ABSTRACT
In several countries, politicians and academics have increasingly emphasized libraries as convivial meeting places and social infrastructure. Contemporary public libraries serve the private, professional and civic requirements of people of all ages and backgrounds simultaneously. An increasing use of open floor plans and mixed-use design is however counterproductive to realizing the library space’s potential for bringing together different people with dissimilar needs. This contribution focus on the socioeconomically disadvantaged and ethnically heterogeneous areas of Stovner and Furuset in East Oslo, Norway, where mixed-use space conversions are used widely to foster “social libraries”. As sound replaces quietness and sociability replaces concentration, the restructured space alienates and deter many in want and need of peace. “Social libraries” impede therefore the social integration they are intended to encourage. Furthermore, the library as a quiet place for wellbeing and education is under threat, in neighbourhoods where these capacities are most needed. The chapter illustrates the huge variety in usage of and experience at the library. The empirical material has been provided through the collaborative fieldwork between two anthropologists and an architect, drawing on long-term participant experience and in-depth conversations with more than one hundred users, staff, middle managers and other locals over several years.
