ROLE OF PUBLIC LIBRARIES IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO VELLORE DISTRICT

The Public Library is aptly called as Common Men University and serves to the public to enlight them on the principal of democracy. The roles of the public libraries are highly appreciated since they are serving to all walks of life where as the other types of libraries are serving to heterogeneous groups for instance, a university library is work for the academics and researchers of its parent university. The public library as a social institution, it is an instrumental for social developments and as well as supplemental to the informal educational system of the society. The public libraries are treasure houses of the human race; they are the representation and symbol of human knowledge. They are also aptly called as social institutions since they are playing pivotal role in the development of the society. As they are also considered as democratic institutions, they permit every walk of life to use their resources and services. Among the different types of libraries, certainly the public library should be placed on the top of the list, since it serves to the common man of the society. As such the public library is multipurpose social institution aims to serve for betterment of the society. The growth and developments of the public libraries have a long history and these libraries are serving for the socio-economic developments of the Indian society. The roles of the public libraries for both in urban and rural areas of the country are evident and especially the information roles played by these libraries in remote villages are appreciable since these libraries are only information disseminating centres in these areas. A library develops personality and character of individuals. It provides information and ideas which are essential for responsible citizenship. It aims at creating opportunities to develop social habits and help the individuals to adjust himself to the complex society and is the ideal institution for the educational advancement of the people.