Talk at the Libraries Connected seminar dec. 2 2020

1. A library visit is more than a number:
Seeking a new language for the value of libraries
Christian Lauersen
Director of libraries and citizens services
Roskilde Municipality
Twitter: @clauersen
Libraries Connected Semiar Dec. 2. 2020

2. The aim
The design
The first findings

3. Where are we at?

4. How we talk about
things matters
How do we talk about
the value of libraries?

6. New Public Management..

7. .. vs. the bigger picture

8. Library statistics says something about the use of libraries,
but not neccesaily something about the value of libraries
We need a new language for the value of libraries
and what it means to citizens and society

9. The project step by step
• Research question: What does the public library mean to the citizens of Denmark?
• Designing main catagories to investigate
• Designing the Compass of Meaning
• Collecting data: Quantitative and qualitative
• Analysing (here are we now)
• Answering the question: What does the public library mean to the citizens of Denmark
• Releasing the design and method
• Communication / changing the language about the value of libraries
Note: We are not seeking to measure the value of the library. We are seeking insights on the
meaning of the library to the Danish citizens and by that re-shaping the language of the value of the
library

10. The scaffold for a new language
4 dimension of culture:
The emotional: Awakens feelings and thoughts
The intellectual: Creates conversations and reflections
The creative: Inspire and motivates us to create
The social: Self-cultivation/bildung, coherence and
community

11. Collecting data and the Compass of Meaning
• Quantitative survey: Representative sample of 1.509 citizens
• Qualitative survey: Questionary and observation on various libraries
• Participants have assessed their experiences using response
categories from “To a very high degree” to "Not at all". The answers
are then converted to numerical values ​​from 5 - 1
• To every of the 4 dimensions we have added 3 parameters of meaning
to unfold the dimensions into a Compass of Meaning visualizing what
the library means to citizens
• Main library categories: The Collection, Programs, The Library Room,
Guidance from staff (which are reflected in the survey questions)

12. The Compass of Meaning

13. The Compass of Meaning

14. First findings: Overall meaning and value of the public
library to the citizens of Denmark
Next: Meaning and value of the collection, programs,
the library room and guidance from staff

15. The public library as a haven
(emotionel dimension)
The public library is of great importance to the Danes as a haven that allows
for a much-needed break; where one takes time for oneself and experiences
well-being, contemplation and being moved.
Different groups of citizens use this haven differently; for some it is about
calm and concentration while for others it is about being together (with the
children, friends, classmates, other newspaper readers, etc.).
The ability to create a haven is, overall, the library's most important
significance for Danes.

16. The public library stimulates
reflection and critical thinking
(intellectual dimension)
The public library stimulates reflection, learning, acquisition of knowledge
and critical thinking. This significance sharply follows the library's
significance as a haven in the Danes' perception. In a digital age, where the
internet offers a fleeting flow of information and misinformation, the public
library is of great importance to Danes as a place where knowledge,
information is curated and actively made available

17. The public library is a
source for inspiration (creative dimension)
The public library is a source of inspiration that helps to stimulate the
Danes' imagination and creativity. The public library can also help
motivate Danes to try something new and acquire new skills. This
significance ranks high among those who frequently use the library's
collection.

18. The public library supports
stronger communities (social dimension)
The public library promotes communities - both in the direct sense, by being
a place where Danes meet and experience togetherness and belonging with
others, and indirectly by the Danes experiencing the public library as a
common property.
The public library is a place where we learn to take care of the community in
a concrete and materialistic sense by sharing - and taking good care of - the
materials we borrow, the newspaper we read and the facilities we use.

19. Releasing the design

20. Thanks for listening
Christian Lauersen
Director for Libraries and Citizen Services
Roskilde Municipality, Denmark
Mail: cula@roskilde.dk
Twitter: @clauersen
The Library Lab: christianlauersen.net
Library Planet: libraryplanet.net
Instagram: @librarylovestories
To me the library seems to be an institution with a heart.
An institution that wants me the best and
don’t treat me like a product or a customer’
- Man, 39 years old