This session examines the changing role of libraries in the digital age along with their role in the broader public learning continuum. In an era of fiscal austerity, are there new operating models for libraries which could prove more effective at responding to changing civic needs and rapid changes in information technology?

Around the world, there is a broad understanding of the role that strategic investments in transportation play in advancing metropolitan and national economies. In the current context, investments in roads and transit are more important than ever. We need new approaches to how these projects are conceived, funded, and delivered while, at the same time, reinvesting in existing infrastructure.

This presentation focuses on the role that parks and libraries play as contributors to broader urban policy objectives. How do libraries and parks affect and leverage the quality of life, sustainability, and economic growth in the city? In a period of fiscal austerity, what are the appropriate roles for the public sector, the private sector and the scope for partnerships in both the funding and management of these spaces?