Abstract
Public library provides recreation. It preserves the literary remains of humanity for posterity, as a vehicle of culture and as source material for antiquarian research. It works for continued social wellbeing, as the agency in charge of all socialized recorded thought. Public library discharges educational, informational, political, economic, industrial, cultural, and antiquarian functions. Thus, the true function of the library is to permit and encourage men to grow up and achieve maturity in an atmosphere of freedom that they may feel that life has something to give them and them something to give it. A world well provided with free libraries would be a world of happy, sensible, peaceful, constructive men, and also a world of immense variety, excitement, and adventure. A public library provides an opportunity for reading books which foster a full and good life. It enables a person to utilize his innate abilities for the benefit of the society. To sum up, it acts as a living force for education, culture, and information as an essential agent for the fostering of peace and understanding between people and nations. This chapter explores, through a case study of a branch library in Karaikudi, user opinion on library collections and services.
TopRole Of Public Library In The Society
A Public Library is an instrument of social change. Information is a national resource, as fundamental as energy or matter, which affects all human activities. “Information is power. It is indispensable. It needs to be put in the service of the whole community. It is the public library, which can provide access to documents or information free of charge for all in the community irrespective of any restriction.” Public Library is a social institution. It is expected to promote self-education of an individual. It disseminates information and knowledge. Public library helps in the acceleration of economic development too. Industrialists get information, books and other diverse material from public library. Such information would augment industrial productivity.
A public library provides recreation. It preserves the literary remains of humanity for posterity, as a vehicle of culture and as source material for antiquarian research. It works for continued social wellbeing, as the agency in charge of all socialised recorded thought. Public library discharges educational, informational, political, economic, industrial, cultural and antiquarian functions. Thus the true function of the library “is to permit and encourage men to grow-up and achieve maturity in an atmosphere of freedom that they may feel that life has something to give them and them something to give it. A world well provided with free libraries would be a world of happy, sensible, peaceful, constructive men and also a world of immense variety, excitement and adventure. A public library provides an opportunity for reading books which foster a full and good life. It enables a person to utilise his innate abilities for the benefit of the society. To sum up, it acts as a living force for education, culture and information as an essential agent for the fostering of peace and understanding between people and nations.