Public Libraries, the crisis of the Welfare State and the social networks: the Portuguese case

Abstract

This study present the path followed by the National Public Libraries Network, in Portugal, since its creation in 1987 to the present day. Public libraries have been benefiting from a strong investment from the state for their creation and maintenance but, currently, there are economic and political crisis situations that lead the state to reduce its investment in public services and the library’s social role to become weak. In Portugal, we are currently discussing our Welfare State model. The country is facing a serious economic crisis and the debate about the intervention of state organizations and their social role in society is being recast.

On the other hand, the Web 2.0 technologies and the social networks are free platforms for content diffusion and they have the potential to generate shared information. These platforms may have an intensive use in times of economic crisis because their use has no additional costs and they can be excellent instruments to carry out the public library’s social mission. We briefly analyze the pages and profiles of Portuguese public libraries on the Facebook social network, in May 2013, regarding their activity in terms of social mission. This work is part of a broader research about the impact of the Web 2.0 in the social role of Portuguese public libraries observed on the Facebook social network.