A New Heart:

Investigating stakeholder perceptions of the role and impact of Canada Water Library in community regeneration

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to ask questions about the intentions of stakeholders in putting Canada Water Library (CWL) at the heart of a large regeneration scheme. It asks to what extent the library has achieved placemaking and community revitalization aims for stakeholders including local government budget holders and decision makers, library users and key opinion makers in the community through both the capital project and subsequent programming of events and library use. A case study was conducted which involved gathering qualitative data from a series of eight interviews with key stakeholders identified and examining quantitative and qualitative data from secondary data about CWL and the regeneration project. The findings from the data analysis show that CWL has overwhelmingly met stakeholder aims. All stakeholders expressed positive views about the contribution CWL had made to placemaking and community building over a variety of themes that emerged. This has been evidenced from secondary data. Some key areas that were examined include iconic architecture, library programming, user participation, social capital, libraries as low-intensive meeting places, partnerships and libraries as identity creators. Overall the evidence suggests that in CWL stakeholders were satisfied with CWL’s contribution to placemaking and community building. It also suggests that the relationship between libraries in culture-led regeneration and community-making is a compelling one

Date of Award	2013
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Aberystwyth University