Last week, our partner Purchena Library (Spain) welcomed the members of the 6th Iberbibliotecas international internship, which this year has as its theme ‘Designing the future of public libraries: library staff as the backbone of tomorrow’s library’.
The Ibero-American Public Libraries Programme, IBERBIBLIOTECAS is a cooperation network that seeks to contribute to the consolidation of the Ibero-American cultural space and to reaffirm the social function of public libraries. At Sister Libraries, we embrace the spirit of cooperation as a fundamental approach to improving the services of European libraries and fostering a network of collaboration among professionals at an international level.
Previous internships were held in Bogotá (Colombia) and Costa Rica. This year, the Purchena Library, have the honour of hosting participants from all over Ibero-America. This year’s internship brought together librarians from various parts of the world, providing a space for sharing experiences and strategies that all work towards a common goal: to strengthen the role of public libraries as centres of knowledge, inclusion, and social change. In this sense, libraries become much more than repositories of books; they are dynamic, living spaces that foster learning, digital inclusion, and social cohesion.
At Sister Libraries, we share the spirit of cooperation promoted by IBERBIBLIOTECAS. We firmly believe that working collaboratively and networking is the way forward to enhance the services of public libraries across Europe, while building bridges among professionals from diverse contexts and realities. This international network of collaboration not only enriches our practices and knowledge but also helps to weave a stronger, more resilient cultural and social fabric.
Through these gatherings, we reinforce the commitment of libraries as accessible, safe spaces for all. At Sister Libraries, we encourage every library to participate in such programmes and to see cooperation as a tool for transformation. We believe that combining strengths and experiences is the most effective way for our libraries to remain relevant, innovative, and, above all, inclusive in the future we are building together.
20 November, 2024 at 12:11 pm
Thanks Diego for your post sharing our project.
A meeting of librarians developed by Iberbiblitoecas with the participation of the Ministry of Culture of Spain and the best Public Library of Purchena, in which a group of 23 librarians from Spain and South America learned and shared experiences for a week in the small town of Purchena (Almería). Without a doubt an event to be replicated in Europe.