ROLE OF PUBLIC LIBRARY IN THE SOCI 0

ROLE OF PUBLIC LIBRARY IN THE SOCI 0 -ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE COUNTRY Dr. B. D. Kumbar Professor Dept. of Library and Information Science, Karnatak University, Dharwad - 03

1. To cater to the needs of the people of the country, library services are absolutely essential to achieve the developmental goals, improve the quality of life and preserve and make known the country’s as well as the state’s cultural heritage in its multiple form.

The public library services acts as an intellectual catalyst for socio-economic development by providing facilities for the purposes of acquiring educational and information as well as recreation, aesthetic appreciation and research. Generally, it is believed that where formal education ends, informal education begins and a life-long learning process is continued with the support of free public library service.

2. Library in general and public libraries in particular have a very important role to play in the future development of the country in the field of political awareness, socio-economic growth, cultural and educational enlighten. Library service to all classes of people is a social necessity for the steady development of the social being.

Public libraries of today are essentially regarded as the people’s universities without having any distinction of caste, colour, creed, age and sex. If national and university libraries are the barometer of a country’s erudition, Public libraries are the barometer of its general culture. Eradication and culture are the two valuable sources of national well-being.

For that reason the education and training of the individual is considered in every development plan and every educational plan as being one of the essential means of stimulating economic and social development. To make the people’s erudite and civilized. One of the things to be cultivated is an effective educational system. An effective education system requires the systematic use of the published reading material.

If they are to be at the disposal of the whole population, libraries are inevitable. Without libraries there can be no doubt help the nation for its social and economic.

3. The success of democratic way of life depends upon the educated and enlightened citizens irrespective of their social status who have a free access to the public library service. It's free service to the larger community truely makes it a social institution. Free access and a free service rendered by public libraries brings contacts between books and the readers. Facilities for reading books keep everyone well informed and trained to judge what is right and wrong.

It also opens the windows of the mind and enables the readers to his crucial problems in a reasonable manner. Public library acquires materiel on all subjects to cater to the needs of all types of readers. It tries to satisfy the criteria of different educational and cultural standards irrespective of whether the individual served is an unlettered child or a research scholar.

4. If a public library situated in a village strives towards promotion of literacy, another of its kind situated in a city encourages accumulation of knowledge through recorded materiel and thus assists its clientele to become more informed, enlightened and cultured. Thus its contents help the people to form their opinions, to develop their creative and critical capacities and power of appreciation.

5. In a survey of the past, while turning the pages of history of public libraries of different communities and countries, it is seen that public libraries have contributed more than any other social institution in moulding the life of a nation.

It is needless to say that the basic necessities of the individuals and the society on the whole have been adequately looked after by the Government. These include schools, hospitals, police stations, gardens and public recreation centers, community halls. Public libraries are now-a-days given priority as one of the developmental factors by the Government.

It may therefore be observed that, public libraries encourage readers to get into communion with the best minds of the world, give them time to think and rethink and integrate thoughts of the best of the greatest minds into their lives.

Conclusion After having a thorough idea about the objectives and functions of public libraries in a present society and moreover its role in the socio-economic development of the country. It is clear from the above mentioned factors that the public libraries are playing a dominant role in moulding the life an individual and the society in general.

Therefore the central and the state governments must have to realise the importance of public libraries and their role in the socio-economic development of a nation. In turn they can invest more money and establish good number of public libraries especially in the rural areas to eradicate illiteracy and to provide reliable information to citizens of this country.