Public Libraries: Celebrating Diversity
The origin of Public libraries is grounded in equity and the advancement or enrichment of the individual. The original intention was to reduce the class divide in society and offer an equitable platform to promote values of self help to enable, facilitate and empower individuals and communities econ...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Conference or Workshop Item |
| Language: | English |
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2012
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| Online Access: | http://eprints.usm.my/31274/1/Public_library_celebrating_dieversity.pdf |
| _version_ | 1825832506602029056 |
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| author | Chelliah, Jes Combes, Barbara Brown, Justin |
| author_facet | Chelliah, Jes Combes, Barbara Brown, Justin |
| author_sort | Chelliah, Jes |
| collection | USM |
| description | The origin of Public libraries is grounded in equity and the advancement or enrichment of the individual. The original intention was to reduce the class divide in society and offer an equitable platform to promote values of self help to enable, facilitate and empower individuals and communities economically, socially and politically. The public library system provides access to information and community facilities for marginalized groups in populations, including low socio economic status (SES) families, the aged, people with special needs and ethnic minorities. Poor language skills in the dominant language, inadequate education, poor finances, and lack of access to computer technologies and relevant skills, hinder access to information, community facilities and life opportunities. In cases where formal education is lacking or even absent, the public library is positioned to function as an informal education conduit for facilitating lifelong learning. Strategically located in both urban and rural population centres, the seventeen hundred (1700) public libraries that make up the Australian public library network provide a viable infrastructure to enable equity of access to information, social inclusion and to influence the development of social capital in multicultural Australia. This paper will examine the research and current state of play in Australian public libraries and investigate the notion that public libraries have a role in facilitating community building for non-English speaking ethnic groups. It is part of a much larger PhD study investigating opportunities for building sustainable communities and nation building for a multicultural Australia. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-06T14:53:53Z |
| format | Conference or Workshop Item |
| id | usm.eprints-31274 |
| institution | Universiti Sains Malaysia |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-06T14:53:53Z |
| publishDate | 2012 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | usm.eprints-312742016-12-20T03:43:15Z http://eprints.usm.my/31274/ Public Libraries: Celebrating Diversity Chelliah, Jes Combes, Barbara Brown, Justin Z719 Libraries (General) The origin of Public libraries is grounded in equity and the advancement or enrichment of the individual. The original intention was to reduce the class divide in society and offer an equitable platform to promote values of self help to enable, facilitate and empower individuals and communities economically, socially and politically. The public library system provides access to information and community facilities for marginalized groups in populations, including low socio economic status (SES) families, the aged, people with special needs and ethnic minorities. Poor language skills in the dominant language, inadequate education, poor finances, and lack of access to computer technologies and relevant skills, hinder access to information, community facilities and life opportunities. In cases where formal education is lacking or even absent, the public library is positioned to function as an informal education conduit for facilitating lifelong learning. Strategically located in both urban and rural population centres, the seventeen hundred (1700) public libraries that make up the Australian public library network provide a viable infrastructure to enable equity of access to information, social inclusion and to influence the development of social capital in multicultural Australia. This paper will examine the research and current state of play in Australian public libraries and investigate the notion that public libraries have a role in facilitating community building for non-English speaking ethnic groups. It is part of a much larger PhD study investigating opportunities for building sustainable communities and nation building for a multicultural Australia. 2012-07-02 Conference or Workshop Item PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://eprints.usm.my/31274/1/Public_library_celebrating_dieversity.pdf Chelliah, Jes and Combes, Barbara and Brown, Justin (2012) Public Libraries: Celebrating Diversity. In: International Conference On Libraries (ICOL) 2012: Transformation To Humanize Libraries, 2-4 July 2012, Renaissance Hotel, Kota Bharu, Kelantan. https://sites.google.com/site/usmicol2012 |
| spellingShingle | Z719 Libraries (General) Chelliah, Jes Combes, Barbara Brown, Justin Public Libraries: Celebrating Diversity |
| title | Public Libraries: Celebrating Diversity |
| title_full | Public Libraries: Celebrating Diversity |
| title_fullStr | Public Libraries: Celebrating Diversity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Public Libraries: Celebrating Diversity |
| title_short | Public Libraries: Celebrating Diversity |
| title_sort | public libraries celebrating diversity |
| topic | Z719 Libraries (General) |
| url | http://eprints.usm.my/31274/1/Public_library_celebrating_dieversity.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT chelliahjes publiclibrariescelebratingdiversity AT combesbarbara publiclibrariescelebratingdiversity AT brownjustin publiclibrariescelebratingdiversity |