Abstract
Increasing and persistent social divisions are a global challenge that threaten the stability of our societies and soundness of our democracies. Public libraries can potentially play an ameliorative role in reducing these divisions. Qualitative data analysis of Oslo’s public library system’s (Deichman) programming and events is used to understand how libraries are addressing social divisions in their communities. The findings suggest that a variety of events organized by Deichman directly contribute to overcoming social divisions, especially those related to economic inequalities, sociocultural factors, and the unequal access to digital technologies. Deichman also appears to contribute to overcoming social divisions indirectly through its programing and events related to more traditional library services. The study concludes that Deichman may be a significant player in addressing social divisions. Lastly, the study provides important insights into the role of libraries as social arenas and their ability to foster community resilience, tolerance, and democracy.
Acknowledgment
This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Numbers JP20H04479, JP21J10661.
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Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Best Student Research Paper Award
- Judaica Librarianship: Back to the Future
- What’s the News About Bad News? A Review of Bad News Games as a Tool to Teach Media Literacy
- Memes to an End: Why Internet Memes Matter to Information Research
- Articles
- Information Scientists’ Motivations for Research Data Sharing and Reuse
- Elucidating the Adoption of Electronic Information Resources: A Case Study of Kuwait University Library
- Julius Petzholdt and the North American Library World: Transatlantic Circulation of Bibliothecal Knowledge in the Nineteenth Century
- Public Library Programming and Events for Overcoming Social Divisions
- Effect of Information Literacy on Academic Performance of Business Students in Pakistan
- Announcement
- Libri Best Student Research Paper Award 2024