Public Libraries in the Smart City

Mitigating the Challenges and Capitalizing on Opportunities: A Qualitative Investigation of the Public Library’s Response to an Aging Population

“…Although library programming may have the potential to ease both community and individual challenges associated with aging, and can create spaces where the skill sets, knowledge, and perspectives of older adults are valued and enjoyed, the findings indicate that a barrier to older-adult program development is limited staff capacity and limited financial resources (Griffin, Harvey, Gillett, & Andrews, 2019;Hughes, 2017). Irwin and Silk (2019) and Leorke and Wyatt (2019) draw attention to how public libraries often operate in precarious policy environments where they must continually demonstrate their relevance to funding bodies who potentially hold outdated perceptions of libraries as merely "booklending services". This gap in how libraries contribute to the well-being of their communities and the perceptions of their funders may underlie recent provincial budget cuts to public libraries, such as in Ontario and Alberta 2019.…”

Exploring the Contribution of Advanced Systems in Smart City Development for the Regeneration of Urban Industrial Heritage

“…The concept of smart cities and their pursuit of sustainable development (SD) has garnered significant scholarly attention. Numerous researchers have explored various aspects of smart city design, technology integration, and their implications for urban governance and sustainability [4][5][6][7][8][9]. Xia et al (2022) conducted a study on the integration of a geographic information system (GIS) and building information modeling (BIM) in city digital twin technologies, emphasizing the potential of this integration for sustainable smart city design [4].…”

“…Vardopoulos et al (2023) examined cultureled urban sustainability in smart tourist cities and its connection to the global real estate market, shedding light on the role of culture in shaping sustainable urban development [6]. Leorke and Wyatt (2019) highlighted the significant impact of public libraries as vital community hubs and platforms for knowledge sharing within the context of smart cities [7]. Mohamed et al (2020) investigated sustainable governance approaches in Addis Ababa and its surrounding area, shedding light on the challenges and evolving landscape of urban development in Ethiopia [8].…”

“…As stated, the precise and unified definition of a smart city is currently unavailable, which leads to questions regarding its fundamental characteristics and criteria [4][5][6][7]. To assess the level of "smartness" in a city, it becomes imperative to identify its essential components.…”

“…The concept of a smart city aims to address the challenges faced by modern urban areas through the utilization of new technologies, thereby aligning with the overarching goals of contemporary urbanization. These goals encompass economic sustainability, social well-being, ecological preservation, and efficient resource utilization [7][8][9]. The smart city represents an innovative and transformative approach that leverages digital technologies and communication infrastructure to meet the demands of the 21st century.…”