Public libraries are shifting from book-centered institutions into dynamic cultural platforms that support diverse content, creativity, and participation. This presentation examines how public libraries can expand their services by integrating contemporary art practices, using the VN Gallery within Zagreb City Libraries as a case study.
For more than five decades, the VN Gallery has operated as a hybrid space – a reading room and a venue for exhibitions, installations, performances, and community-based art projects. The study demonstrates that libraries can successfully host experimental, process-oriented and postconceptual art, engaging users through multisensory and participatory approaches. By providing free and continuous access to contemporary art, libraries contribute to cultural democratization and audience development while encouraging dialogue between artists and the public. This reinforces their role as spaces for shared experience, where content is not only accessed but co-created, supporting cultural participation and community engagement.
