Public Libraries open near me in Society, for education, study, dream story, comedy, etc. What is public libraries role in our daily life; A public library is a non-profit library, which maintain for public use and funded by the government or public sources. Unlike other libraries, public library satisfies general public information needs by providing all kinds of knowledge; and information available to all segments of the community regardless of race, nationality, age, gender, religion, language, disability, economic, and employment status.
Here is the article to explain, Public Libraries open near me in Society with What is the Role of theirs?
It may also provide other services to their communities such as storytelling for children, after-school programs, language learning, seminars, workshops, and other community services. Public libraries stood initiated back in ancient times. They existed known and used by Greeks, Romans, North Africa, and the Middle East. However, they did not arise in Europe and America until the 18th and 19th centuries.
In USA and Europe, public libraries started with a donation from many private philanthropists like Andrew Carnegie and Benjamin Franklin. Like other philanthropists, both Benjamin Franklin and Andrew Carnegie realized that books, and the knowledge they provide, should not be for just richness; but for serving the public and for anyone who wanted to learn. Because of this belief, they made books and money available to the general public through their philanthropy.
Throughout history, library collections have been changed and developed. Nowadays, besides printed books and traditional materials, public libraries offer a wide range of other media and modern technologies like videos, audiobooks, e-books, DVDs, and others. Similarly, the roles and missions of the public libraries have been shifted from recreational reading to acting as active educational, economic, and social agents.
This article seeks to offer a literature review on the role of public libraries in society. Take the style of the literature review and the words from the article (children literacy); A survey reveals that show, found, assume, According to Lyman (1977), Weibel (1992) looked at the role of the library in promoting literacy, Spink (1989) notes; Other studies have concentrated on, states, points out, belief.
Role of public libraries;
Public library plays an important role in people’s lives as a source of accessing information; and a place for knowledge creation. It has shown that public libraries are important informational, educational, cultural, and social institutions.
Public library and Education;
One of the public libraries’ significant and fundamental roles in education. Public libraries provide books and other materials for people to read and use, also open near me in Society or Public Places. These materials are educational and lead to self-improvement and develop basic literacy skills.
Public Libraries have always been seen as educational resources for all people. The educative role of public libraries has expanded to include supporting both formal and informal education.
Public library and literacy;
Literacy is the ability to read and write. In libraries culture, this concept expands to include the knowledge or education in one or several fields required to develop individual and communities skills.
Learning today is not a luxury limited only to selected groups, but it is essential for survival. Expansion of literacy needs reading and writing material.
The public library is the local center for providing a wealth of information through learning facilities; and, materials to support literacy to the general public. Literacy stands also achieved by providing literacy programs and activities for different groups and ages.
Public libraries continue to play a major role in fostering literacy in communities and societies, particularly among; those groups of the populations that need special assistance in developing literacy skills, such as preschool and elementary school children.
Children’s literacy is one of the educative roles of public libraries. Public libraries are concerned with providing children and exposing them to high-quality reading materials; and rich language experiences during the crucial preschool and elementary school years.
Pennsylvania public libraries are among the libraries; which keen on enhancing the children’s literacy skills by proving their high-quality materials; and involving them in summer reading programs, story hours, arts and crafts activities.
A study existed done in Pennsylvania public libraries using qualitative and quantitative methods to examine how library preschool and summer reading programs contribute to children’s reading skills.
Surveys existed sent to every third library outlet listed in the directory of Pennsylvania libraries.
The study reveals that children who participate in summer reading programs gain more literacy skills. They also found that preschool and summer reading programs encourage children to spend more time with books. Moreover, Observations and interviews show that library programs encourage parents to play greater roles in their children’s literacy development.
Public library and Non-formal Education;
Non-formal education is an unsystematic form of learning and educational activity that occurs outside of traditional organizations or institutions. Unlike formal education, non-formal education is a non-structured educational system. Examples of non-formal education include after-school programs, community-based organizations, museums, libraries, or at home. The aims of both formal and non-formal education are similar but they are different in approach. (Abraham, 2010). Both learning focus on gaining knowledge and skills however, the way of gaining learning is different.
Non-formal educational practices reinforce due to the challenges of the modern information society.
Abraham (2010) states that rural people suffer from a lack of proper education. He points out that formal education is time-bound, rigid, and difficult for such people; therefore, non-formal education is much suitable for rural people to satisfy their needs and fit their environmental conditions.
He describes the public library as a “welfare center, which provides useful services to the community by fostering education, promoting culture, recreation, and dissemination of information to all sections of the society”. Abraham (2010) looked at the public libraries as the most appropriate centers through which non-formal education can achieve. He found that some public libraries in rural areas in India (Kerala) play an important role in supporting non-formal education by organizing night schools, constructive discussions, seminars, and symposia to fight illiteracy and proliferation of reading habits.
A study was conducted in one of the Kerala districts (Abraham, 2010) to gather an overview of the role of public libraries in promoting non-formal education. Questioners existed distributed among 20 women laborers. It lived found that 30% of them could continue their education and are attempting to achieve minimum qualifications through utilizing rural libraries in their home areas. 60% could read and write and 10% stopped their education due to various personnel reasons.
Public library and Life long learning;
Lifelong learning is the process of continuous and ongoing learning throughout a person’s life to enhance continuous development and improvement of the individual’s knowledge and skills. Life-long learning cannot achieve without literacy because reading and writing are essential for learning.
Due to the complex and rapid change environment, people need to acquire a variety of skills and knowledge irrespective of their age, social, political, or economic status.
Wijetunge (2000) states that public libraries contribute to lifelong learning by supporting the learners to identify and locate the reading materials relevant to the needs of the community.
Karunawathie (1998) gave an example of how the Negombo Public Library has contributed to the community in which it exists. The public library has assisted the fishing community in Negombo in changing the process of their fishing technology by providing the community with good and rich materials related to the finishing industry.
References; The Role of Public Libraries in Society. Retrieved from https://www.ukessays.com/essays/education/role-of-public-libraries-in-society-education-essay.php?vref=1
