Libraries are increasingly seen as social infrastructure, places where social life takes place. In our research project, we use the term social infrastructure, by which we want to indicate that the library as an infrastructure is never finished, but is being remade every day. This means that research on the library is never finished either, even if our column on it stops now.

For the past two years, we took turns writing a monthly column in Bibliotheekblad. Sometimes we explicitly addressed key findings on our research project Infrastructuring Libraries in Transformation (ILIT) using the Rotterdam Library as a case study. For example, to highlight the social importance of activities such as a collaborative reading group (2023-5) or the warm room initiative (2023-3). Sometimes we discussed more general trends in library land, such as the rise of the community librarian (2023-2) and library tourism (2024-2). We moved from seemingly trivial topics like cups of coffee (2023-4) and sticker campaigns (2024-5) to urgent discussions about the desired neutrality of libraries (2023-7). It was always about the changing role that the library occupies in society and all the work, materials, policies that are required for that.

Scientific mills sometimes turn slowly; it is a luxury to be able to study the library for three years and compare trends in three different countries. In recent years, we have presented interim findings at conferences, through policy briefs and zines on our website, and, of course, in this column. Scientific publications often take more time, both to write and to get through a peer-review process. Our first joint article has now been published in the Journal of Documentation (Rivano Eckerdal et al., 2024). In it, we study the day-to-day tasks of librarians through the lens of care practices.

In our analysis, we came across three different modes of care in library work: 1) maintaining the library, 2) making connections, and 3) drawing boundaries. In the libraries of Rotterdam, Malmö and Vienna, we saw how staff constantly maintain (or ‘infrastructure’) the library through the caring tasks they perform, remaking the library, as it were, every day. Although it is difficult to quantify and put into words care, it is very valuable for library visitors. In the article, we show that librarians are constantly coming to people's aid, often in relation to technology. In addition to the more practical side of caring for visitors and the library's infrastructure, there is also an essential social side to it, with staff building and supporting communities through the care they convey.

We are currently writing the second academic paper, in which we will dive behind the scenes and explore the policy and political side of the public library. In the meantime, we have also started the final part of the fieldwork, in which we will return to libraries again, but now focus on patrons. So for now, this is a farewell to this column, but certainly not to the library. Our European research project officially ends in May 2025, but Jamea will continue for another year to record our findings in her PhD thesis. Rianne continues to volunteer at her local library and sets her sights on future research opportunities to continue studying the library. Together, we are sure to write a longer article for Bibliotheekblad on ILIT's main research findings. So this is not a farewell, but a heartfelt goodbye!