The way we access and consume information has been fundamentally changed by the advent of web-based technology and this change has resulted in significant challenges and opportunities for public library systems across the world. Discussions extolling the virtues of Web 2.0 in enabling a ‘borderless library’, accessible to users wherever and whenever they wish, should not ignore the fact that the public library remains a “democratic equalizer….often providing services that people cannot get elsewhere” (Scott, 2011 p.191) and does not eliminate our “need for shared, community-centred spaces to find information and connect with others” (Doherty, 2014).
When I think of all the things we were not supposed to do in the local public library: talk, move around, disturb the other patrons in any way, listen to music, watch AV material, eat, drink coffee, sleep in an armchair till it stops raining, use the WiFi for free ….. the list was endless. Much has changed since then, and libraries are now competing with the ubiquitous coffee providers, bookshop/cafés and digital libraries for their place in the information landscape. Just offering free wireless and the option to consume food and drink (in-store cafés), which worked so well for booksellers, universities and IKEA in luring customers, are not sufficient to shore up the library’s role as a community place deserving of their share of public funding.
In order to embrace both the physical and virtual needs of their patrons, public libraries have to rethink their services and their spaces.
Denmark’s Model Programme for Public Libraries run by the aptly named Agency for Culture and Palaces aims to “inspire more life at the library through more differentiated offers in an optimal environment”. The sheer range of their take on reimagining the public library is inspiring:
- Cross-cutting structural considerations
- Zones and spaces
- Interplay between activities and the library spaces
- The Arrival
- Citizens’ Service at the Library
- The Children’s Zone
- The Cafe
- The Flexible Workshop
- The Library’s Digital Spaces
- The four-space model – by Henrik Jochumsen
- The Common Square
- The Library as an Inspiration Space
- The Learning Space
- The Makerspace
- The Library as a Meeting Space
- The Library as a Performative Space
- Presentation of Material Collection
- Spaces for Older Children and Tweens
- The Stage
- The Study Zone
The 2019 Public Library of the Year award was presented by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) to the Helsinki Central Library Oodi as a shining example of service design thinking. The use of design thinking methods results in solutions developed in response to a specific environment and user-group rather than a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution (Luca & Ulyannikova, 2020). Oodi puts its success down to the fact that the city’s citizens were engaged in the planning phase, the result being a public library that very much reflects the needs of the community.
Resource for further reading:
Klinenberg, E. (2018). Palaces for the people: How social infrastructure can help fight inequality, polarization, and the decline of civic life. Penguin Random House.
References:
Badderley, A. (2015, January 4). Coffee is only the start of the future of our libraries. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jan/04/future-libraries-closure-government-report
Doherty, T. (2014, September 19). Why do we still need public libraries in the digital age? The British Council. Retrieved January 6, 2020 from https://www.britishcouncil.org/voices-magazine/why-still-need-public-libraries-digital-age
Klinenberg, E. (2019, October 24). Libraries are even more important to contemporary community than we thought: And they should be funded accordingly. Literary Hub. Retrieved January 6, 2020 from https://lithub.com/libraries-are-even-more-important-to-contemporary-community-than-we-thought/
Luca, E.J. & Ulyannikova, Y. (2020) Towards a user-centred systematic review service: The transformative power of service design thinking. Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association, 69:3, 357-374, DOI: 10.1080/24750158.2020.1760506
(2011) The role of public libraries in community building. Public Library Quarterly, 30:3, 191-227, DOI: 10.1080/01616846.2011.599283
Hi Lisa,
I enjoyed reading your blog post relating to the Oodi library in Helsinki. I was intrigued by your point that public libraries need to rethink their services and spaces to compete in the digital world. I agree with you and am wondering what this might look like at my local public library in Mill Park, Melbourne. It doesn’t have the size and resources of Oodi so I’m wondering if the services and space could be utilised efficiently through using a setup that can be converted fairly easily from a learning space to a makerspace to a stage, for example. This way a smaller local library can still offer those niche services that other organisations don’t in the limited space available to them.
Jeremy
Hi Lisa, I appreciated your insight into this topic and agree that libraries do need to rethink their spaces and move away from the “traditional” concept of being restrictive with an attached rulebook for patrons. They would be a lot more inviting to their communities if they included designs that included cafes, as well as inspiration/creative spaces as suggested in your post.
Thank you Amy. You might be interested in my latest blog effort too. http://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/poss/2021/01/13/inf506-olj-task-…s-for-the-future/