Anglo-Danish Library Connections in the Post-War Era: An Illustration of Cultural Aspects of the Transition from Warfare to Welfare Societies in the Years 1945 to 1964

Abstract

Examines connections between the public library movements in Britain and Denmark in the twenty-year period following the Second World War. Focuses on the cultural dimensions of these connections, in terms of both the library and non-library worlds. The long-standing annexation of the Anglo-American library model was matched in the 1950s and 1960s by British admiration for public library developments in Denmark. In matters ranging from public library purpose, library legislation and funding and service standardization, to outreach and extension work, the development of rural and mobile provision and the selection of new media and popular literature, both the exchange of information and face-to-face discussions among librarians from the two countries were of great importance.