Organized collection of books and information resources made accessible for the public
For public libraries in North America, see Public libraries in North America. For the album by The Burning Hell, see Public Library (album).
Public library
Central Library, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Bibliothèque, Adrar, Algeria
Main Public Library, Taoyuan, Taiwan
Biblioteca Vasconcelos, Mexico City, Mexico
Public library, Maadi, Egypt
Interior of the Central Library, Tampere, Finland
Entrance of National Library, Tehran, Iran
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A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also civil servants.
There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries: they are generally supported by taxes (usually local, though any level of government can and may contribute); they are governed by a board to serve the public interest; they are open to all, and every community member can access the collection; they are entirely voluntary, no one is ever forced to use the services provided and they provide library and information services without charge.[1]
Public libraries exist in many countries across the world and are often considered an essential part of having an educated and literate population. Public libraries are distinct from research libraries, school libraries, academic libraries in other states and other special libraries. Their mandate is to serve the general public's information needs rather than the needs of a particular school, institution, or research population. Public libraries also provide free services such as preschool story times to encourage early literacy among children. They also provide a quiet study and learning areas for students and professionals and foster the formation of book clubs to encourage the appreciation of literature by the young and adults. Public libraries typically allow users to borrow books and other materials outside the library premises temporarily, usually for a given period of time. They also have non-circulating reference collections and provide computer and Internet access to their patrons.
^Rubin, Richard E. Foundations of Library and Information Science (3rd ed). 2010. Neal-Schuman Publishers: New York.
A publiclibrary is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such...
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A publiclibrary is a library that is accessible by the general public and is generally funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians...
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