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Cited by 4Library Science and AdministrationLibrary Science and Information LiteracyLibrary Science and Information

The Impact and Value of Public Libraries in the UK: A Systematic Review

Open access
Blanchard, Emily, Fitzjohn, Caitlin, Ho, Ka Ki, McGivern, Hannah·2026·Journal of Librarianship and Information Science
DOI 10.1177/09610006261431330
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Abstract

The Public Libraries Act (1850) marked a turning point in British history, establishing public libraries as we recognise them today. Since its inception, public libraries have remained at the heart of communities, persevering through numerous challenges to meet the diverse needs of their users. To mark the 175th anniversary of the Act, this systematic literature review was commissioned with the aim to compile recent research which demonstrates the value and impact of public libraries in the United Kingdom, whilst also identifying characteristics and deficiencies within the current research landscape. A core search string was developed, translated and applied to six databases, in addition to four sources of grey literature to capture non-academic publications. Analysis of the resulting literature highlighted the prevalence of qualitative, grey literature which centred mostly on the experiences of public libraries in densely-populated areas of England. Overall, six key themes were identified which illustrate the value and impact of public libraries in the UK. Four of these themes aligned with the Universal Library Offers designed by Libraries Connected (Culture and Creativity, Health and Wellbeing, Information and Digital, Books and Reading), whilst two separate themes emerged concerning Economic Value and Impact as well as Library Space and Place. The review findings show that public libraries play a vital role within their communities by providing free access to collections, technology, training and trustworthy information which fosters lifelong learning, entrepreneurship, cultural engagement and active citizenship. Alongside meeting the emotional and social needs of their users, public libraries offer multifunctional hubs which contribute to social justice and economic development, emphasising their continued relevance and resilience. This review manages to capture recent evidence which accurately represents the enduring value and impact of public libraries in the UK, and maps the current research landscape in order to inform future study.

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  • Review-based knowledge synthesis is now well established within library and information science itself.

    “Although the integrative review method has been most fully developed in nursing, health and applied social sciences (Torraco, 2016;Whittemore and Knafl, 2005), review-based knowledge synthesis is now well established within library and information science itself, as recent mapping and systematic reviews of public library scholarship demonstrate (Blanchard et al., 2026;Sørensen, 2021;Vårheim et al.”

    From Public libraries as social infrastructure: An integrative review of community roles (2026) · cites this paper as Blanchard et al., 2026

  • Neither Sørensen (2021) nor Blanchard et al. (2026) asks whether the diverse functions catalogued under 'value' or 'impact' share an underlying institutional logic, and neither steps outside the LIS literature to ask what kind of public institution the library is.

    “Neither asks whether the diverse functions catalogued under 'value' or 'impact' share an underlying institutional logic, and neither steps outside the LIS literature to ask what kind of public institution the library is.”

    From Public libraries as social infrastructure: An integrative review of community roles (2026) · cites this paper as Blanchard et al., 2026

  • Both Sørensen (2021) and Blanchard et al. (2026) remain bounded by the value vocabulary that organises their respective corpora.

    “Both reviews are indispensable, but both remain bounded by the value vocabulary that organises their respective corpora.”

    From Public libraries as social infrastructure: An integrative review of community roles (2026) · cites this paper as Blanchard et al., 2026

  • Information and digital support is one of the key themes through which public library value is expressed in the UK.

    “Blanchard et al. (2026), in a systematic review of public libraries in the UK, identify information and digital support as one of the key themes through which public library value is expressed.”

    From Public libraries as social infrastructure: An integrative review of community roles (2026) · cites this paper as Blanchard et al. (2026)

  • The digital inclusion role of public libraries is not a temporary or narrowly American development.

    “Recent review work confirms that this is not a temporary or narrowly American development.”

    From Public libraries as social infrastructure: An integrative review of community roles (2026) · cites this paper as Blanchard et al. (2026)

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Authors
Blanchard, E., Fitzjohn, C., Ho, K. K., & McGivern, H.
Affiliations
  • University of Cambridge (GB)
  • University of Oxford (GB)
Corresponding author
McGivern, Hannah
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Librarianship and Information Science
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2026-03-26
ISSN
  • 0022-2232 (ISSN-L)
  • 0961-0006
  • 1741-6477
DOI
10.1177/09610006261431330
OpenAlex
W7140534450
Cited by
4
References
60
Citations by year
2026: 4
FWCI
12.71
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Journal of Librarianship and Information Science (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • Apollo (University of Cambridge) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
Funders
  • University of Northampton
  • Durham University
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Library and Information Sciences › Library Science and Administration
  • Social Sciences › Library and Information Sciences › Library Science and Information Literacy
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Information Systems › Library Science and Information
Keywords
public libraries, library impact, library value, lifelong learning, social inclusion, cultural participation, entrepreneurship, social justice, United Kingdom

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