the image and identity of urban places, contributing to urban diversity and addressing social and economic problems. Practical implications-The article provides a framework for development of strategies and legitimization for public libraries and a point of departure for the discussion of the library's contribution to urban development. Originality/value-This is the first public presentation of the findings of the results of the research project Public Libraries in Urban Development-Creativity, Innovation and Experience outside the Nordic countries.

The aim of this article is to analyse and discuss the development of performative spaces in public libraries from a cultural policy perspective. First, a framework of three concepts of culture, 1.0-3.0, is used as a tool to analyse the overall development of public libraries. Against this background, we introduce the notion of performative spaces in public libraries by highlighting Nordic examples. The tendency can also be seen on a broader level in European and North American libraries, where a 'performative turn' can be seen as the relationship between the library and its users, especially the younger 'digital natives'. The rationales behind the emergence of performative spaces in public libraries are analysed and discussed: democratisation, empowerment and economic impact. This article concludes that the performative spaces are legitimized by multiple rationales in the same way as cultural policies and cultural institutions are legitimised today.