With a decreasing population and aging buildings, some Japanese public libraries relocated and compounded for renewal. However, few studies considered the trends in the dynamic relocation process. Therefore, we conducted a comparative study on 217 relocated public libraries (RPLs), particularly the central and branch libraries in different areas, to investigate the relocation and compounding trends. The results indicated central libraries tended to relocate to commercial zones and compound to commercial or transportation facilities in urban areas. Conversely, branch libraries exhibited joint relocation trends with community centers, tending toward compounds with city halls and schools in residential zones.
