The subdelegate of the Government in A Coruña, María Rivas, reported on the call promoted by the Ministry of Culture for the granting of grants on a competitive basis in order to modernize and make municipal public libraries more sustainable. Thus, the subdelegate encouraged the 83 municipalities of the province that have a library or public reading space and that have less than 50,000 inhabitants to request this assistance from the Government.
The subdelegate informed that the applications must be submitted before September 25, and that there are three types of aid, the amount may be used for the purchase and installation of technological equipment, furniture and physical equipment, or for the installation of air conditioning and energy efficiency improvement systems.
Among the proposals that are presented from the municipalities that have a library or reading center of municipal ownership, will be especially valued those that incorporate elements that facilitate the access and comfort of elderly people, with disabilities or with reduced mobility, as stated in the call of the Ministry.
The subdelegate highlighted “the constant work of this Government to facilitate access to culture, in this case promoting the improvement of public spaces that allow universal access to reading, thus facilitating the democratization of culture and knowledge and favoring the adaptation of public spaces with the objective of improving them in all territories, especially in the rural area.”
Objectives of the announcement
The general objective of this new line of aid from the Ministry of Culture is to strengthen access to reading and the participation of citizens in culture in the rural environment. Thus, it is part of the objectives set by the Plenary of the Library Cooperation Council for the Strategic Plan 2024-2028, focused on sustainability, accessibility, technological innovation and the professionalization of the library sector. Precisely, the first strategic line of this fourth plan is to promote sustainability and universal accessibility in libraries and increase access to libraries and library services.