Analysis of library infrastructures in Italy and case study of three regions: Piedmont, Lazio and Campania

Abstract

The presence of book infrastructures, such as public libraries, school libraries, and bookshops, represents an essential cultural stronghold to enable the meeting between publishers and readers. There is a growing understanding that these physical spaces are a strategic resource for promoting reading and basic literacy skills. However, the uneven distribution of such infrastructures across the territory creates real ‘book deserts’, areas with strong disparities in access to reading.

This study, based on sources from Istat Asia local unit archive, Istat census survey on libraries and other sources from direct and indirect Istat surveys or administrative archives, provides a detailed overview of the presence and distribution of the main book infrastructures in the Italian regions, with a focus on the regions of Piedmont, Lazio and Campania for the year 2022.

The analysis aims at comparing the situation in the three regions examined, identifying the factors that most influence the absence of book infrastructures and any differences in the occurrence of this phenomenon. The conclusions of the research are fundamental for evaluating policies and actions to promote books and support reading, both those already planned and those to be promoted in the future.