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Der Beitrag bezieht die aktuelle schwedische Bibliotheksdebatte auf die europaweit entfachte Diskussion zur Verteidigung und Stärkung der Demokratie. Im Zuge der Kritik an Habermas' Öffentlichkeitskonzept, dessen frühe Version von homogenisierenden Vorstellungen geleitet war, wird nun versucht, demokratische Prozeduren und Repräsentationsweisen ausgehend von divergierenden Überzeugungen (Dissens) und länger anhaltenden Konflikten neu zu fassen. Der demokratiesichernde Auftrag – nicht nur – der schwedischen Bibliotheken zeichnet sich dadurch aus, in Krisen- und Konfliktlagen Informationen und Orientierungswissen bereitzustellen, ein sicherer öffentlicher Raum zu sein und sowohl das Personal als auch die Anwendenden mit Ressourcen auszustatten, die ihnen jederzeit ermöglichen, gesprächsbereit und handlungsfähig zu bleiben. This paper relates the current library debate in Sweden to the ongoing discussion across Europe about defending and strengthening democracy. In the wake of the criticism of Habermas' notion of the 'public sphere', which was guided by homogenising ideas in its early version, this paper now attempts to reconceptualise democratic processes and modes of representation considering divergent views (dissent) and long-term conflicts. Along with other institutions, the Swedish libraries follow the mandate to safeguard democracy by providing information and knowledge for orientation in situations of crisis and conflict, by being safe public spaces and by providing both library personnel and library users with resources that enable them to remain open to discussions and to be capable to always act. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agilität als Möglichkeit, Organisationen erfolgreicher auszurichten, wird auch in Bibliotheken populärer. Oft erfolgt die agile Transformation dabei aber mit einem einseitigen Fokus auf agile Tools, was zu Frustration und Ablehnung bei den Bibliotheksmitarbeiter*innen führen kann. Besteht hingegen auch ein Bewusstsein für agile Prinzipien und Werte sowie die Bereitschaft, das agile Arbeiten empiriebasiert an die Bedürfnisse der Bibliotheksmitarbeiter*innen und Benutzer*innen anzupassen, kann die Transformation gelingen. Dies zeigt der Beitrag anhand von Praxisbeispielen auf der Ebene von Projekten, Teams und der Gesamtorganisation von Bibliotheken auf. Agile management, a promising way of optimising organisational structures, is increasingly used in libraries as well. The focus of agile transformation is, however, mostly dedicated to the use of tools and techniques leading to frustration and resistance on the side of library staff. If, on the other hand, there is an awareness of agile principles and values, and a willingness to adapt these tools to empirically based needs of both library staff and users, agile transformation can succeed. This is illustrated by various examples at the level of projects, teams and the overall organisation of libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the Dokk1 multifunctional library, which has achieved international recognition as an exemplary city library of the future. The first part of the article is devoted to a description of the spatio-temporal configurations and social interactions inside and outside the imposing building situated at the tip of Århus harbour. In the second part, the spatial-sociological perspective applied in the description is transferred to the measures and objectives aimed at promoting democracy, as these have been formulated in the municipal guidelines and other current documents. As user orientation is considered the most important guiding principle for the library staff, the behaviour of both the library users and the staff is interpreted in this article as representative of everyday democratic negotiation. Finally, it explores the question of how far the social togetherness in the library and local democracy in the municipality Århus kommun could be related to each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article "Editorial: Towards a contemporary library - Libraries as a microcosm of a modern relationship between the state and civil society" discusses the relationship between libraries and their users. It is noted that this relationship is often characterized by rule development and enforcement, rather than sufficient user orientation. The concept of the Open Library is given as an example, where users are given more responsibility and therefore less control is required from the staff. Another example concerns the amount of fines for late returns of media, where lower penalties are considered sufficient. It is suggested that an activity monitoring system could be used instead of fines to monitor timely renewals. The article emphasizes the importance of providing electronic resources and additional services such as free book scanners to reduce stress and conflicts. It is also pointed out that a better mutual understanding between library staff and users is necessary. The article suggests that a culture of welcome and open communication can promote changes and improvements in libraries. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the concept of the 'Open Library' with regard to its possibilities and challenges from the perspective of a communication expert. The focus of the article is on the fundamental changes that an 'Open Library' brings with it concerning the relationship between the library and its users. The author illustrates from a practical point of view why these changes represent a challenge, but also a great opportunity, for library staff and explains how library teams can prepare for 'Open Library' in a professional and customer-oriented way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]