ABSTRACT:
This paper is based on qualitative research that analyses and interprets the experience of users, librarians and library coordinators in public libraries in Tijuana, Baja California during 2017-2018. The goal is to find out if libraries have an educational dimension. Empirical data was gathered via interviews, observation and dedicated survey. The concepts displayed are “educational”, “subjectivation processes”, “social practices” and proposes the notion of “library practices” to describe the diverse interactions amongst participating social actors.
Some of the findings are: the number of public libraries and personnel asigned to them was unchanged from 2006 to 2018; most of the librarians have been working as such for over 20 years. There is a diverse motivation for people going to the libraries. For users, libraries are a place of encounter, learning and play, becoming in essence a “third place” distinct from their home or work. A third place where they feel comfortable and included. There is a resignification of the use of public libraries deriving from those diverse motivations, the librarian’s initiatives and the precarius conditions in which they operate.
For librarians, their role is perceived as promoting Reading, despite most of them having to asume cleaning and maintenance activities. Due to sustained neglect, they have stopped expecting support and investment to the libraries from local authorities. Despite that, librarians have developed important projects for the communities they serve. The experience of ex library coordinators shows a chronic lack of funding and personnel and the need to foster alliances with institutions and groups in order to support the development of library services in the city.
Key words: Tijuana, Baja California, Public libraries, educational dimension, library practices, librarians
