Kind of spaces. Theoretical and philosophical considerations above public library's identity

Abstract

The paper describes a research project aimed at analyzing the different kind of phenomena that take place in the physical, digital, conceptual and metaphorical space of the library – as well as the way these phenomena are linked together. The idea of the research arose from the controversial debate on public library's identity, ad from the different related theoretical and methodological options. It refers to the work of four non-strictly-LIS authors: Georges Perec, Albert-László Barabási, Gregory Bateson and Edmond Husserl.
The attenuation and substantial crisis of the traditional public library model lead to different and sometimes incompatible points of view. This is the reason why a drastic suspension of judgment (Husserl's “Epoché”) seems necessary until all the phenomena that take place in the library space are observed and analyzed. The research will be structured in three case studies – Biblioteca delle Oblate of Firenze, Ginestra fabbrica della conoscenza of Montevarchi, MMAB of Montelupo – and will use a combination of quantitative, qualitative, and network-science-derived methods.