Cultural roots in crisis: the transformative role of libraries in rural Ukraine

The article examines the value of the physical space of library as a cultural hub for community development, using Ukraine as a case study. The central point is the study of the social and cultural value of the physical space of library at the “beyond-books” level, and its changes amid social turbulence, digitalization, and the war in Ukraine. While providing access to information, a digital library does a great job and even offers new solutions and perspectives; the functions of a cultural hub and socialization space, along with related cultural practices, are lost, along with the disappearance of the physical space of library. Especially in small communities, this leads to significant negative effects (loss of jobs by librarians and other personnel, repurposing or destroying the library’s physical space, the disappearance of certain cultural practices, etc.) and therefore requires a policy change. The analytical approach in this article is supplemented by data from a survey and in-depth interviews with Ukrainian librarians (representatives of rural libraries) conducted by the authors.