"In a library you should be able to make noise"
This cultural institution is much more than a place to read and study. Professionals champion it as a community and democratizing space.
PalmAna (73) and Enriqueta (she doesn't want to give her age, but admits she's close to 80) leave the Cultura Artesana library (La Misericordia) with a book by Susanna Tamaro in their bags. They are both part of a reading club that started recently, and which focuses especially on older people who don't have the habit of reading. When asked how it's going, they both chat nonstop, simultaneously, excited. "It's hard for me, but I understand more and more. I'll never give up," says Ana while happily kicking her boots. "You have to write that I've only missed it once because I had a Catalan exam," she adds proudly—she's from Córdoba—before heading off to yoga. These women exemplify what libraries are all about today. "They are a space for community around books, a place where we meet others," says Carolina Guayta, director of the Can Salas library.
However, these are not places isolated from their surroundings; rather, each one interacts with the reality of its neighborhood and municipality. "We offer a versatile, open, and transformative space. Neighbors gather, schools visit us, and we are an example of cultural diversity," emphasizes Lluïsa Calafat, director of the Encarnación Viñas library (in the Pere Garau neighborhood). She regularly goes beyond books and helps users with procedures such as "making an appointment at the SOIB (Social Information Service) or the Immigration Office." Alaró librarian Maria Pilar Colomar points out that the town's social services recommend that anyone who needs help pay a visit to the library. "Most of the newcomers to the municipality come from Latin America and must need a hand because the number of things that need to be done online has increased significantly since the pandemic. If they leave with what they came looking for, whether it's a book or not, I'm already happy," she adds.
Reading clubs, workshops (calligraphy, bookbinding, writing, etc.), meetings with writers, storytellers, students meeting to complete a project... Libraries have left behind the outdated concept that restricted them to repositories of meaning and citizen participation. "The public library has a transversal character; it belongs to everyone and is for everyone. It's an open institution," argues Toni Ferrer, head of Manacor's library service, who warns that "many resources are needed" to utilize them 100%, such as differentiated spaces to facilitate coexistence between different user profiles.
Some things don't change.
"Middle-aged and older people are the ones who read the most, and young people come more to study," explains Carmen Martínez, head of the Cultura Artesana library, also highlighting an increase in children thanks to the increase in activities, the adaptation of spaces, and the expansion of the children's literature collection.
According to figures from the Mallorca Library Network (excluding those of Palma and CanSales), in 2023 the number of users exceeded 150,000, of which 88,000 were adults. And, although e-book lending has increased, this phenomenon has not occurred at the expense of paper books. On the other hand, there are still users who, beyond audiovisual platforms, take home DVD movies—they are a declining minority.
In terms of themes and genres, all the professionals with whom ARA Baleares has spoken agree on the rise of self-help books. "It's a reflection of the interests and problems that exist in society," says José Manuel Benito, librarian of the Sant Domingo cloister in Inca. "They also ask us a lot for children's books. One day they even asked me if we had any books on them." mindfulness for children. I suppose it's because before there weren't so many diagnoses in schools," Colomar points out. There's also no shortage of crime and historical novels, a safe bet when it comes to promoting reading.
What would your dream library be like? "I would like to separate the students from the rest, because sometimes people think we're a room. In a library, you have to be able to make noise," continues Benito, who also supports more independent readers when it comes to managing their loans.
As for the future of these spaces, something that doesn't seem like it's going to disappear are the activities that make human contact and shared reflection possible, such as book clubs and meetings with writers. Ferrer emphasizes. "It's very satisfying when a writer you like tells you anecdotes and where their work came from. There's a great need to meet interesting people. Human beings need references, and they can be found in books. This is a gift that should be taken advantage of, especially now that there are very difficult situations in the world and we don't know what will happen," Guayta reflects.
