The Role of the Public Library in the Fight against Illiteracy

Wherever we may live or toil or strive, we have to face the grim surety that, all around us, social problems of all kinds do in fact abound. Society can boast of the opportunities that it has generated over time, to invest in the education of its populace. But in many countries, illiteracy is still rife. The primary mission of this book is to elicit a wholesome debate on what, in this day and age, transcends beyond the traditional definition of the term. Rapid technological change has indubitably left its mark and increased the pressure on those who were seeking to reach the desired level of independence and self fulfilment; persons who partly because of defaults in the system have missed the opportunity to glean all the benefits. Following a review of current approaches, the author contends that, the public library justly remains the right locum where all actors could participate in any ensemble geared to complete the jigsaw. The approaches used in the book were specifically meant to open the doors for discussion amongst policy-makers, educators, psychologists, social workers, librarians and well meaning professionals who pride themselves with the joy of helping others.Shorttitle