GIS technology as a geographical method in applied library research: interpreting emerging issues through an interdisciplinary perspective

Abstract

Thanks to current national investigations, research applied to libraries in Italy has an unprecedented amount of data from which are emerging new complex issues and some worrying contradictions. In this framework lies the need to design structured in-depth investigations using innovative interpretative tools. Following an interdisciplinary approach, the article therefore proposes a methodological reflection on the opportunities offered by the integration between geographical knowledge and librarianship. Starting from the comparison between the main application purposes of GIS technology (Geographic Information System) adopted so far, both nationally and internationally, with some new experiments conducted in recent years, the contribution intends to present the potential of a method geographical gis-based for the interpretation of the relationships that link libraries to their context of action.