The Role of Public Libraries in Socio-Cultural Development in Rural Areas in India

Abstract

Generally a library is a place where individuals access information and ideas. Access to information is very crucial; it accelerates the level of individual advancement as well as corporate educational development. Information is treated as an economic resource or as a catalyst to development and for making good decision. Information society is a society in which the quality of life as well as prospects for social change and economic development depends upon access to information to meet their needs and requirements. Public libraries are an important entity in local communities, particularly in rural and disadvantaged communities. They are more than shelves of books. Public libraries offer an ever changing range of cultural resources for the community, and they have become a type of social and cultural institution. This article discusses the broadly accepted conceptualization of information for development of social and cultural activities in people of rural areas by providing the information at all the levels necessary for that. In turn, it links between community development, empowerment and rural public library usage in India.