Paper presented at: IFLA World Library and Information Congress, 17 – 23 August 2013, Singapore.

1. Public Libraries, the crisis of the
Welfare State and the social
networks:
The Portuguese case
IFLA World Library and Information Congress
79th IFLA General Conference and Assembly
August 18th
2013 | Singapore
Luísa Alvim
J. A. Calixto
University of Évora (Portugal)

2. Portugal
2

3. 4
SUMMARY
1. Introduction
2. Portuguese public libraries network – a 26-year-
old history
2.1 Historical background
2.2 The current challenges of the National Public
Libraries Network
3. The crisis of the welfare state in Portugal
4. Portuguese public libraries on Facebook and the
social role
5. Conclusion and future work
Libraries and social movements:
a force for change
3

4. Public Libraries in Portugal / implementation public service (1)
April 25th
1974
New democratic, political and social paradigm
1982 1st
documents on the public library subject
1985 a proposal for the creation of a national public libraries
network
1986 a working group was appointed to plan the libraries network
to promote a new policy for this sector
1987 The birth of a national policy for public reading: the
investment through programme-contracts between the
Central Administration and the Councils, the participation
of the Central Administration, reached a maximum ceiling
of 50% of the initial investment.
4

5. Public Libraries in Portugal / implementation public service (2)
1997 124 municipalities (45%) supported
The Program of the National Network of Public Libraries
progressively grew and became a reference within the
national cultural plan, by the number of built/set-
up/requalified libraries, moving Portugal’s situation closer to
that of the other European countries.
2007 The Central Administration stoped signing new programme
contracts with the councils.
There is a sharp decrease in municipal investment in public
libraries.
2013 261 supported councils
inauguration of 194 libraries
and 68 libraries in different project/set-up stages
5

6. the role of the welfare state
crisis
restrict social functions of
the welfare state
austerity policies
6

7. 7
Economic and social retrocession in Portuguese society
the unemployment rate (2013) 17.7%
immigrants (2012) 100 000
the level of poverty and social exclusion (2011) 24.4% (2.6
million people)
Municipal Library Tavira

8. 9
reduce the social exclusion
In a time of economic crisis
and social recession
public libraries can
develop social
initiatives
© Nuno Marçal
8

9. 16
Municipal Library Coimbra
inclusive actions
library senior services
9

10. 10
Municipal Library Miranda do Corvo
Library 2.0 = (documents + people + radical
trust) x participation
10

11. 17
11
Portugal 2013 (March)
Facebook 44.09%
Internet users 86.28%
Facebook users 4 706 960
Municipal Library Arouca

12. Municipal Library Nazaré
online services
social networks
free services
12

13. Municipal Library Torres Novas
Library 2.0
social software
Interactivity
conversation
communication
cooperation
interaction
13

14. The National Network of Public Libraries in Portugal
(last statistical report 2011)
Public libraries 194 (but just 188 responded to the
survey)
participation in social networks
(Facebook and Twitter)
76 public libraries (41%)
May 2013
registered on Facebook 99 public libraries (a research
universe of 301 public libraries)
14

15. Public libraries on Facebook and social
function/May 2013
99 public libraries
15

16. 16
Public Libraries on Facebook
/number of actions-1 month in
2013
1 action 26 libraries
2 actions 12 Libraries
3 actions 4 libraries
Municipal Library Porto

17. Type of
actions
developed
by public
libraries
on
Facebook/
May 2013
17

18. Target audiences of the social actions developed by
public libraries on Facebook/May 2013
18

19. 14
Municipal Library Sever do Vouga
Digital inclusion
19

20. 5
Mobile Library Proença-a-Nova
inclusive actions
© Nuno Marçal
© Nuno Marçal
© Nuno Marçal
20

21. 21
Top of Social Actions Public libraries on
Facebook (May 2013)
contributing to the sense of
community
18%
providing more space, creating library
poles or improving the mobile library
service
13%
being a life-long learning center 11%
Municipal Library Porto

22. 6
libraries
People
© Nuno Marçal
22

23. 12
Municipal Library Rodão
People
People

24. 24Municipal Library Viana do Castelo
inclusive actions

25. Luísa Alvim
mluisa.alvim@gmail.com
luisaalvim@uevora.pt
facebook.com/luisa.alvim
twitter.com/Luisa_Alvim
University of Évora | Portugal
thank you
Municipal LibraryTavira
José A. Calixto
jacalixto2000@gmail.com
University of Évora | Portugal