Democracy as a contested concept in public library research: an overview

Abstract

This study presents an overview of the research literature concerning public libraries and democracy. It describes and discusses the historical contributions of public libraries to democracy, where libraries in the 20th century primarily aimed to ensure free access to information, and later evolved into playing a role in educating democratic citizens. After the turn of the century, the understanding of democracy within the public library field has broadened significantly, and research highlights various ways in which public libraries can support democracy. Many studies advocate for the continued relevance of public libraries in society, but scholars focus on different interpretations of democracy. As the scholarly literature on public libraries has expanded, the tensions within the literature have increased. By connecting discussions of democracy in philosophy and the social sciences to the literature on public libraries and democracy, we bring forth the current tensions in research on public libraries and democracy.