Conceptions of the Library space: the need to resignify its role

Abstract

The library of the information age needs to rethink itself as a physical and virtual place for “safeguarding” knowledge. The aim of this study was to investigate the conception of the library among users/participants in one of the activities offered by one of these institutions: the Informational Skills Training Cycle course. The research methodology took a qualitative approach and was developed through a case study. The aim of discussing the concept of the library through a course offered is related to the possibility of the institution offering a space for teaching and learning, or even a space for the production of knowledge, which goes beyond the idea of the institution as a “safeguard” of knowledge. This section focused on the results of a questionnaire administered at enrollment and at the end of the course. The results show that there is a strong association between the image of the library and just borrowing books. Although this represents an advance on the previous idea, the possibility of teaching and learning is not recurrent from the perspective of the participants in the study. The conclusion was that the Library's role needs to be reframed and its conception of the community it serves needs to be updated through communication strategies.