Libraries on the move for sustainable development

Abstract

The article is based on the author’s lecture pre­sented at the 52nd Annual Conference of the As­sociation of Hungarian Librarians. She starts her study by pointing out to the most important problems in the library field caused by the lockdowns due to the Covid19 pandemic. She states that society as a whole needs the computer network itself and access to information for everyday life, especially bearing in mind those who use the services of public libraries and those who need it for their work, and she dis­cusses the emerging questions. Then she describes the situation in Spain in 2020, outlining how the li­brary system provided remote access services. She sets out measures to recover from the historic cri­sis caused by the Covid19 pandemic, including the crucial European digital transformation, the Spanish public program focusing on inclusive development and sustainability, and the España Digital Plan (Digi­tal Plan 2025 of Spain). She outlines the possibili­ties and tasks of libraries, stating that without data culture there is no useful infrastructure, and only through collaborations can digital skills related to data and open science, and the competencies of li­brary professionals be developed. There is only one way to survive the difficulties in the field of librarian­ship: to understand that the funding of libraries and the amount spent on their operation are social in­vestments. Access to information is a social need, as well as an opportunity to secure the long-term future of libraries.