Engaging in Community Development Practices, Public Libraries as Flagship Bearers: A case study of Mulanthuruthy Public Library in Ernakulum District, Kerala, India

Libraries are reservoirs of information, curated and systematically organized to be accessible to the community to meet their knowledge and leisure needs. It is a one-stop location that provides access to a wide range of information, knowledge and references. Public Library is defined as “a library which is accessible to the public and generally funded from a public source as its name suggests, it is for the people, by the people, and of the people”. Libraries can contribute to a lot of the development of the local community. The interventions they can make in a community is tremendous. Community development happens due to various processes coming together, such as empowerment, capacity building, and rural development, achieving self-sufficiency, and developing community self-sufficiency. To realize the same, collective action, ownership, and improved circumstances are basic. With community development, what is achieved is economic development and improved living standards and the capacity for change for a better future. This paper is a case study of Mulanthuruthy Public Library in Ernakulum district in Kerala, India. The case study is focusing on the role of public libraries in community development. The article emphasizes the various initiatives, programs, and activities done by the library and how those programs and actions contributed to a change in the community. The library promotes an extensive amount of activities in the community that foster the skills and qualities of life of people in the community and its development in multiple dimensions