About
I have a PhD in sociology from the University of Oslo (2011) and have been employed as a Professor of Library and Information Science at Oslo Metropolitan University since 2019. My main areas of interest are cultural sociology, cultural policy, social theory, public libraries and the sociology of art. I teach and supervise within these areas at all levels (BA, MA, PhD). I am leader of the research group Information, Culture and Society. I teach the course Culture- and Knowledge Policies at the BA-level and the course Institutions Promoting Information and Culture at the MA-level.
Fields of study
Academic disciplines
Library and information science
Subject areas
Sociology of culture Cultural policy Sociological theory Public libraries
Research groups
Research projects
Completed research projects
-
Political Dynamics of the Cultural Sector (POLYCUL)
This project depart from the hypothesis that explanations for developments in cultural policy, and in particular its failure to realize programmatic goals, are found in the dynamics of interest-based politics that at work in the cultural sector.
Publications and research
Scientific publications
Hvenegaard Rasmussen, Casper;
Larsen, Håkon
(2025).
Democracy as a contested concept in public library research: an overview.
Library quarterly.
https://doi.org/10.1086/735800
Larsen, Håkon
(2025).
“The painting is colonial”: cancel culture and a heated media debate in Norway.
Cultural Trends.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09548963.2025.2452526
Yamagishi, Motoko; Koizumi, Masanori;
Larsen, Håkon
(2024).
Evolving legitimacy of the public library in the 21st century.
Journal of Documentation.
https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-02-2024-0028
Colbjørnsen, Terje
;
Larsen, Håkon
;
Tallerås, Kim
; Liguzinski, Maciej
(2024).
Extending the media welfare state: The role of libraries in the Nordic countries.
Jakobsson, Peter; Lindell, Johan; Stiernstedt, Fredrik (Ed.).
The future of the Nordic media model : A digital media welfare state?. p. 299-316.
Nordicom.
https://doi.org/10.48335/9789188855893-14
Berg, Ida Uppstrøm
;
Larsen, Håkon
(2024).
Public art and private wealth: the controversial collaboration between the National Museum in Norway and Fredriksen Family Art Company Ltd.
18 p.
Museum Management and Curatorship.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09647775.2024.2312576
Larsen, Håkon
(2023).
Managing Norwegian public libraries as civil public spheres: recent controversies.
Journal of Documentation.
https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-02-2023-0036
Larsen, Håkon
; Kann-Rasmussen, Nanna; Rydbeck, Kerstin
(2023).
The legitimacy of Scandinavian libraries, archives and museums as public spheres: Views from the professionals.
IFLA Journal.
https://doi.org/10.1177/03400352221147549
Rydbeck, Kerstin; Larsen, Håkon ; Hvenegaard Rasmussen, Casper (2022). Differences and similarities between LAMs, and their pursuit of commons challenges. Hvenegaard Rasmussen, Casper; Rydbeck, Kerstin; Larsen, Håkon (Ed.). Libraries, Archives, and Museums in Transition: Changes, Challenges, and Convergence in a Scandinavian Perspective. Routledge.
Hvenegaard Rasmussen, Casper; Rydbeck, Kerstin; Larsen, Håkon (2022). Introduction: libraries, archives, and museums in transition. Hvenegaard Rasmussen, Casper; Rydbeck, Kerstin; Larsen, Håkon (Ed.). Libraries, Archives, and Museums in Transition: Changes, Challenges, and Convergence in a Scandinavian Perspective. Routledge.
Larsen, Håkon ; Kann-Rasmussen, Nanna; Rivano Eckerdal, Johanna (2022). Contemporary Scandinavian LAMs and legitimacy. Hvenegaard Rasmussen, Casper; Rydbeck, Kerstin; Larsen, Håkon (Ed.). Libraries, Archives, and Museums in Transition: Changes, Challenges, and Convergence in a Scandinavian Perspective. Routledge.
