Public Libraries

Lifelong Learning for Local Communities

Public libraries were initially established in the United States as a supplement to the public school systems, to provide books and journals for general culture, political issues, and career advancement. Librarians spent a great deal of time identifying the best books; they added popular fiction mainly to attract readers to these “better” books, but they later realized that many people simply enjoyed having recreational reading available. By the mid-1890s, librarians began to assume a more assertive stance in developing community-based services aimed at educating children, providing information, and helping immigrants. As librarians became more actively involved in their communities—a move that accelerated during World War I—they participated in the growing adult education movement. By the late 1930s, the idea of the public library as “the people's university” took hold, and the library was viewed as a potential leader in adult education in the local community.

This educational mission has persisted as a central purpose of public libraries in the United States; libraries now provide a continuum of services, including ensuring basic literacy, supplying those who need English-as-a-Second-Language materials, and offering free-choice learning. These services are almost always in partnership with community agencies such as Head Start, adult basic education programs, and state humanities councils.

Public librarians today offer services that reflect the needs of local communities—from literacy classes for the Kootenai Indians and Spanish-speaking residents in the Boundary Library District of Idaho to the many book festivals and One Community, One Book initiatives throughout the nation. Through these initiatives, a community (it could be a city or even a state) reads and discusses the same book. From people in Lafayette, Louisiana, reading the work of Ernest Gaines, to those in Eugene, Oregon, reading Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Kesey, public libraries bring communities together around life's profound meanings.

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