Public libraries and visual narrative: inclusive readings and good practices

Abstract

Public libraries are traditional safeguards of democracy, where books sustain the empowerment of communities. International scientific literature provides evidence for the fact that in suburban areas and border territories around the world these institutions qualify as open spaces, education laboratories, strong enough to counteract the area’s educational poverty and to favour an intercultural dialogue. This entry’s aim is to promote the role of public libraries in protecting the rights of everyone, especially children, to be an active part of a community, fostering a journey towards a proactive citizenship. The purpose is to locate tools and methodologies that qualify these spaces, strengthening their educational rather than their preservative dimension. In this regard significant educational experiences that give value to visual narrative will be presented. Specifically, this will feature wordless picture books as a starting point for intercultural encounters, defining the role of social educators better by building inclusive routes through these kinds of books.