Public Libraries As Community Engagement Hub: An Analytical Study

Abstract

The present study assessed the participation of the communities in the community engagement program and services offered by public libraries. Public libraries are people’s own spaces and revamping them with more community engagement activities will boost them to be the nucleus of society and a most sought after community engagement hub. The main objectives of the study were to understand the current status of public library services offered to the community and to assess the utilization of community services by community members through the libraries. Moreover, it tries to identify the challenges faced by both users and librarians in the utilization of these programs. The study was conducted among the different reader group communities usually seen in public libraries under the Kerala State Library Council. A well-structured questionnaire was prepared to collect information from library users using Google fforms, and interviews with the librarians were also conducted to collect data. The study concluded that most users take advantage of the ccommunity services provided by public libraries, and they also require additional services from the library, such as free Wi-Fi, ICT facilities, and more e-governance services.