Public libraries as agents for preventing unwanted loneliness: analysis and intervention proposal

Abstract

Context: This study addresses the need to highlight and systematize the role of public library facilities in preventing unwanted loneliness (UL), defined as the subjective experience resulting from a mismatch between the social relationships a person desires and those they actually have. Recognized as a public health issue associated with sociodemographic, health-related, psychological, and structural factors, UL requires the involvement of accessible community infrastructures such as public libraries. Beyond promoting reading and providing access to information, libraries function in practice as spaces for social cohesion and community support. Objectives: To analyze the role of public libraries as agents of social cohesion and community support in addressing unwanted loneliness, identifying both their potential and their limitations. The study also aims to provide a practical and adaptable framework for designing and implementing projects to prevent and reduce UL in public libraries. Methodology: The study combines a literature review with an analysis of strategic institutional documents from different public administrations in Madrid and Barcelona in order to identify how UL is addressed in public policies and service planning. The case study focuses on consolidated collaborative initiatives. A questionnaire was administered to 13 public libraries, and telephone interviews were conducted with their directors. Based on the findings, the study proposes a framework structured around ten intervention areas that can be adapted according to community needs and available resources. Conclusions: The study systematizes the relationship between UL and public libraries by conceptualizing the library as an open and neutral “third place” that encourages informal socialization, as an agent of social cohesion, and as a key community health infrastructure integrated into multisectoral prevention networks. The findings confirm that public libraries play an important community support role. The study also reveals the absence of standardized indicators for measuring the social impact of libraries in preventing UL, identifying the development and validation of such indicators as an important line for future research.