Agenda

1. Research-project, purpose, point of departure, researchquestions 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 SkotHansen).

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Libraries in Urban Development Research-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 Development Purpose

To examine how the library can contribute to the citys 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 Development Point of departure

Urban development Todays 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 Development Point 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

Among libraries we have studied are:

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 Hjrring
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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

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Catalyst: Idea Stores in London

Libraries as places in urban development Placemaker

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 SHAMIM AKHTAR Snhetta, 2008

Revitalisation of former industrial areas

Revitalisation of city centers

Libraries as places in urban development Placemaker

Salt Lake City Main Library 2003

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Oppenbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam 2007

Libraries as spaces in urban development Public domain and Experiences

Public Domain: The Garage, Malm, 2008 Experiences: The Cerritos Library, CA, 2002
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Libraries as spaces in urban development Single-minded and open-minded urban spaces

Single-minded urban spaces Le Corbusiers Radiant city

Open-minded urban spaces Harbour in Copenhangen SHAMIM AKHTAR French medieval city

Single-minded: Frederiksberg Library. 1935.

Libraries as spaces in urban development Single-minded and open-minded library spaces

Open-minded: Hjrring Library, 2008.

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Relations in urban development Partnerships and hybride cultural arenas

Partnership: Birmingham Library, UK.

Hybride arena: Zentrum fr Information SHAMIM AKHTAR und Bildung, Unna, Germany.

Relations in urban delvelopment Creative entrepreneurs

UrbanOffice: Meetingpoint in Helsinki

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Relations in urban delvelopment Creative entrepreneurs

Danish logo

Swedish logo Concert arranged by Demoteket, Copenhagen.

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Workshop: Strategies for Libraries in Urban Development

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Libraries in Urban Development Approach

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PLACE The 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 citys 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 citys image?

Group B: The library as a placemaker

How can the library as a placemaker contribute to the citys attractiveness?

Group C: The library as a catalyst

How can the library as a catalyst contribute to the citys (or a districts) social and economic regeneration?
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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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