Between Collections and Connections: Analyzing Public Library Programs in Terms of Format, Content, and Role and Function

In recent years, the programs offered by Danish public libraries have increased in both number and variety, leading to difficulties defining and assessing such programs in a way that encompasses their complexity. To enrich future research and assessments of public library programs, this article presents an empirically based and textually grounded analytical model. Building on prior work collecting more than 2,500 Facebook events announcing public library programs, this article presents the analysis of these textual data. Inspired by grounded theory coding, the content of the Facebook events is categorized in terms of format, content, and role and function. As a result, an analytical model is developed. In light of the analysis, it is argued that public library programs exist between the library collections and the connections they foster. As such, they are an intriguing part of understanding the role and function of public libraries today.