Universal design as a premise for making public libraries into low-intensive meeting places

Abstract

In the paper “The public library as a meeting-place in a multicultural and digital context”, Professor Ragnar Audunson (2005) emphasized the role of public libraries as low-intensive meeting-places, promoting a variety of values, interests and tolerance. Audunson reflected upon these issues in relation to multicultural societies, and concluded that such arenas are important to promote tolerance and community. This perspective paper applies these reflections as a starting point, and continues the discussion from Audunson’s paper, in the context of people with disabilities. It is argued that universal design is a crucial tool to ensure the library’s role as a low-intensive meeting place, which facilitates convivial encounters that can reduce social exclusion and class distinction.