Le collezioni come occasione di “conversazione” con la comunità

Abstract

The dossier “Innovative Libraries” presents a review of the experiences of libraries that have in common the search for solutions aimed at redefining their role, with particular attention to the social dimension and new paths of access to knowledge. From a library experience conceived as a community hub, we move on to examine a case of involvement of local businesses in a cultural welfare perspective. The case of Turin is original. Here libraries offer to citizens hospitality in their offices to meet with professionals (accountants, notaries, etc.) to obtain advice, while in Rome and Milan there is a growing commitment to the prison population. The case of proximity libraries and condominium libraries is unique, while the promotion of active citizenship and the practice of listening is growing. Innovating also means transferring skills to students that enable them to operate in a Wikimedian environment or use the collections as an opportunity for conversation with the community. Innovation for academic libraries also passes through their ability to present themselves as digital and participatory thanks to the opportunities offered by the Third Mission and the opportunities offered to academic libraries to respond to the strong drives towards open science. Finally in a short article is described the new alliance between a public library and a library for patients of an oncology institute.