Abstract
This paper examines how university libraries and hybrid third spaces contribute to social participation and spatial innovation within the academic environment. Focusing on the University of Ljubljana’s Aškerčeva campus, the study analyzes the role of informal and multifunctional spaces—such as libraries, cafés, and student commons—as key mediators between academic life and urban community. Based on qualitative and quantitative research, including interviews, surveys, and spatial mapping, the findings reveal that these spaces support learning, collaboration, and well-being, but also face spatial and functional limitations. The paper concludes by proposing a transferable model for redesigning university libraries as socially inclusive third spaces, a process now being implemented at the Social Sciences Library in Ljubljana.
Presenters
Domen ŽalacYoung Researcher, Center for Spatial Sociology / Department for Theoretical Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
THIRD SPACES, ACADEMIC LIBRARIES, SOCIAL PARTICIPATION, URBAN INNOVATION, SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
