Conference Program

School libraries are increasingly recognised in international research as multifunctional educational spaces capable of supporting literacy development, student wellbeing and civic participation. In line with the IFLA-UNESCO School Library Manifesto (2025), the school library is progressively framed as a learning, cultural and community hub: a flexible environment connecting formal and informal learning, cultural production and relationships with local communities.

As a learning hub, the school library can be understood as a “third learning space” in which cognitive, critical and socio-emotional competences are developed through interdisciplinary, inquiry-based and collaborative practices (Elmborg, 2011; Raffaele, 2021). Research highlights the role of the school library as a space where analogue and digital literacies intersect, making it a laboratory for bi-literacy and digital citizenship that supports the development of information, media and digital competences and reinforces the role of school librarians as literacy educators (Cooksey, 2024; Merga, 2020). School libraries can also positively influence school wellbeing by providing quiet environments that support concentration, emotional regulation and a higher-quality learning experience (Merga, 2020; Merga, 2022).

As cultural hubs, school libraries function as infrastructures that connect students, teachers, families and communities to books, knowledge resources and cultural opportunities (IFLA-UNESCO, 2022). This role becomes particularly significant in contexts where access to cultural resources is limited. In disadvantaged communities, school libraries may represent crucial points of access to books and learning materials (McDowall et al., 2025), particularly in rural areas (Mdodana-Zide & Chimbi, 2025), metropolitan peripheries marked by poverty and social hardship (Pribesh et al., 2011), small schools or communities lacking public libraries (Mangione & Pieri, 2021), and high-poverty and racially diverse communities (Lance et al., 2023).

As community hubs, school libraries can operate as open nodes within local community networks and broader learning ecosystems (IFLA-UNESCO, 2025). In this perspective, they can function as bridges between schools and local communities, strengthening relationships with families and local actors and supporting participation through partnerships, extended services, intercultural initiatives and civic-oriented activities (Kranich, 2024). They can also collaborate with public libraries to expand community access to cultural and educational opportunities (Lee, 2024; Moreland & Kammer, 2020).

This paper presents findings from two national studies conducted by INDIRE in 2025 and 2026 within the research project Avanguardie Biblioeducative. The research combines a national survey involving more than 6,800 teachers and school leaders with qualitative data from focus groups, interviews and observations carried out in selected school contexts. This mixed-method design makes it possible to examine both large-scale trends and situated practices through the perspectives of school leaders and teachers.

The results highlight the emergence of practices that strengthen the relational and community role of school libraries, including family involvement, extended opening hours and partnerships with cultural institutions and public libraries. At the same time, structural and organisational constraints continue to limit the consolidation of school libraries as community-oriented learning environments in the Italian context.

By examining both emerging practices and current challenges, the paper contributes to the discussion on how school libraries can evolve into community-oriented learning infrastructures and strategic nodes within local learning ecosystems.