Editing Public library (section)

===Book borrowing and lending===
[[File:A municipal library, Prague - 8471.jpg|thumb|A municipal library in Prague]]
The main task of public libraries is to provide the public with access to books and periodicals. The [[American Library Association]] (ALA), addresses this role of libraries as part of "access to information"<ref>{{cite web |publisher=American Library Association (ALA) |title=Access to Information |access-date=16 July 2009 |url=http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/access/accesstoinformation/index.cfm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090630194343/http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/access/accesstoinformation/index.cfm |archive-date=30 June 2009 }}</ref> and "equity of access";<ref>{{cite web |publisher=American Library Association (ALA) |title=Equity of Access |access-date=16 July 2009 |url=http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/access/equityofaccess/index.cfm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091004054709/http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/access/equityofaccess/index.cfm |archive-date=4 October 2009 }}</ref> part of the profession's ethical commitment that "no one should be denied information because he or she cannot afford the cost of a book or periodical, have access to the internet or information in any of its various formats."<ref>{{cite web |publisher= American Library Association (ALA) |title= Access |access-date= 16 July 2009 |url= http://ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/access/index.cfm |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090728090756/http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/access/index.cfm |archive-date= 28 July 2009 |df= mdy-all }}</ref>

Libraries typically offer access to thousands, tens of thousands, or even millions of books, the majority of which are available for borrowing by anyone with the appropriate [[library card]]. A library's selection of books is called its ''collection'', and usually includes a range of popular fiction, classics, nonfiction and reference works, books of public interest or under public discussion, and subscriptions to popular newspapers and magazines. Most libraries offer quiet space for reading, known as reading rooms. Borrowers may also take books home, as long as they return them at a certain time and in good condition. If a borrowed book is returned late, the library may charge a small [[library fine]], though some libraries have eliminated fines in recent years. About two-thirds of libraries now provide access to [[e-books]] and digital or digitized periodicals as well as printed books.<ref name="plftas">{{cite web|last=Hoffman|first=Judy|title=Libraries Connect Communities: Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study 2011-2012|url=http://www.ala.org/research/sites/ala.org.research/files/content/initiatives/plftas/2011_2012/plftas12_execsummary.pdf|publisher=American Library Association|access-date=28 July 2013|author2=Bertot, John Carlo|author3=Davis, Denise|date=June 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131101153110/http://www.ala.org/research/sites/ala.org.research/files/content/initiatives/plftas/2011_2012/plftas12_execsummary.pdf|archive-date=1 November 2013}}</ref> Many libraries offer assistance to borrowers, to select books, through specialist Readers' Advisory Services librarians.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/services/public_libraries/docs/ALHF2014_EllenForsyth_SherreyQuinn.pdf|title = Reading Revived: A History of Readers' Advisory Services in Australian Public Libraries|date = 2014|access-date = 18 January 2016|publisher = State Library of New South Wales|last1 = Forsyth|first1 = Ellen|last2 = Quinn|first2 = Sherrey|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150116043855/http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/services/public_libraries/docs/ALHF2014_EllenForsyth_SherreyQuinn.pdf|archive-date = 16 January 2015}}</ref>

Public libraries also provide books and other materials for children. These items are often housed in a special section known as a children's library and attended to by a specialized children's librarian. Child oriented [[websites]] with on-line educational games and programs specifically designed for younger library users are becoming increasingly popular. Services may be provided for other groups, such as [[large print]] or [[braille]] materials, [[audiobook|books on tape]], [[young adult literature]] and other materials for teenagers, or materials in other than the national language (in foreign languages).<ref>{{Cite book|title=Introduction to Public Librarianship|last1=McCook|first1=Kathleen de la Peña|last2=Bossaller|first2=Jenny S.|publisher=ALA Neal-Schuman|year=2018|isbn=978-0-8389-1506-6|location=Chicago|pages=229–253|chapter=Chapter 8: Youth Services in Public Libraries: History, Core Services, Challenges, and Opportunities.}}</ref>

Libraries also lend books to each other, a practice known as [[interlibrary loan]]. Interlibrary loan allows libraries to provide patrons access to the collections of other libraries, especially rare, infrequently used, specialized and/or out-of-print books. Libraries within the same system, such as a county system, may lend their books to each other, or libraries in different states may even use an interlibrary loan system.

The selection, purchase and [[Library catalog|cataloging]] of books for a collection; the care, repair, and weeding of books; the organization of books in the library; [[readers' advisory]]; and the management of membership, borrowing and lending are typical tasks for a public [[librarian]], an [[information professional]] with graduate-level education or experience in [[library and information science]].<ref>Rubin, Richard E. ''Foundations of Library and Information Science'' (3rd ed. 2010)</ref>

====Privacy====
{{globalize|section|USA|date=March 2015}}
In the United States, libraries are responsible for supporting the [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]] and how it relates to their facilities through policies such as the American Library Association's [[Library Bill of Rights]]. The right to freedom of speech and information is significant to public libraries; one way of upholding this doctrine is to protect the [[privacy]] of all patrons that belong to a library. The concept of confidentiality is important because the First Amendment may be violated if a patron's information could possibly be shared.<ref>{{Cite web|date=April 2017|title=Privacy|url=http://www.ala.org/advocacy/privacy|access-date=3 March 2021|website=American Library Association (ALA)}}</ref> Patrons may not feel free to check out certain materials for fear it would later be revealed. Members of society need to be reassured that even if they borrow controversial or embarrassing materials, their privacy will be upheld.<ref name="privacy interpretation">{{cite web|title=Privacy: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights|url=http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=interpretations&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=132904|website=American Library Association|access-date=1 April 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402123448/http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=interpretations&Template=%2FContentManagement%2FContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=132904|archive-date=2 April 2015}}</ref>

Some libraries require staff to talk about confidentiality or direct the patron to literature on the subject when creating a new library card for patrons.<ref>Chmara, T. (2009). Privacy and Confidentiality Issues [electronic resource]: a guide for libraries and their lawyers/ Theresa Chmara, Chicago: American Library Association, 2009.</ref>