READING IN PUBLIC LIBRARY OF ÉVORA: A CONTRIBUTION FOR THE HISTORY OF READING IN PORTUGAL (1887-1921)

Abstract

The Public Library of Évora is one of the most important heritage libraries of Portugal, both for its collection either by being one of the first libraries to open the doors to readers. This paper analyzes the published data on reading at Public Library of Évora, between1887-1921, in particular the number of readers in each year, the required books, the most popular themes, reading newspapers and the comparison between the public reading and literacy of the population. It is use as sources the data published by the Statistical Yearbook of Portugal, readers and visitors registration books, reports from librarians and reading entries. This analysis aims to draw the profile of reader at the Public Library of Évora and contribute to the characterization of the reading public in Portugal in the transition of the nineteenth century to the twentieth century.

Keywords

• História da lectura
• biblioteca pública
• bibliotecário
• coleções