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.

This article argues that the concept of democracy, i.e. a political system that reflects the will of the people either directly or through representatives, is never or very seldom emphasised as an essential value in cultural policy debates or in cultural policy research. Instead the concept of autonomy is often put forward as the principal value when cultural policies are debated. Autonomy is central to many democratic theories and in cultural matters it is often described as the arm's length principle. In this article, I will lean on institutional theories to discuss and explain why democracy in the classical sense never has been put forward as an important value and why autonomy usually is. I will also undertake a critical examination of the autonomy concept, as it has been defined in cultural policy. IntroductionMy purpose in this article is to perform a critical reflection on how democracy as a concept has been used in cultural policy. My argument is that democracy as a concept, meaning a political system that reflects the will of the people either through direct democracy or through representative democracy, is never or very seldom emphasised as the essential value, neither in cultural policy debates nor in cultural policy research. In cultural policy, democracy usually means that people should have the right to experience that which cultural institutions have defined as good art. If the concept of democracy is not widely referred to in cultural policy debate, the concept of autonomy is. Autonomy is an important value in many democratic theories, and it is often described in cultural policy debate as the arm's length principle. It is often argued that autonomy in this sense will best be secured if the institutional settings secure large independence for cultural institutions and artists. It is also described as a mechanism for providing a form of professional and/or artistic autonomy within the policy-making process. I will take an institutional perspective to discuss and explain why democracy in the classical sense never has been put forward as an important value and why autonomy has. This is of course not a new problem; autonomy for the arts and how it can be combined with political aims in the cultural policy field has been discussed for a long time in culture policy research (Vestheim 2009). My aim is to undertake a critical reflection where I will

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the role of public libraries as institutions underpinning a democratic public sphere as reasons legitimizing libraries compared to reasons that are more traditional and the actual use of libraries as public sphere arenas. Design/methodology/approach A survey of representative samples of the adult population in six countries – Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Hungary and Switzerland – was undertaken. Findings Legitimations related to the libraries role as a meeting place and arena for public debate are ranked as the 3 least important out of 12 possible legitimations for upholding a public library service. Libraries are, however, used extensively by the users to access citizenship information and to participate in public sphere relevant meetings. Originality/value Few studies have empirically analyzed the role of libraries in upholding a democratic and sustainable public sphere. This study contributes in filling that gap.

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