New study: The impact of public libraries in Denmark
A haven in our community
An overwhelming majority of Danes use their public library at one point in their lives, but until now information about their use has been based on questions like “How many check-outs did the library have?” or “”How many participants did the event have?”.
In this new study, Roskilde Libraries has placed the user in the center and asks them questions like “What impact did the checked out materials have on the user?” and “What impact did the participation in the event have on the user?”.
‘The Impact of Public Libraries in Denmark (2021)’ is asking about the impact a visit to the library, a participation in an event or a talk with a librarian has on the user. The purpose of the study is to create a nuanced debate about the role of the public library and it’s significance now and in the future.
We hope that this study will be read and seen as an invite to go beyond the statistics, so we can have a new and more engaging conversation about the importance of the public libraries to the citizens - now we have a more empirically valid basis.
See the study 'The Impact of Public Libraries in Denmark (2021)' in the link below.
Enjoy!
About the study
‘The Impact of Public Libraries in Denmark (2021)’ is initiated by Roskilde Central Library and Seismonaut.
The ambition is to go beyond the statistics and gain a deeper understanding of the different ways the public libraries affect the citizens.
The study rests on three overarching methodological approaches:
- an analytical framework for the impact of public libraries
- out a quantitative questionnaire survey
- qualitative interviews and observations at selected libraries
