Public library as a third place and the construction of social capital

Abstract

It rethinks the role of the Brazilian public library, examining how this institution can demonstrate relevance in the 21st century and how it can achieve greater effectiveness in the social life of communities. It aligns the Brazilian public library, its importance as a social, cultural and memory institution, belonging and community empowerment. It highlights new ways of perceiving and using the space, opening up possibilities and functionalities, emerging in the search for greater adherence and social resonance. It presents the public library as a third place, according to Ray Oldenburg, and recognises the Brazilian public library as a generator of social capital. The result of a master's research programme, this is a social, qualitative and exploratory investigation. It uses bibliographical research to compose theoretical discussion. It concludes that proximity to the community, considering socio-informational needs, leads to the exercise of citizenship. The Brazilian public library as a third place suggests a new way of looking at limiting perceptions, making it a possible space for building social capital and fostering identity belonging. This perspective opens ways of strengthening Brazilian public libraries, in line with the premise of libraries as generators of communities that contribute to improving the quality of life, enhancing the community ethos, in line with the IFLA discourse.