Wonder vs. Transaction: What Is a Library For?

Place of wonder · service · growth · liberation

Are libraries places of transactional service delivery — or spaces of wonder, liberation, and personal growth? A provocation about purpose, design, and what we owe our communities.

Marie Østergaard – Library Director, Aarhus Public Libraries · Denmark

In conversation with:

Tommi Laitio – Founder, Convivencia Urbana · Former Executive Director of Culture & Leisure, City of Helsinki

Session format

Intro — Framing the question

Expert Chat — 30 min dialogue

Open Discussion — 30 min with participants

Quick Wrap — What do we know for sure?

About Lighthouse Sessions

Organised and hosted by Public Libraries 2030, the Lighthouse Sessions is a series of strategic online conversations for library professionals, exploring where libraries are heading next. Each session brings together leading thinkers and practitioners to examine the questions that matter most: about space, identity, purpose and the evolving social contract between libraries and the communities they serve. 

Curious, open questioning & high-level thinking. These are not webinars, they are conversations designed to provoke and connect. Participation is free and open to library professionals across Europe.