Physical spaces, emergent practices: how public libraries can take part in them

New kinds of public spaces, open to the wider community and encouraging teamwork and learning, are emerging all over the world. Coworking spaces, fab labs, and living labs are springing up everywhere, while countless local cafés are becoming convivial spaces to study and work, hosting events such as literary meets, conferences, adult learning programmes, and the like. Such initiatives are run openly and transparently for the good of the wider community. The present article, intended as an introduction to this emergent ecosystem of spaces and practices, addresses the question of what role public libraries can play in this new environment.
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