Bookshops at the centre of Veneto's cultural life
The census. Promoted by the Region, edited by the Veneto Publishers' Association, the study took into consideration both independent and chain establishments
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They are headmasters of culture and places of aggregation, which in many cases have spanned the centuries, characterising the life of neighbourhoods and entire communities, and which for the first time have been surveyed.
A work promoted by the Veneto Region, edited by the Veneto Publishers' Association, and within the framework of the regional law for Culture which, through Council resolution no. 1478/2023, supports a series of actions aimed at enhancing the cultural and social function expressed by independent bookshops to boost the circulation of texts and series and reading, financially supporting a number of projects with the involvement of trade associations in the sector such as Aib, the Veneto section of the Italian Library Association; Aev, Veneto publishers' association; Ali, Italian booksellers' association; Sil, Italian booksellers' and stationers' union.
The survey covered all bookshops active in the region, both independent and chain, to create a detailed map useful to readers, libraries, associations, institutions, publishers, schools and the bookshops themselves, with a view to collaboration, aggregation and exchange of ideas. Alongside these establishments, the census also involved stationery stores, activities that often, especially in the suburbs and small municipalities, represent the only important source of disseminating books and reading.
Using the data collected, a new tool has been created - accessible from the regional Culture Veneto portal - to search for signs, with the possibility of learning about their characteristics in terms of offer, peculiarities and location. By consulting the detailed list of activities or exploring the interactive map, readers will be able to discover the realities of their territory. The portal realised allows, in fact, articulated search functions with geolocation of the bookshops in each location (https://www.librerieveneto.it).
In the census, 890 units were contacted (based on Ateco codes); 609 responded, while 339 received feedback deemed relevant to the survey. In the number there are 73 activities from Venice, 71 from Padua, 57 from Verona. Treviso (51), Vicenza (49), Belluno (24) and Rovigo (14) follow. There are a total of 250 bookshops and 89 stationery stores. Small and medium-sized independent bookshops predominate, accounting for 82% of the total, exceeding 200. 54% of the bookshops that responded to the census declared themselves to be specialised in one or more sectors, with a particular focus on the younger public, both with sections specifically dedicated to children, young people and early childhood, and with special attention paid to certain genres such as comics and manga, a universe that is also increasingly represented through dedicated spaces and sales outlets.
