Italian libraries must reinvent themselves beyond digitization to survive

Italian public libraries are struggling to meet citizens' needs in the face of technological progress and competition from giants like Google, Amazon, and other online services. The author argues that simply digitizing collections is insufficient and misguided; libraries cannot compete with these platforms on digital content. Instead, they must fundamentally rethink their role to reaffirm their social function: fostering active, informed citizenship and preserving democratic access to knowledge. Libraries should expand services beyond book lending to include civic services, educational programs, territorial knowledge enhancement, cultural activities, and digital literacy support. This transformation requires not just conceptual change but also adopting appropriate legal structures to generate additional revenue without burdening public spending. The article highlights Italy's declining reading rates and rising functional illiteracy as urgent challenges that libraries must address. The author, Stefano Monti of Monti&Taft, calls for libraries to learn contemporary languages and seize the opportunity to reinvent themselves as community cornerstones.