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Elizabeth García, visually impaired Master's student and, discusses with Natalia García Caballos, a University of Granada librarian, to they share their personal experience in the field of university libraries. Based on their shared experiences, they will explore the expectations, needs, and realities of people with visual disabilities in today's university libraries, their challenges and proposals. Additionally, they will analyse the impact of architecture, collection, service quality, and staff training related to accessibility. They will emphasize the need for academic libraries to effectively adapt to ensure inclusion and equitable access for all users, regardless of their abilities. The speakers will highlight the importance of having accessible, inclusive, and person-centered university libraries where human rights are respected, independence is promoted, and that constitute safe spaces for students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Asprodesa Reading Club is made up of people with intellectual disabilities from the west of Almeria. They meet regularly to read books or any other material of interest to the group. In addition to reading, they carry out multidisciplinary activities typical of a reader and/or user. The library is a spirited centre, which is active thanks to the daily or frequent actions and activities carried out with its visitors. The people of the Asprodesa Reading Club are included through reading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Local Libraries of A Coruña (Galicia) have taken on the challenge, as public libraries, to guarantee the access to information and culture to all citizens. To this end, they have developed a series of programmes that promote spaces for participation, social inclusion and community development. To this end, libraries have implemented social inclusion programmes in those areas where library staff consider it relevant to seek alliances with other sectors for the development of social significant projects where libraries want to direct and focus their approaches. All these efforts aim at making the library an inclusive place where users see the library as a safe space that contributes to increasing their self-esteem and independence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Libraries must be disability-inclusive in order to be as accessible as possible. This requires an understanding, first, of the needs of different groups with physical, sensory or cognitive disabilities and, second, of the areas covered by accessibility and the characteristics that they must have. This will make it possible to offer all users equal opportunities to access the library's equipment, services, activities and documentary collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the fact that the concept of inclusion is increasingly present in Spanish libraries, recent research has shown that libraries are normally still far from being inclusive. After reviewing the main definitions of the concept of inclusive library in the Ibero-American context, the library community is invited to broaden the scope and dimension of the term following the work done in the business sector and in libraries from English-speaking countries. This paper reviews some of the initiatives to achieve inclusion carried out in Spanish libraries and the differentiating aspects that make a library inclusive or not. The paper also offers some guidelines that may bring us closer to the creation of truly inclusive libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Size does not categorically determine the management of a library, but it will have a different impact on some aspects, especially because it will depend on the services it offers and the user population it addresses. The key is to find a balance between infrastructures, funding and staff in order to carry out their mission. Of these three elements, staff is the most crucial point, not so much in terms of its size but because of its involvement, motivation and training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Does size matter? It depends. It does not matter when it comes to essential services. This is because both big and small libraries have the same aim, i.e., to offer a quality service to the user. The difference is mainly found in the resources available to one or the other. Size does matter in terms of offering spaces, specialized library staff and information and technological resources, etc. Small libraries stand out for having one person in charge of everything, who must be functional and versatile to be able to carry out all the work full time, being fundamental in this case the creation of collaborative networks. The reward for the users and the librarian is thus the closeness and familiarity in creating a community around the library and being a reference center for the town's cultural dynamization, which is also my case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a model for the analysis of the digital challenge of university libraries. This model, which has in its core the generation of value for users, can be structured in five layers crosscut by digital transformation: the service model, the processes, the professionals and the applications, the contents and the buildings and infrastructure. The digitalization forces the alignment in the operation of every action area of libraries, which requires a constant effort in professional training and profile adaption. New opportunities emerge at the same time as new risks arise which need to be faced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In OCLC, as administrators of WorldCat, which is the world's largest database of library collections, we are aware of the way in which metadata generate better results for libraries. WorldCat is helping libraries all over the world to potentiate their collections by means of a sophisticated metadata infrastructure which allows them to have a greater impact. It also promotes public reading and facilitates the citizens' access to information by making library collections localizable and accessible from everywhere, independently of whether they are physical, electronic or digitalized. This also boosts the visibility of libraries online, highlights the importance of the work done by the professionals and promotes the development of shared services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]