Where's the value? The worth of public libraries: A systematic review of findings, methods and research gaps

The public library as public sphere: a longitudinal analysis

“…Library and Information Science (LIS) researchers readily acknowledge the commonly held view of public libraries as publicly accessible buildings that house collections of print material (e.g., Campbell, 2013, p. 8), where members of the community may develop literacy and learning (e.g., Brophy, 2001, p. 14;Foster and Ford, 2003;Rice, McCreadie and Change, 2001). These researchers have also long argued that public libraries represent so much more than these epistemic functions for which public libraries are traditionally known (e.g., Hoggart, 1957;Norcup, 1997;Williams, 1966), with multifunctional roles that span many different types of community provision over and above information services (e.g., Sørensen, 2021). Some commentators, such as Chowdhury et al (2008, p. 4) have bemoaned the dangers of the traditional picture of public libraries as 'very limited and unhelpful' because it 'omits the various other activities which take place within a library, as well as the roles played by a library in human life and society in general'.…”

“…and emancipation (e.g., Black, 2000, pp. 3-4;Black and Pepper, 2012, p. 465;Brophy, 2006, p. 3;Sørensen, 2021). The regeneration of communities, for example, is a modern-day function of the public library (Goulding, 2006).…”

“…The regeneration of communities, for example, is a modern-day function of the public library (Goulding, 2006). Key to these functions is social capital, i.e., the resources that individuals access through membership of a network, a theme frequently invoked by LIS researchers with reference to community-focused public library services and their outcomes (e.g., Goulding, 2004;Goulding, 2013;Hillenbrand, 2005;Johnson, 2010;Johnson, 2012;Kranich, 2001;Sørensen, 2021). Vårheim (2007), for example, has identified that social network building for community development and the promotion of citizenship can be prompted by the face-to-face meetings and activities organised by public library services.…”

“…Similarly, Johnston and Audunson (2019) argue that public libraries provide valuable spaces in which immigrants' political and social integration into local communities can be facilitated and supported. Social capital is generated within public libraries because they are spaces in which neighbours, friends, and strangers engage with one another (e.g., Sørensen, 2021), often in an unplanned manner, leading to the creation of new social networks (Aabø et al, 2010, p. 25). Communities that have good social capital, it has been argued, offer levels of social engagement, with characteristics that include citizenship and civic participation (Goulding, 2004, p. 3).…”

Why Service Design Matters: The Case of National Library of Latvia

“…Public libraries are cultural institutions that are highly dependent on public funding and thereby they need to be transparent in demonstrating the impact and value they represent in societies, both to strengthen their position and to influence policies and financial decisions (Sørensen, 2020). Recently, these institutions have risen to the challenges born from ongoing social, digital and economic changes and library statistics (EBLIDA, 2013, Department for Culture, Media and Sport 2015 show that the ability of organizations to adapt to these new conditions varies from country to country (European Parliament, 2016).…”