Redefining the Concept of the Smart Library in the Context of Rural Spain : A Transliteracy Approach

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This article proposes a reconceptualization of the smart library through a transliteracy lens, exploring its transformative potential in rural contexts, the premise being that the best library is not the most modern but the one that serves its target community to the fullest. Moving beyond a merely technological understanding of ‘smartness’, we argue for an expanded, inclusive notion that incorporates cultural relevance, educational equity, and collective engagement. Through the presentation of some case studies from rural Spain, we aim to show how the concept of transliteracy brings a novel perspective of smart libraries not only as digitally enhanced infrastructures but as dynamic, people-centred ecosystems capable of offering their users multidimensional literacies and fostering emotional and social ties between them in ways that are meaningful to them. Thus, we advocate the significance of ‘smart’ libraries in the transformation of rural areas as they are key to individual growth and community well-being, combatting displacement and the disappearance of cultural life. To this end, the adoption of a transliteracy approach is crucial, aiming to weigh the affordances of digital technology against other context-specific factors that contribute to the configuration of innovative and popular libraries in rural contexts, with literacy programs, book clubs, oral storytelling, exhibits, and other language-based initiatives that help weave together communal life and support the development of diverse 21st-century literacies.