Stephen Eide wrote an article for City Journal titled A Library without Disorder (2 January 2026).
« Deichman Bjørvika, the main library in Oslo, occupies a prominent site next to the opera house and the Munch Museum. »
« Design and collection quality aside, Deichman Bjørvika differs from downtown libraries in America by its near-total absence of homelessness. I’ve visited a few dozen downtown libraries in midsize and major American cities and have yet to encounter one that did not serve additionally as a daytime homeless shelter. Shelters require clients to vacate dorm space in daytime hours. Clients must find somewhere to go, but most don’t work. So they head to the library. »
« Any American who questions whether libraries should function as daytime homeless shelters is quickly accused of opposing “inclusivity.” Yet the Oslo public library is more inclusive than any American downtown library I know. From its 8 a.m. opening to its 10 p.m. closing, everyone uses it—college students… groups of schoolkids, parents with small children, chess players, retirees, professionals. »
« By contrast, the patron population of a typical American downtown library scarcely reflects its host community. When homeless people take over the space, community members tend to stay away. »
« Library use, even more than transit conditions, offers a meaningful measure of urban health… That such experiences have become so rare in America speaks to our diminished ability to have agreeable things and share them with one another. »
Articles of Interest 