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“Palaces for the People”: Mapping Public Libraries’ Capacity for Social Connection and Inclusion

“Palaces for the People”: Mapping Public Libraries’ Capacity for Social Connection and Inclusion

December 6, 2022

“Palaces for the People”: Mapping Public Libraries’ Capacity for Social Connection and Inclusion

A new report from researchers at McMaster University’s Department of Health Aging & Society and Western University’s Faculty of Information and Media Studies looks at trends in public library-focused Library and Information Science (LIS) research from 2012 to 2022 with a focus on four questions:

  1. How do public libraries help patrons create or maintain connections in their communities?
  2. What population groups are included in public library research and in what ways are they differently impacted by public library services, materials, and/or spaces?
  3. How are public library virtual programming and services (especially prominent during COVID-19) changing the ways in which patrons engage with public libraries?
  4. In what ways does the Canadian public library research landscape compare or differ from that in European and Australasian countries, and what lessons can we glean from these differences?

Full Report: “Palaces for the People”: Mapping Public Libraries’ Capacity for Social Connection and Inclusion

Executive Summary

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Posted on: December 7, 2022, 6:03 am Category: Uncategorized

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