The General Directorate of Books, Comics and Reading of the Ministry of Culture, through the General Subdirectorate of Library Coordination, will organize the XII National Congress of Public Libraries on 5, 6 and 7 November 2025 at the Palacio de Congresos de Granada, in collaboration with the regional government of Andalusia and with the support of the Scientific Committee, composed of professionals from the Autonomous Communities, foundations, and professional library associations.

“Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.” (Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948)

In the cultural sphere, many reflections currently revolve around Cultural Rights. On July 8, 2025, the Ministry of Culture published the Cultural Rights Plan. Libraries, as cultural institutions closest to citizens, are not immune to these ideas, and guaranteeing such rights is part of their core mission.

From September 29 to October 1, 2025, Barcelona will host Mondiacult, the World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development, where the First Global Report on the State of Culture will be launched. This initiative pursues two major goals: to defend culture as a Global Public Good and to promote the creation of a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) specifically for Culture. It is crucial that library policies align with these global strategic directions.

Another major theme of the congress will be Media and Information Literacy. Libraries and their professionals must continue to play an active role in fostering citizens’ literacy, addressing the constant challenges we face. While disinformation has always existed, it has now been amplified by rapid technological change and the immediate access to an unparalleled wealth of information, which can go viral in seconds. Libraries must serve as guarantors of access to accurate information, promoters of critical thinking, and safe spaces for their communities—equipping people with the tools needed to confront disinformation.

Libraries have also adapted quickly to technological advances over the years. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the latest of these changes: a technology with enormous potential but also significant challenges, much like the arrival of the internet in its day. Although AI is not the central theme of this congress, it cuts across all areas and is already transforming how we work and deliver services to citizens. The congress will reflect on its uses, limits, and potential—how it can help library professionals safeguard cultural rights, design services and activities to strengthen their literacy mission, and address issues such as coexistence with copyright and its ethical use. The event will provide a valuable opportunity for collective reflection on these themes.