Australian public libraries and social capital: an exploratory study. This project aims to investigate the role of Australia’s public libraries as creators of social capital. With over 146 million vis

Description

Australian public libraries and social capital: an exploratory study. This project aims to investigate the role of Australia’s public libraries as creators of social capital. With over 146 million visits annually, public libraries are ideally positioned to support stronger trust and social connectedness. The project expects to identify how public libraries can build more resilient communities by increasing social cohesion and reducing isolation. Expected outcomes include identifying the underlying mechanisms associated with creating social capital, and a maturity model to inform the nation’s 1706 public libraries. This should provide significant benefits, such as developing healthy and cohesive communities to help society and government function effectively.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4610 - Library and Information Studies. Lead: Prof Jia Tina Du