Revisiting the notion of the public library as a meeting place : challenges to the mission of promoting democracy in times of political turmoil
Carlsson, Hanna ; Hanell, Fredrik and Engström, Lisa LU
(2023)
In Journal of Documentation
79(7).
p.178-195
- Abstract
- Purpose
This article explores how public librarians understand and perform the democratic mission of public libraries in times of political and social turbulence and critically discusses the idea of public libraries as meeting places.
Design/methodology/approach
Five group interviews conducted with public librarians in southern Sweden are analyzed using a typology of four perspectives on democracy.
Findings
Two perspectives on democracy are commonly represented: social-liberal democracy, focusing on libraries as promoters of equality and deliberative democracy, focusing on the library as a place for rational deliberation. Two professional dilemmas in particular present challenges to librarians: how to handle... (More) - Purpose
This article explores how public librarians understand and perform the democratic mission of public libraries in times of political and social turbulence and critically discusses the idea of public libraries as meeting places.
Design/methodology/approach
Five group interviews conducted with public librarians in southern Sweden are analyzed using a typology of four perspectives on democracy.
Findings
Two perspectives on democracy are commonly represented: social-liberal democracy, focusing on libraries as promoters of equality and deliberative democracy, focusing on the library as a place for rational deliberation. Two professional dilemmas in particular present challenges to librarians: how to handle undemocratic voices and how to be a library for all.
Originality/value
The analysis points to a need for rethinking the idea of the meeting place and offers a rare example of an empirically based argument for the benefits of plural agonistics for analyzing and strengthening the democratic role of public libraries.
(Less) - Abstract (Swedish)
- Purpose: This article explores how public librarians understand and perform the democratic mission of public libraries in times of political and social turbulence, and critically discusses the idea of public libraries as meeting places.
Methodology: Five group interviews conducted with public librarians in southern Sweden are analyzed using a typology of four perspectives on democracy.
Findings: Two perspectives on democracy are commonly represented: social-liberal democracy, focusing on libraries as promoters of equality, and deliberative democracy, focusing on the library as a place for rational deliberation. Two professional dilemmas in particular present challenges to librarians: how to handle undemocratic voices, and how to be... (More) - Purpose: This article explores how public librarians understand and perform the democratic mission of public libraries in times of political and social turbulence, and critically discusses the idea of public libraries as meeting places.
Methodology: Five group interviews conducted with public librarians in southern Sweden are analyzed using a typology of four perspectives on democracy.
Findings: Two perspectives on democracy are commonly represented: social-liberal democracy, focusing on libraries as promoters of equality, and deliberative democracy, focusing on the library as a place for rational deliberation. Two professional dilemmas in particular present challenges to librarians: how to handle undemocratic voices, and how to be a library for all.
Originality: The analysis points to a need for rethinking the idea of the meeting place and offers a rare example of an empirically based argument for the benefits of plural agonistics for analyzing and strengthening the democratic role of public libraries.
(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/613d9370-d97a-4b2a-a30d-ff7ed11f819b
- author
- Carlsson, Hanna
; Hanell, Fredrik
and Engström, Lisa
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2023
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Democracy, Plural agonistics, Public libraries
- in
- Journal of Documentation
- volume
- 79
- issue
- 7
- pages
- 178 - 195
- publisher
- Emerald Group Publishing Limited
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85164488898
- ISSN
- 0022-0418
- DOI
- 10.1108/JD-03-2023-0061
- project
- Folkbiblioteken i ett förändrat politiskt landskap – ett demokratiuppdrag för en ny tid?
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 613d9370-d97a-4b2a-a30d-ff7ed11f819b
- date added to LUP
- 2023-07-18 10:30:38
- date last changed
- 2024-02-03 17:31:00
@article{613d9370-d97a-4b2a-a30d-ff7ed11f819b,
abstract = {{Purpose<br/>This article explores how public librarians understand and perform the democratic mission of public libraries in times of political and social turbulence and critically discusses the idea of public libraries as meeting places.<br/><br/>Design/methodology/approach<br/>Five group interviews conducted with public librarians in southern Sweden are analyzed using a typology of four perspectives on democracy.<br/><br/>Findings<br/>Two perspectives on democracy are commonly represented: social-liberal democracy, focusing on libraries as promoters of equality and deliberative democracy, focusing on the library as a place for rational deliberation. Two professional dilemmas in particular present challenges to librarians: how to handle undemocratic voices and how to be a library for all.<br/><br/>Originality/value<br/>The analysis points to a need for rethinking the idea of the meeting place and offers a rare example of an empirically based argument for the benefits of plural agonistics for analyzing and strengthening the democratic role of public libraries.<br/>}},
author = {{Carlsson, Hanna and Hanell, Fredrik and Engström, Lisa}},
issn = {{0022-0418}},
keywords = {{Democracy; Plural agonistics; Public libraries}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{7}},
pages = {{178--195}},
publisher = {{Emerald Group Publishing Limited}},
series = {{Journal of Documentation}},
title = {{Revisiting the notion of the public library as a meeting place : challenges to the mission of promoting democracy in times of political turmoil}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JD-03-2023-0061}},
doi = {{10.1108/JD-03-2023-0061}},
volume = {{79}},
year = {{2023}},
}