Library Development for Urban Society

In this project, the Schlösslesfeld branch of the Ludwigsburg municipal library was converted into a laboratory for new participation processes and innovative programmes in which method sets were developed and tested. The purpose of the project was to find innovative ways to promote participation in public life in both analogue and digital space.

The branch library has been undergoing renovation since 2019 to make the interior design more attractive to visitors. Based on these measures which were financed by the city administration, the project presented various accompanying formats that promote citizen participation. In cooperation with residents, the organisers have developed a new concept for the library that more adequately responds to the needs of the people and organisations in the area following the renovation measures. As part of the process, the participants discussed such matters as interior design, opening hours, accessibility and programme work, and developed feasible solutions. The organisers relied on the networks and expertise of its cooperation partners to reach out to target groups which have seldom used the library in the past, if at all.

The project was embedded in the citywide sustainable urban development concept, in which the library aims to play a mediating role with respect to the increasing digital pervasiveness in the urban community. The organisers will apply the experience gained from the process to the other branches, as well as the main library.

Partners: Dept. of Sustainable Urban Development of the City of Ludwigsburg, Office for Integration and Migration of the City of Ludwigsburg, Dept. of Youth Matters of the City of Ludwigsburg, Förderverein Schlösslesfeldbücherei e.V., and others