Notes for an agenda of Italian libraries

Abstract

The article outlines the framework for a national policy of Italian libraries. The value that the community places on libraries is connected with their reputation among the community itself, and this reputation is closely related to the debate about the future of public library. The author identifies this future in the library identity as a learning environment: a space that will face substantial changes in the immediate future, but will continue to be the training ground for the empowerment of its community. Still, no change will be possible until a new generation of professionals is allowed to enter the profession, injecting new energies, skills and aptitudes in Italian libraries.