ABSTRACT
This chapter notes some of the drivers for change and in particular examines the role of national and home governments in promoting and assisting the development and improvement of library buildings through policy-making, funding and the work of various agencies. It suggests that whatever the motivation and forces for change there is a cyclical pattern to renewal of individual library buildings. Libraries of all kinds are in a state of transition, as they seek to offer new services, embrace changed social attitudes, adapt to new ways of working and respond to the demand for more agreeable surroundings. Formal government recognition of the poor condition of public library buildings, and the probable cost of making them good, is to be found in a House of Commons report on public libraries. The chapter surveys the current library scene, identifying drivers and influences for the refurbishing and re-planning of libraries.
