ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book consists of few case studies of building renewal, mainly in the United Kingdom (UK), and covering a range of libraries serving a wide variety of readers and communities. The buildings concerned date from the late Victorian period to the latter half of the twentieth century, notably libraries of the 1970s. The buildings include: a national library; three university libraries; libraries of few public library services, of which two are from the Republic of Ireland and one from Sweden; an independent library. The book provides brief details of a number of other UK and non-UK library refurbishments that have come to the attention of the book's joint authors. It also looks at the need for library building renewal and provides a brief survey of the current library scene.
