Motivation for relocation and spatial improvement of relocated public libraries in Japan—An evaluation of the role fulfillment of libraries

Abstract

Japan faces the serious challenge of a decreasing and aging population, impacting the maintenance and upgrade of public libraries. Concurrently, public libraries, crucial social education facilities in Japan, are expected to assume broader societal roles. In response, some Japanese public libraries relocated to address these challenges and new demands. However, there has been limited research focusing on the relocation process and its subsequent evaluation. This paper fills this gap by concentrating on relocated public libraries (RPLs) in Japan during the recent decade (2010–2020), aiming to investigate their relocation motivations and spatial improvement and evaluate their role fulfillment after relocation. By posting questionnaire sheets to 217 target RPLs, we collected 143 valid responses, did a cross-analysis on motivations, spatial changes, and library types, and evaluated improved role fulfillment postrelocation. Results suggest that public libraries are serving multiple roles in their communities, and their role fulfillment after relocation was linked to certain locational and spatial improvements. This research could help upgrade and reorganize public libraries in the future and contribute to the literature by understanding the relocation of public libraries from a dynamic perspective.