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Public Libraries in the Smart City pp 1–12Cite as

Introduction: More Than Just a Library

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Abstract

This chapter introduces the key argument of this book, which concerns the role of public libraries within the smart city. We argue that the expansion of the library into other sectors of social and cultural life is connected to the economic development strategies of the cities in which they are built. As we outline, this is becoming particularly apparent in ‘smart city’ visions, made possible by the ubiquity of networked technologies, which numerous cities are adopting to position themselves as efficient, innovative, and liveable. The chapter situates this trend within broader contemporary debates about the library’s social and cultural significance, and provides an outline of the structure of the book.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tampere University, Tampere, Finland

    Dale Leorke

  2. University of Melbourne, Balaclava, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Danielle Wyatt

Authors
  1. Dale Leorke
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  2. Danielle Wyatt
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Cite this chapter

Leorke, D., Wyatt, D. (2019). Introduction: More Than Just a Library. In: Public Libraries in the Smart City. Palgrave Pivot, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2805-3_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2805-3_1

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Pivot, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-13-2804-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-13-2805-3

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

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