La actividad cultural como eje de la biblioteca públicadiagnóstico conceptual e histórico y propuesta de formación para el personal de la biblioteca pública

Abstract

This thesis falls within the framework of cultural studies in the field of Documentation. It examines the value and function of scheduling activities in public libraries. Based on this analysis, it presents a training program designed to strengthen the professional skills of people who work in these institutions. The starting hypothesis is that the performance of cultural activities is a function of the public library and that a training program should be available to prepare professionals to perform this function. To prove this hypothesis, two objectives are proposed. The first one aims to show that performing cultural activities is inherent to the public library as one of its functions and that it should be part of the librarian's professional profile. The research results in this regard derive from an experimental investigation of the value that professionals attribute to the activities and, much more broadly, from a document review of its theoretical framework with the intention to verify its presence in the library environment from a historical, normative, theoretical and didactic point of view. The second main objective we propose, which partially derives from the previous results, is the development of a training model that completes the cultural programming competencies of public library professionals. Once again, the topic’s factual basis was considered (both in a field study conducted among a number of active librarians and in current training opportunities available for library professionals). Furthermore, a professional, recognized and recently published bibliography covering the essential aspects of cultural management practice in these institutions was compiled and annotated. The results of the first line of research show that cultural activities have been part of the resources of public libraries since their inception, with the aim of fulfilling certain functions. The regulations and guidelines for public libraries have also constantly reflected the mandate or recommendation to implement cultural programs over time. Similarly, many library theorists emphasize the importance of cultural programming in public centers and view it as one of their functions. A review of cultural management training supply confirms that a significant percentage of professional courses aim to cover various aspects of cultural management, albeit without a comprehensive program that gives meaning to such training. However, a significant gap was found in academic training in college programs, where cultural programming is hardly mentioned. As for the results of the research focused on the second objective, we can emphasize the professionals' demand for more and better training on cultural programming. Both this fact and the shortcomings mentioned above have led us to develop a training program that, based on an adequate and up-to-date theoretical-practical bibliography, presents a structured and comprehensive didactic schedule so as to meet professional demand. In conclusion, we can state that cultural activities (and their theoretical basis, cultural management) are part of the professional profile of librarians working in public libraries, and that it was therefore necessary to design a training proposal such as the one we have presented.