The library's new role and its potential in public health work

The purpose of this contribution is to investigate whether newly built and/or expanded libraries from the last 20 years have adopted new ideals about the social role of libraries, and if so, whether this has an impact on visits and use. We know that a number of the new libraries have experienced a marked increase in use and visits, and that several older, more traditional libraries have experienced a decline. What we do not know is which of the new libraries have been developed by using a socially ambitious architecture as a basis. If we investigate this, we can address more concretely what makes a library have more users, and thus a greater role in public health

Research results
Background
Since the 1990s, the role of public libraries has changed. From being places closely linked to the ideal of enlightenment and literacy, the ideas of making them more socially inclusive and socially empowering places have gained traction. We also see a clear change where the library is becoming a more important player in municipalities' downtown development.
These changes are also evident internationally. In particular, the changes are visible when new libraries are built or when existing ones are built on and expanded. Then new features will be added. These functions are concentrated around larger open zones where you can have a wider range of activities than has traditionally been the case. These functions are usually of a more social nature than those that have previously dominated.

Method
This work is based on quantitative data. All public libraries from after 2005 are entered into a database. All the libraries have replaced one that previously existed. Here, the new library, with the old one, is compared on variables such as visits, use, size, and measurable spatial and functional analyses, as well as the library's location in a sociocultural context.


Results
We have 2 hypotheses:
(a) New libraries are characterized by an internal design that provides more space for interaction between users
(b) The difference in the room and function programme of new library buildings explains the strong increase in visits and use.

Implications for prevention and health promotion
The modern socially ambitious libraries represent a much more generous space than the traditional libraries. They have characteristics that indicate that they produce more social sustainability. However, socially active libraries can also have disadvantages, they can alienate users who appreciate peace and quiet.
The challenges ahead will largely be to design new libraries so that new groups and traditional users can share the library.