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How are libraries used as meeting places, and by whom? Through survey data, six categories of places are identified: the library as a -square,‖ as a place for meeting diverse people, as a public sphere, as a place for joint activities with friends and colleagues, a metameeting place, and as a place for virtual meetings. Representative samples of the population in three townships in Oslo, each with a markedly different demographic profile, are surveyed.

The potential role of the public library in the lives of immigrant women is elicited by in depth interviews with nine female immigrants to Norway from Iran, Afghanistan and Kurdistan. Theoretically the research utilizes social capital theory, the concepts of communities of practice and legitimate peripheral participation as well as the concepts of high intensive versus low intensive meeting places. The results indicate that the library that the library plays different roles in the different stages in the respondents' careers as immigrants. It opens up for legitimate peripheral participation where the immigrants move from observing at a distance to more active participation. The library functions as a high intensive as well as a low intensive meeting place and that it seems to contribute in building social capital in a variety of ways. This is a piece of research aiming at eliciting the role of the public library in the lives of immigrant women. The research, which is a part of the PLACE project, 1 is based upon qualitative interviews with nine female immigrants to Norway from Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan. The women were interviewed in their mother tongues, i.e. Farsi, Dari and

Discusses public libraries’ role and value in the age of digital technologies. Reassessments of their role due to technological development and widespread public use of the Internet are analysed. Central challenges of the digital society, including an increased digital divide and a weakening of local community identity, have resulted in lower social participation and involvement in community issues. Previous research has demonstrated that public libraries have a wide social impact on both individuals and local communities. This article focuses on the special characteristics of public libraries to assess their potentially enhanced role and value, as a public room and social and physical meeting place in the digitised age. The article identifies a need to strengthen the public libraries’ democratic role in the information society by furthering social inclusiveness and citizenship.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the shaping of public libraries as an infrastructure for a sustainable public sphere through a comprehensive literature review. Design/methodology/approach In order to capture the whole picture of this research field, we utilize comprehensive review methodology. The major research questions are: first, to what extent have research topics regarding libraries as public sphere institutions expanded and diversified? Which theoretical perspectives inform research? Second, which challenges and topics does the research focus upon, such as: social inclusion and equal access to information; digital inequalities; censorship and freedom of expression; and access to places and spaces with a democratic potential and the role of libraries in that respect? Third, what influence has social media exerted on libraries in the context of the expanding digital world? Findings The authors identified mainly four themes regarding the public library and public sphere, such as: the importance of public libraries by using Habermas’s theory; the function of meeting places within the public library and setting those places in the center of the library in order to enhance and encourage democracy; the relationship between social inclusion and public libraries and its functions in current society such as diminishing the digital divide; and the emerging electronic resources and arena of SNS in public libraries and utilizing them to reach citizens. Originality/value Capturing the recent history of this research field through comprehensive review is valuable.