Cultural expenditure

Libraries are winning over the under-24s (and not just for the books)

Teenagers and university students are among the most frequent users: for them, socialising is the main priority. As well as substantial funding, structural funds are needed

by Camilla Ilaria Colombo and Camilla Curcio

23 July 2026

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Giovane seduto al banco della biblioteca mentre prende appunti. (Alamy Stock Photo)

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

They may be public or private, overlooking one of Italia’s most famous squares, such as Piazza Marciana in San Marco, Venice, or located within a cultural centre, such as Il Pertini in Cinisello Balsamo. It is mainly young people who make the most of these and other thousands of libraries in Italia: boys and girls aged between 11 and 24 account, in fact, for the highest percentage of regular users (30.9 per cent, more than double the average), and 19.8 per cent also visit them to meet friends. For them, libraries are much more than just a place that catalogues and lends books.

The figure emerges the latest survey ‘Aspects of Daily Life’ by Istat, according to which libraries are places for socialising and social and cultural hubs, visited at least once in 2025 by 15.1 per cent of the Italian population aged three and over. The main activities carried out remain borrowing books (50.9 per cent), particularly amongst children and the elderly; reading and studying (36 per cent), with figures exceeding 80 per cent amongst 20–24-year-olds; searching for information (21.2 per cent).

Furthermore, those who use libraries tend to do so with a certain degree of regularity. On average, in fact, users visit them around nine times a year; 41.5 per cent visit them at least six times, and 30.7 per cent ten or more times.

Recovery after Covid

‘As the statistics show, libraries have regained the level of use they had before the Covid pandemic, and the stability they have managed to achieve is linked to the multiple functions they fulfil and to their role as a public space serving the community. A third place with specific characteristics, distinct from home and work,” explains Laura Ballestra, national president of the Italian Library Association (AIB). “There are various reasons for this stability, and they intersect across equally diverse dimensions. One is that of services, which is therefore linked to reading. Then there is the relational dimension, which is reflected in the highly positive figures on attendance by the younger generations. Closely linked to this,’ continues Ballestra, ‘is the informational aspect, which confirms just how much libraries remain a guiding light for those who need a helping hand to find material amongst the multitude of sources available to us. Finally, there is the economic aspect – that is, the ability to mitigate inequalities to some extent, giving those without the financial means the chance to read many different titles for free’.

ETÀ A CONFRONTO

Le visite degli italiani in biblioteca nel 2025, divise per età. Dati in percentuale

Social spaces

The chance to physically handle books, in analogue spaces that have often been repurposed and which evoke a sense of freedom, has lost none of its appeal. “For young people in particular, reading physical books is a key part of their development, including their interpersonal growth,” adds Ballestra. ‘And in libraries, this is encouraged by the work of librarians and the availability of structured, ongoing programmes that involve schools, local communities and stakeholders in the sector, with a collective approach that combats the isolation and social alienation of those who experience the digital world as their sole reality’. And of those who believe that reading is merely an exercise in solitude.

This increasingly entrenched community focus has also guided the evolution of services, moving beyond the original role of document preservation, which is no longer the primary focus. Within this framework, digitisation has been organically integrated; it has never replaced the human touch but has optimised access to catalogues, texts and periodicals, digitised the collections and provided support to members of the public to help them become familiar with technology.

Funding is needed

The sustainability of a cultural model, however, does not depend solely on commendable projects and good intentions; it requires a well-thought-out plan for funding. And whilst the funds allocated by the PNRR for digitisation (500 million) and the removal of physical and cognitive barriers to inclusivity (300 million) have been invaluable for libraries, they are not enough on their own.

“Major funding schemes such as the NRRP, the National Culture Programme or the MIC Fund linked to the Olivetti Plan have been a breath of fresh air,” comments the president of AIB, “but the backbone is provided by the structural investments made by local councils, regions and the relevant authorities. Libraries cannot survive on donations or sporadic grants alone because, without funding, they cannot buy books or pay staff and risk becoming obsolete.”

There are plenty of strategies to focus on to avoid losing ground. “We need to address regional differences to narrow the gap in the distribution of resources: a city and a mountain municipality have different needs that require different responses, to prevent inequalities from arising,” concludes Ballestra. “Investing in young people, with a view to developing long-term reading initiatives. And ensuring these also engage other target groups. Valuing the professionalism and skills of librarians, who are the lifeblood of the system. Monitoring how communities evolve.”