{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,19]],"date-time":"2026-03-19T08:39:23Z","timestamp":1773909563551,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"Emerald","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2019,9,26]],"date-time":"2019-09-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1569456000000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/site-policies"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JD"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2019,9,26]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n<jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Purpose<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The purpose of this paper is to analyze the role of public libraries as institutions underpinning a democratic public sphere as reasons legitimizing libraries compared to reasons that are more traditional and the actual use of libraries as public sphere arenas.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec>\n<jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Design\/methodology\/approach<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>A survey of representative samples of the adult population in six countries \u2013 Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Hungary and Switzerland \u2013 was undertaken.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec>\n<jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Findings<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Legitimations related to the libraries role as a meeting place and arena for public debate are ranked as the 3 least important out of 12 possible legitimations for upholding a public library service. Libraries are, however, used extensively by the users to access citizenship information and to participate in public sphere relevant meetings.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec>\n<jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Originality\/value<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Few studies have empirically analyzed the role of libraries in upholding a democratic and sustainable public sphere. This study contributes in filling that gap.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1108\/jd-02-2019-0015","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2019,8,12]],"date-time":"2019-08-12T08:56:38Z","timestamp":1565600198000},"page":"1396-1415","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":39,"title":["Public libraries as public sphere institutions"],"prefix":"10.1108","volume":"75","author":[{"given":"Ragnar","family":"Audunson","sequence":"first","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Svanhild","family":"Aab\u00f8","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Roger","family":"Blomgren","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Hans-Christoph","family":"Hobohm","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Henrik","family":"Jochumsen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Mahmood","family":"Khosrowjerdi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Rudolf","family":"Mumenthaler","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Karsten","family":"Schuldt","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Casper Hvenegaard","family":"Rasmussen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Kerstin","family":"Rydbeck","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"M\u00e1t\u00e9","family":"T\u00f3th","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Andreas","family":"V\u00e5rheim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]}],"member":"140","reference":[{"issue":"2","key":"key2019100909545013200_ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"138","DOI":"10.1016\/j.lisr.2011.06.002","article-title":"Use of library space & the library as place","volume":"34","year":"2012","journal-title":"Library & Information Science Research"},{"issue":"1","key":"key2019100909545013200_ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"16","DOI":"10.1016\/j.lisr.2009.07.008","article-title":"How do public libraries function as meeting places?","volume":"32","year":"2010","journal-title":"Library & Information Science Research"},{"key":"key2019100909545013200_ref003","unstructured":"Audunson, R. (2001), \u201cFolkebibliotekenes rolle I en digital framtid: Publikums, politikernes og bibliotekarenes bilder\u201d, in Audunson, R. 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