Libraries, Archives, and Museums in Transition

In this anthology, top scholars researching libraries, archives, and museums (LAM) issues in Scandinavia explore pressing issues for contemporary LAMs. In recent decades, relations between libraries, archives, and museums have changed rapidly: collections have been digitized; books, documents, and objects have been mixed in new ways; and LAMs have picked up new tasks in response to external changes. Libraries now host makerspaces and literary workshops, archives fight climate change and support indigenous people, and museums are used as instruments for economic growth and urban planning. At first glance, the described changes may appear as a divergent development, where the LAMs are growing apart. However, this book demonstrates that the present transformation of LAMs is primarily a convergent development. Libraries, Archives, and Museums in Transition will be essential reading for students, scholars, and practitioners seeking to get on top of the LAM literature or the particularities of Scandinavian LAMs.

Casper Hvenegaard Rasmussen is Associate Professor in the Department of Communication, Section for Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums (GLAM) at the University of Copenhagen. His long-term research interest involves library studies and cultural policy studies. Currently his research is focusing on the relations between libraries, archives, and museums. Kerstin Rydbeck is Professor of Information Studies at Uppsala University and holds a doctoral degree in literature. Her research has focused on the sociology of literature - particularly on readers, reading patterns and social reading activities, and on the history of popular education and public libraries. Håkon Larsen is Professor of Library and Information Science at Oslo Metropolitan University. His main areas of interest are cultural sociology, cultural policy studies, and library studies. He has published extensively on the topic of cultural organizations and legitimacy. He holds a PhD in sociology.

1. Introduction: libraries, archives, and museums in transition, Part I: Libraries, Archives, and Museums in Scandinavia: History and Policy, 2. Library history of the Scandinavian countries, 3. The history of archives in Scandinavia, 4. A concise history of museums in Scandinavia, 5. LAMs as objects of knowledge and cultural policy: developing synergies, Part II: LAMs and Collections, 6. Do collections still constitute libraries, archives, and museums?, 7. Curating collections in LAMs, 8. Knowledge organization in LAMs, Part III: Challenges for LAMs in the 21st Century, 9. The impact of digitalization on LAMs, 10. Digital communication in LAMs, 11. Learning, literacy, and education in LAMs, 12. LAMs and the participatory turn, 13. Contemporary Scandinavian LAMs and legitimacy, 14. LAMs and community: deepening connections, 15. LAMs as activists? Dilemmas between neutrality and taking a stand, 16. Pursuing sustainable futures through LAMs, Part IV: Conclusion, 17. Differences and similarities between LAMs, and their pursuit of commons challenges