Editing Public library (section)

{{short description|Organized collection of books and information resources made accessible for the public}}
{{about||public libraries in North America|Public libraries in North America|the album by The Burning Hell|Public Library (album)}}
{{Infobox building
| image            = {{multiple image
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|total_width              = 300
|image_style              = border:1;
|caption_align            = center
|perrow                   = 1/2/2/2
|image1                   = Milwaukee Central Library Mar10.jpg
|caption1                 = [[Central Library (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)|Central Library]], [[Milwaukee, Wisconsin]]
|image2                   = Kilgore May 2016 27 (Kilgore Public Library).jpg
|caption2                 = Kilgore Central Library, [[Kilgore, Texas]]
|image3                   = Adrar - la bibliothèque مكتبة ادرار.jpg
|caption3                 = Bibliothèque, [[Adrar, Algeria]]
|image4                   = Taoyuan Main Public Library 2022-12-22.jpg
|caption4                 = [[Taoyuan Main Public Library|Main Public Library]], [[Taoyuan, Taiwan]]
|image5                   = Biblioteca Vasconcelos e Insignia.jpg
|caption5                 = [[Biblioteca Vasconcelos]], [[Mexico City, Mexico]]
|image6                   = Maadilib.JPG
|caption6                 = Public library, [[Maadi, Egypt]]
|image7                   = Tampere City Library interior 3.jpg
|caption7                 = Interior of the [[Tampere Central Library|Central Library]], [[Tampere, Finland]]
|image8                   = Entrance of National Library (Tehran, Iran).jpg
|caption8                 = Entrance of National Library, [[Tehran, Iran]]}}
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{{LibraryandInformation-TopicSidebar}}
A '''public library''' is a [[library]], most often a [[lending library]], that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by [[librarian]]s and library [[paraprofessional]]s, who are also [[Civil service|civil servant]]s.

There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries:
# they are generally supported by taxes (usually local, though any level of government can and may contribute);
# they are governed by a board to serve the public interest;
# they are open to all, and every community member can access the collection;
# they are entirely voluntary, no one is ever forced to use the services provided; and
# they provide library and information services without charge.<ref>Rubin, Richard E. ''Foundations of Library and Information Science'' (3rd ed). 2010. Neal-Schuman Publishers: New York.</ref>

Public libraries exist in many countries across the world and are often considered an essential part of having an educated and literate population. Public libraries are distinct from [[research library|research libraries]], [[school library|school libraries]], [[academic library|academic libraries]] in other states and other [[Special library|special libraries]]. Their mandate is to serve the general public's information needs rather than the needs of a particular school, institution, or research population. Public libraries also provide free services such as preschool story times to encourage early literacy among children. They also provide a quiet study and learning areas for students and professionals and foster the formation of book clubs to encourage the appreciation of literature by the young and adults. Public libraries typically allow users to borrow books and other materials outside the library premises temporarily, usually for a given period of time. They also have non-circulating [[reference]] collections and provide computer and Internet access to their patrons.