Cultural entrepreneurship in libraries

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to show how librarians today need to be cultural entrepreneurs in order to create and maintain thriving libraries in the Internet age. Design/methodology/approach – The “creative class” theory developed by Richard Florida (2002) has been widely and rapidly embraced by many policy makers around the world. Findings – Cultural entrepreneurship in libraries is in line with a new and dominant trend seen in many countries in which cities promote themselves as centres of creativity. It is creativity, not the traditional values of trading in goods and services, that is now seen to be the force behind economic growth, especially in metropolitan areas. Growth is mainly determined by the ability to attract creative people, develop a creative atmosphere and build creative clusters. Practical implications – This creativity development and the interest of local authorities in the creative industry are both opportunities for librarians to promote their libraries and demonstrate their ability to act as cultural entrepreneurs. Originality/value – What are possible successful strategies for libraries and which competences do librarians need to be successful cultural entrepreneurs?