Public libraries in Catalonia (2020-2021)

Abstract

This chapter describes and analyses the most important events and activities carried out in public libraries in Catalonia during the years 2020 and 2021.

Without a doubt, these two years have been profoundly marked by the COVID19 pandemic. Libraries have had to deal with the closure of their premises and have had to adapt services and activities to the new situation. Once the system had stabilizing, various steps were taken to alleviate the lack of physical interaction, especially in virtual format but also responding to the needs of people at risk of exclusion. With the reopening, services have
gradually recovered, and are now on their way to reaching pre-pandemic levels. Despite the difficulties, professional activity at conferences, congresses and events has continued and has been adapted to virtual or hybrid formats.

In these two years, there have also been many technical changes in processes such as cataloging and software. One example is the new interface for the interlibrary loan system for requesting documents from all the libraries in the public reading network in Catalonia.

Ultimately, the aim of the chapter is to present an overview of the activity of Catalan public libraries in this period, to reflect on the current situation, and to predict future trends.