Libraries As Agents Of Empowerment: An Empirical Study Of Delhi Public Library And State Central Library, Trivandrum

Abstract

Libraries have been the gateways that connect people to the world of knowledge. As a social institution, libraries meet the needs and demands of their communities. This study explores the role of libraries in empowering communities such as women, children, and disabled people through their new initiatives and other specific programmes. This paper presents a case study of the Delhi Public Library at the national level and the State Central Library, Thiruvananthapuram, at the state level, focusing on the services they offer to women, children, and people with disabilities. The investigator collected the data through e-mail, and the study explored how the library grew from a mere centre of lending of books to a living organisation devoted to promoting intellectual pursuits and creating community rapport among women, children, and differently abled readers.