Abstract:
Public Libraries: opening doors for enquiring minds, at the heart of communities Public libraries provide connections to knowledge, ideas and works of the imagination, anytime, everywhere, enabling individuals to turn knowledge into value, participate as citizens and strengthen their communities. They instill and encourage the joy of reading for pleasure, recreation, discovery and lifelong learning, and develop and provide innovative services and rich content to meet the needs of users in the digital age. Libraries are vibrant places of inspiration, debate and social interaction. They are public civic spaces. They will continue to collect, create and be the repositories of recorded knowledge and information about our cultural heritage. As a significant conduit for services and information provided by government agencies and civil organisations, public libraries play a major role in the development of socially cohesive, informed and inclusive communities. Partnering with other educational and cultural groups, they help to benefit and strengthen those communities. in providing free access to content for all, libraries strengthen the public good, are trusted and well regarded as an essential component of the economic and social infrastructure, and provide for the creative replenishment of the human spirit.
