Agenda

1. Research-project, purpose, point of departure, research-questions and approach (Henrik Jochumsen).

2. Examples of how the library can contribute to the urban development as a place, as a space and through relations to the surrounding community (Casper Hvenegaard Rasmussen).

3. Introduction to a work-shop concerning how the “next” library can contribute to strategies for urban development (Dorte Skot-Hansen).

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Libraries in Urban DevelopmentResearch-project

The research-project is conducted by The Centre for Cultural Policy Studies at The Royal Danish School of Library and Information Science from 2010-11

The project is funded by The Realdania Fund.

The result will be published in the autumn 2011 (book, international articles etc).

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Libraries in Urban DevelopmentPurpose

To examine how the library can contribute to the city´s visibility and attraction as a creative, innovative experience city and at the same time support the citizens needs for open-minded meeting places, meaningful experiences and creative challenges.

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Libraries in Urban DevelopmentPoint of departure

Urban development•Today’s cities are in a situation of growing global competition and they are to a higher and higher degree planned and designed to attract tourists, inhabitants and businesses.

•A “cultural turn” is happening in the cities where there is a growing trend of re-branding and refurbishing cities through culture in an attempt to revitalize economies.

•As a consequence new strategies for culture-led regeneration are introduced into urban planning.

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Libraries in Urban DevelopmentPoint of departure

Library development• The existence of the physical library have been contested by many

Internet-founded offers but at the same time we are witnessing a renaissance for the physical library as we see new head-line grabbing libraries being built all over the world.

• Among the code words for libraries today are flexibility in space and arrangements, development from collection towards interactive communication of knowledge and culture and a new role as a living room of the local community.

• Today we see a significant focus on the relationship between the public library and the local community which is reflected through partnerships, user-involvement, userdriven innovation, participation in local projects etc.

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Libraries in Urban Development research-questions

•How can the library contribute to cities and urban districts image, attractiveness and identity as part of a strategic urban development?

•How can the library as an urban space support citizens in need of public meeting-places and experiences?

•How can the library contribute to the development of the city's creativity and innovation through new relationships?

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Libraries in Urban Development Approach

Empirical approach•Studies of best practice and cutting edge libraries in the Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Germany, Netherlands, England, USA and Canada

Theoretical approach•Sociology of late-modernity, urban sociology and theories of urban and cultural planning.

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Libraries in Urban Development Approach

Vancouver Public Library

Seattle Public Library

Salt Lake City Public Library

Amstedam Public Library (OBA)

Idea-stores in London

Jubilee Library in Brighton

Library 10 in Helsinki

Dortmund Public Library

The Public Library in Hjørring

Among libraries we have studied are:

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Libraries in Urban Development Approach

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Libraries as places in urban development

Icon and catalyst

Icon: Seattle Public Library Catalyst: Idea Stores in London SHAMIM AKHTAR

Libraries as places in urban developmentPlacemaker

Characteristics of placemakers:

- Active part of urban planning trying to attract people

- Revitalisation of city centres

- Revitalisation of former industrial areas

- Developing new parts of the city The Opera in Oslo

Snøhetta, 2008SHAMIM AKHTAR

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Oppenbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam2007

Libraries as places in urban developmentPlacemaker

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Libraries as spaces in urban development

Public domain and Experiences

Public Domain: The Garage, Malmö, 2008

Experiences: The Cerritos Library, CA, 2002 SHAMIM AKHTAR

Libraries as spaces in urban development

Single-minded and open-minded urban spaces

Single-minded urban spaces Le Corbusiers Radiant city

Open-minded urban spacesHarbour in CopenhangenFrench medieval city

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Libraries as spaces in urban development

Single-minded and open-minded library spaces

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Relations in urban development

Partnerships and hybride cultural arenas

Partnership: Birmingham Library, UK. Hybride arena: Zentrum für Information und Bildung, Unna, Germany. SHAMIM AKHTAR

Relations in urban delvelopment

Creative entrepreneurs

UrbanOffice: Meetingpoint in HelsinkiSHAMIM AKHTAR

Relations in urban delvelopmentCreative entrepreneurs

Swedish logo

Danish logo

Concert arranged by Demoteket, Copenhagen.SHAMIM AKHTAR

Workshop:Strategies for Libraries in Urban

Development

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Libraries in Urban Development Approach

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PLACEThe library’ role in the strategic

development of the city

• How can the “next library” as an icon, a placemaker and a catalyst contribute to the strategic development of the city’s image, attractiveness and regeneration?

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Three themes:

Group A: The library as an icon•How can the library as an icon contribute to the development

of the city’s image?

Group B: The library as a placemaker•How can the library as a placemaker contribute to the city’s

attractiveness?

Group C: The library as a catalyst•How can the library as a catalyst contribute to the city’s (or a

districts) social and economic regeneration? SHAMIM AKHTAR

Process:• Start: The group chooses a chairman• 5 min.: Each member of the group reflects individually on the questions

posed and writes key-words on post-its (as many as you like). • Stick the post-its on the poster• 25 min.: The group discusses the keywords and how they reflect the

question• 15 min.: The group chose three main keywords it sees as relevant in a

formulation a strategic plan for the question – and write them in big letters on the poster

• 3 min.: The chairman shortly presents the keywords in plenum

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