Role and value of public libraries

Public libraries are local centres of information, making all kinds of knowledge and information easily available to users.

Public libraries help promote literacy and the pure enjoyment of reading. They are also places where people can go to get information, whether it’s for leisure, for study or for work.

The services public libraries offer include:

• materials for borrowing including books, magazines, newspapers, DVDs and CDs
• internet access
• story reading and holiday programmes for children, and afterschool homework clubs for teenagers
• reference and study facilities
• local history collections.

Public libraries sit at the heart of their communities. They help create a sense of belonging and they respond to the needs of the people who use them. They celebrate cultural diversity, and they help promote understanding between different cultural groups.

Public libraries provide opportunities for lifelong learning. They help children and young people develop imagination and creativity, and they give adults the opportunity to learn about their cultural heritage, and about the arts, science and technology.

The UNESCO Public Library Manifesto

We support the UNESCO Public Library Manifesto, which describes public libraries as “a gateway to knowledge”. The Manifesto sets out the reasons why public libraries are living force for education, culture and information.

The Manifesto says that public libraries should be:

• accessible to everyone, regardless of their age, race sex, religion, nationality or social status
• independent of any ideological, political or religious censorship
• free of charge
• organised effectively and professionally to meet the needs of the local community
• physically accessible to everyone.