A tale of two libraries: space, place and reading in Porto’s public libraries

Sequeiros, Paula and Grünig, Silvia . A tale of two libraries: space, place and reading in Porto’s public libraries., 2012 In: Libraries driving access to knowledge. de Gruyter Saur; IFLA, pp. 247-288. [Book chapter]

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English abstract

Until 2001, people in Porto, Portugal could only visit or borrow books from one library − São Lázaro − located where the historical centre and the eastern end of the city meet. Then, a new building, the Almeida Garrett Library, was designed and placed in an almost equidistant position between the historical centre and the western zone. Both buildings and their reading atmospheres are quite different. Readers and professionals tend to compare them. And so the question arises: how do two different architectural spaces shape reading practices, even though they are inserted in the same city and serving potentially similar readers? The question sought to explore the interaction between people and space, in other words, how a space provided for reading may be appropriated, how it shapes reading practices, and, what social relations are performed in such reading spaces. Buildings tend to reflect both public reading and local cultural policies, even though the use of the space may alter and circumvent the programmed institutional aims. This analysis of space usage takes into account such policies and actual reading practices, along with their meanings and emotions. Social issues such as class, gender, ethnicity, age and power relationships provided a context for this analysis. As the public services and public buildings were analyzed, a research approach was designed to place reading in the context of urban public space, urban conviviality and the importance of democratic places for encounter and discovery.

Portuguese abstract

Até 2011 as pessoas só podiam visitar ou pedir livros emprestados a uma biblioteca na cidade do Porto, Portugal: a biblioteca pública municipal do Porto, em São Lázaro, na confluência entre o centro histórico e a zona ocidental da cidade. Em 2001 um novo edifício é inaugurado, o da biblioteca municipal Almeida Garrett, desenhado e inserido numa posição quase equidistante entre o esse centro e a zona ocidental. Tanto os dois edifícios como as suas atmosferas de leitura são bastante diferentes. Leitores e profissionais tendem a compará-los. Coloca-se então a pergunta: como dois espaços arquitetónicos diferentes moldam práticas de leitura, embora estejam inseridos na mesma cidade e sirvam potencialmente os mesmos utilizadores? A partir desta questão tentámos explorar a interação entre pessoas e espaço, por outras palavras, como um espaço providenciado para a leitura pública pode ser apropriado, como dá forma às práticas de leitura e que relações sociais se desempenham nesses espaços de leitura. Os edifícios tendem a refletir as políticas tanto de leitura pública como culturais, embora o uso desses espaços possa alterar e contornar os fins institucionais programados. Esta análise do uso do espaço tem em conta tais políticas e as práticas efetivas de leitura, assim como significados e emoções associados. Questões sociais tais como classe social, género, etnia e relações de poder constituíram o contexto desta análise. Dado que se analisaram serviços públicos e edifícios públicos,concebemos uma abordagem de investigação que colocasse a leitura no contexto do espaço e da convivialidade urbanos e da importância de espaços democráticos para o encontro e a descoberta.

Item type: Book chapter
Keywords: Porto cidade; bibliotecas públicas; espaço; espaço social; leitura pública; perfis de leitores; arquitetura; arquitectura; Porto city; public libraries; space; reading; readers profiles; social space; user profiles; architecture; Portugal
Subjects: A. Theoretical and general aspects of libraries and information. > AC. Relationship of LIS with other fields .
C. Users, literacy and reading. > CB. User studies.
D. Libraries as physical collections. > DC. Public libraries.
Depositing user: Ana Paula Sequeiros
Date deposited: 02 Nov 2012
Last modified: 02 Oct 2014 12:24
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10760/17935

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