Public Library Management

Freedom, Prosperity and the Development of society and individuals are fundamental human values. They will only be attained through the ability of well-informed citizens to exercise their democratic rights and to play an active role in society. Constructive participation and the development of democracy depend on satisfactory education as well as on free and unlimited access to knowledge, thought, culture and information. The public library, the local gateway to knowledge, provides a basic condition for lifelong learning, independent decision-making and cultural development of the individual and social groups. The Public Library is the local center of information, making all kinds of knowledge and information readily available to its users. During the 20th century education has become recognized as an individual right; for the individual, education and learning is a road to personal development and a richer life. Furthermore, a higher general level of education is a necessary prerequisite for economic growth and employment. During the last decades, the necessity of lifelong learning has been on the top of the political agenda. In a society of lifelong learning - whether of a formal or informal nature- public libraries will be nodes connecting the local learning setting with the global resources of information and knowledge. Public libraries must therefore be allowed to play a role of fundamental importance in the development of future systems of lifelong learning. The development of the information and communication technology has already laid the basis for the creation of information networks, giving users even of small local public libraries access to the world wide sources of information. The public libraries also offer guidance and training in information search and quality rating of information sources. Thus, public libraries are necessary if not sufficient prerequisites for a democratic knowledge society. In this new situation public libraries and professional librarians will though have to change and adapt to new demands, professional tasks and working conditions. At the present though, we need more knowledge about how libraries and the professional profiles of librarians should be designed in order to improve their preconditions to meet the new needs and demands directed towards them. Libraries have developed in concert with their local and national history.