Libraries and Their Role in Community Development

Abstract

The study aimed to identify the role of public libraries in community development in Salah al-Din, applied to a purposive sample from Salah al-Din Governorate. The results of the field study revealed the following:

1. The study showed that the majority of the research sample, consisting of (100) individuals, frequent public libraries, with a rate of 80% for both genders.
2. The study indicated that the research sample prefers reading political books, which accounted for (61/30%), followed by social books at (512/25%), and then cultural books at (26/13%). This preference is primarily attributed to the enlightenment occurring in public opinion.
3. Public libraries play a significant role in community development among the residents of Salah al-Din Governorate.

The interaction between the public and the contents of public libraries is linked to the libraries and their staff’s understanding of the needs, knowledge, and awareness sought by the local community, including its members.