Full Picture

Article analysis:

The article "Cultural policy, the public sphere, and public libraries: a comparison of Norwegian, American, and Japanese models" by Widdersheim, Koizumi, and Larsen provides an interesting comparative analysis of cultural policies related to public libraries in Norway, the United States, and Japan. The authors compare the emphasis on physical meeting spaces and literary public spheres in Norway and Japan with the more diffuse cultural policy administration in the US.

Overall, the article presents a well-researched and informative analysis of cultural policies related to public libraries. However, there are some potential biases that should be noted. For example, the authors seem to have a preference for centralized governance structures in Norway and Japan over more diffuse administration in the US. This bias is evident in their description of how centralized governance structures influence how public libraries function in Norway and Japan.

Additionally, while the authors provide evidence for their claims about how public libraries serve as civilizing spaces that perform certain lifeworld functions related to morality, sociality, and politics, they do not explore counterarguments or alternative perspectives on this issue. For example, some scholars might argue that public libraries are not necessarily civilizing spaces but rather reflect existing power relations within society.

Furthermore, while the authors note that cultural policies related to public libraries are subject to cultural-political discourse, they do not provide much evidence or analysis of this discourse. This is a significant gap in their argument because it suggests that they may be overlooking important factors that shape cultural policies related to public libraries.

Finally, it is worth noting that the article does not present both sides equally when comparing different models of cultural policy. While the authors provide detailed descriptions of how cultural policies operate in Norway and Japan, they only offer a brief overview of cultural policy administration in the US. This could be seen as promoting one model over another without providing sufficient evidence or analysis to support this preference.

In conclusion, while "Cultural policy, the public sphere, and public libraries: a comparison of Norwegian, American, and Japanese models" provides valuable insights into how different countries approach cultural policies related to public libraries from an international perspective; it also has some potential biases and gaps that should be considered when evaluating its arguments.