...Africa S. Hands Purpose Research supports the need for college literacy skills for prospective and new college students. Expanding the literacy landscape to include the information needs of college-bound patrons aligns with the mission and vision of public libraries as lifelong learning...

...Yimei He; Zhenjia Fan Purpose This study addresses the lack of a theoretical framework explaining how public libraries translate digital connectivity into substantive social inclusion, aiming to construct a middle-range theory of this process. Design/methodology/approach Guided by a theory...

... Publishing Limited 2026 Emerald Publishing Limited Licensed re-use rights only Public libraries Librarians Post-structuralism Aporia DEI Universalism Queer theory Qualitative case study Diversity work Velux Fonden VEL67752 Funding: This work was supported by Velux Fonden...

... publication and authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at Link to the terms of the CC BY 4.0 licence . Public libraries Museums Culture wars Far-right Conspiracy theories In recent years, public libraries and museums have increasingly become contested institutions...

...Roger Chabot; Davin L. Helkenberg Purpose The purpose of this case study is to understand the worldviews of Drag Queen Story Time ( DQST ) challengers and supporters as they relate to public libraries. The findings are used to theorize the underlying motivations of the two groups and provide...

...Lindall Elaine Adams Purpose This study aims to investigate how public libraries in disadvantaged South African communities foster social capital. It focuses on the Emfuleni Local Municipality, where poverty and unemployment are widespread. It examines the role of libraries in providing trusted...

...Riie Lotta Solveig Heikkilä Purpose The purpose of this article is to understand how librarians perceive the advent of algorithm-based collection management (ACM), which helps them recognise patrons' loaning patterns, and what threats or possibilities ACM is seen to bring to public libraries...

...Fredrik Hanell Purpose How democracy is understood depends on the theoretical perspective applied. Even so, public library research often takes the concept of democracy for granted. This article explores how democracy is theoretically understood in recent research on public libraries...

... research, as well as practitioners. Sunniva Evjen can be contacted at: suev@oslomet.no 17 03 2025 23 09 2025 25 09 2025 © Emerald Publishing Limited 2025 Emerald Publishing Limited Licensed re-use rights only Libraries Public libraries Decision-making Location...

...Casper Hvenegaard Rasmussen Purpose Freedom can be associated with public libraries in many ways: they are free of charge, provide free access to information and allow users the freedom to engage with them as they wish. However, in a theoretical context, freedom is primarily understood...

... sphere. Design/methodology/approach Current challenges to the public space stemming from digitization are identified, and the potential of public libraries in meeting these challenges is discussed. Findings The major conclusion is that the concept of libraries as low-intensive meeting places...

... on narratives about the public library's role and purpose identified in responses to three of four open questions in the consultation. Findings We found the discourse about public library roles and value constructed within three key themes of collections, space and social and cultural contexts. Ideas about...

...Matthew Kelly Purpose This paper examines epistemic factors shaping collection management in Australian public libraries, focusing on how librarians balance subjective and objective judgments in nonfiction collection development. It highlights the role of knowledge representation and its alignment...

...Anne-Sofie Elbrønd Nissen; Nanna Kann-Rasmussen Purpose This article explores the ranging notions of a public library for all and the related conflicts on for all and the principle of neutrality in Norway and Denmark. Design/methodology/approach A document study of four...

...Espen Eigil Barratt-Due Solum Purpose This article explores how Norwegian public libraries negotiate neutrality and activism in response to national policy implementing the United Nations (UN) goals for sustainable development. Design/methodology/approach Informed by the ongoing academic...

... be contacted at: john.buschman@shu.edu 25 01 2024 12 05 2024 27 05 2024 © Emerald Publishing Limited 2024 Emerald Publishing Limited Licensed re-use rights only Information services Public libraries Librarians Philosophy Politics International politics “You keep...

...Motoko Yamagishi; Masanori Koizumi; Håkon Larsen Purpose The purpose of this research is to comprehensively describe the legitimacy of the public library in the 21st century. Design/methodology/approach The research involved a comprehensive literature review using the Library and Information...

...Johanna Rivano Eckerdal; Lisa Engström; Alexa Färber; Marion Hamm; Jamea Kofi; Friederike Landau-Donnelly; Rianne van Melik Purpose As social infrastructures, public libraries are increasingly recognised as providing more than access to books and information; librarians’ work is importantly...

...Lisa Engström; Hanna Carlsson; Fredrik Hanell Purpose The purpose of the paper is to produce new knowledge about the positions that public libraries both take and are given in the conflicts over politics and identity that play out in contemporary cultural and library policy debates. Using...

...Maciej Liguzinski; Nanna Kann-Rasmussen Purpose The article investigates the institutional setup of e-lending in public libraries in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Our point of departure is that e-lending has necessitated new library collaborations between local, regional and national levels...