The initiative "Community Library"

The initiative Community Library – Biblioteche di Comunità” (Community Libraries) was launched on February 1, 2018, in Bari, in the presence of Governor Michele Emiliano and the Councilor for Culture and Tourism, Loredana Capone. A total of 111 projects were funded, and in 2019, these projects began to take shape and substance. This initiative represented the largest operation concerning community libraries in the region of Puglia, with the involvement of local administrations, business associations, educational and university institutions, as well as various entities and citizens, including young people. It was coordinated by the Regional Government.

The “Community Library – Biblioteche di Comunità” call for proposals was part of the “Strategia Smart In – Sostegno Memoria Arti Resilienza Territorio e Ingegno” (Smart In Strategy – Support for Memory, Arts, Resilience, Territory, and Ingenuity) and was published on June 15, 2017, under the supervision of the Department of Cultural Industry and Tourism. The primary aim was to ensure that funding was not allocated for restoration alone but was tied to a plan for usage, all within a long-term strategic framework that involved the comprehensive infrastructure development of the cultural system.

Sixty-four percent of the municipalities in Puglia participated in the call for proposals, involving a total of 162 entities, including schools, associations, and one ecclesiastical institution, the Archdiocese of Brindisi-Ostuni. In terms of financial investment, the Region allocated 120 million euros for this initiative, efficiently and swiftly utilizing the funds from the European Funds for Regional Development 2014-2020 (Action 6.7). Specifically, 14 million euros of the original amount were dedicated to the enhancement and revitalization of existing libraries, seen as a place of tradition and identity, contributing to a renewed awareness of the value of reading and transmission of knowledge.

Libraries serve to provide opportunities for young people and to consolidate their knowledge. They act as centres of knowledge, not just places for studying, and they rely on expertise rather than relying solely on occasional volunteers.
The Community project also received the moral support of Nuria Sanz from UNESCO, a proponent of the international forum on culture and development in urban areas. She emphasized, “We have always proposed the concept of culture as a significant social heritage aimed at promoting social equity. We have always maintained that the periphery holds a vast cultural heritage and have consistently worked within a framework of culture as a means to restore the will of the community. Reading is the foundation of peaceful coexistence.”