Libraries as democratic infrastructure for education and public life

Libraries as democratic infrastructure for education and public life | Photo: Matthew Feeney

Published on 16 July 2026 at 05:42 GMT

By Editorial Team SDG4

Libraries are often treated as cultural amenities whose importance has diminished in the digital age. That view misunderstands both their purpose and the conditions of modern public life. Libraries as democratic infrastructure provide books, internet access, reliable information, language learning, study facilities and community space without requiring users to prove their income, status or purchasing power. At a time of educational inequality, costly connectivity and growing distrust in information, their public role has become more urgent rather than less relevant.

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) represents libraries and information professionals internationally. Its work, including cooperation with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), places libraries within wider debates about education, cultural participation, freedom of expression and access to information. The 2022 IFLA-UNESCO Public Library Manifesto describes the public library as a living force for education, culture, inclusion and information.

That description points to a broader political reality. Democracies depend not only on elections, legislatures and courts, but also on institutions that allow people to understand the society in which they live. Citizens need spaces where they can obtain information, compare sources, study public policy and encounter perspectives beyond their immediate social circles. When access to these resources depends entirely on household income or commercial platforms, participation becomes unequal.

A public library is therefore more than a building containing books. It is part of a society’s public knowledge infrastructure, alongside schools, archives, universities, public broadcasters and statistical institutions. Its distinctive contribution is accessibility. Public libraries generally serve people across age groups and educational levels, including children learning to read, students seeking quiet study space, adults developing new skills, migrants learning a local language and older people navigating increasingly digital services.

This broad public mandate connects directly with SDG 4 (quality education), which calls for inclusive and equitable education and lifelong learning opportunities for all. Education does not begin and end in the classroom. Learning continues through reading, independent research, professional development, cultural participation and access to digital resources. Libraries support these activities without limiting them to people enrolled in formal institutions.

Their role is particularly important where educational resources are unevenly distributed. A student with a private room, a laptop, stable broadband and access to paid databases begins from a different position from one living in crowded housing without reliable connectivity. A library cannot eliminate the economic inequality behind that difference, but it can reduce some of its educational consequences by offering free access to knowledge, equipment and a place to concentrate.

The same principle applies to adult education. Changes in labour markets require many people to update their skills, search for work or complete online applications. Public agencies and employers increasingly assume that citizens have digital devices, internet connections and the confidence to use them. That assumption excludes people who lack equipment, experience or secure access. Through computers, connectivity and staff assistance, libraries can provide a practical bridge between digital systems and the people expected to use them.

This function has become more significant as government services move online. Applications for benefits, housing, identification documents, education and employment may now depend on digital forms and accounts. For citizens who cannot complete these processes independently, a librarian may become an informal guide to public administration. Yet this raises an important tension. Libraries are frequently asked to compensate for inaccessible government systems without receiving the staffing, training or funding needed to perform that role.

Digital inclusion is not achieved merely by installing computers. Meaningful access also requires affordable connectivity, accessible software, relevant content, language support and the ability to judge whether information is reliable. Libraries can contribute to digital and media literacy by helping users search effectively, understand sources and recognise misleading material. These are educational skills, but they also affect public health, civic participation and social cohesion.

The democratic value of libraries lies partly in their commitment to intellectual freedom. A functioning library should make diverse materials available rather than directing readers towards a single approved account of history, politics or society. Through its Advisory Committee on Freedom of Access to Information and Freedom of Expression, IFLA links librarianship with the defence of freedom of access to information.

That responsibility is increasingly contested. Libraries in different political systems face censorship, pressure over collections, restrictions on public discussion and disputes about which communities should be represented. Decisions about acquiring or removing books can become symbolic battles within wider cultural conflicts. Libraries cannot avoid all disagreement, nor should they be treated as politically neutral in the sense of being detached from rights. Their task is to apply transparent professional standards while protecting lawful inquiry, pluralism and equitable access.

Libraries also perform a social function that is difficult to reproduce online. They are among the remaining shared public spaces where entry is not normally dependent on consumption. People can read, work, attend an event or spend time indoors without being expected to buy something. In cities shaped by commercial development and shrinking public space, this openness has civic value.

The description of libraries as safe spaces requires some qualification. Safety depends on staffing, accessibility, building design and relationships with local communities. Libraries may struggle to respond to homelessness, mental distress, discrimination or conflict among users, especially where other social services are inadequate. Staff members cannot replace trained health, housing or welfare professionals. Expectations placed upon libraries must therefore be matched by cooperation with relevant public agencies.

Libraries can also strengthen social connection through reading groups, exhibitions, children’s activities, language classes and local history projects. Such programmes may bring together residents who would otherwise have little contact. This does not automatically create social cohesion, but it can provide the conditions for participation by making public space available to different groups.

Their local role is complemented by the preservation of collective memory. Libraries and archives maintain documents, publications and cultural records that allow societies to examine their past. Preservation is not merely a technical activity. Decisions about what is collected, catalogued and made visible influence whose experiences become part of the historical record. More representative collections can help communities understand both shared histories and unresolved inequalities.

However, the public value of libraries cannot be separated from their material conditions. Sustainable public funding is essential because the core service is designed to remain accessible regardless of an individual’s ability to pay. Funding reductions can produce shorter opening hours, fewer trained staff, outdated technology and declining collections. Once services weaken, reduced use may then be cited as justification for further cuts, creating a cycle of managed decline.

Measurement presents another difficulty. Library success is sometimes assessed primarily through visitor numbers, loans or event attendance. These indicators are useful but incomplete. They do not fully capture the significance of a person gaining internet access for a job application, finding trusted health information, learning to read in a new language or studying in a stable environment. Public institutions should be accountable, but evaluation must recognise both measurable outputs and less visible social value.

New technologies create opportunities as well as pressures. Digital lending and online catalogues can extend access beyond opening hours and serve people unable to travel. At the same time, electronic publishing often operates through licensing arrangements rather than permanent ownership. Libraries may face high costs, lending restrictions and dependence on private technology providers. Digital access can therefore expand the reach of libraries while reducing their control over collections and preservation.

Artificial intelligence adds another layer to the issue. Generative systems can produce plausible but inaccurate information, increasing the importance of source evaluation and verifiable records. Libraries may assist users in understanding these tools, but they must also consider privacy, copyright, bias and the commercial use of personal data. Media and information literacy will become more important as the distinction between authentic, manipulated and automatically generated content becomes harder to recognise.

The international library sector cannot rely on a single model. A well-funded urban library network operates under different conditions from a rural library with limited electricity or connectivity. Mobile libraries, community information centres and partnerships with schools may be more appropriate in sparsely populated or under-resourced areas. Local language materials and accessible formats are also essential if services are to reach linguistic minorities and people with disabilities.

The United Nations has recognised that libraries can support sustainable development through literacy, information access, digital skills and community space. Although their most direct connection is with SDG 4, libraries may also contribute to SDG 10 (reduced inequalities) by lowering barriers to information, and SDG 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions) by supporting access to public information and informed participation. These contributions should not be overstated, but they show why library policy belongs within broader development planning.

The case for libraries is not based on nostalgia for printed books. Books remain central, but the institution’s deeper purpose is to organise knowledge and make it publicly accessible. That purpose applies equally to digital resources, public records, educational programmes and community learning. Libraries matter because information abundance has not produced equal understanding. Greater quantities of content can coexist with exclusion, misinformation and a lack of trusted guidance.

Treating libraries as democratic infrastructure changes the policy question. Instead of asking whether libraries remain popular enough to justify support, governments should ask what level of access to knowledge a fair and functioning society requires. Roads allow physical movement, schools support formal education and communications networks carry data. Libraries help people convert information into learning, agency and participation.

Their future depends on political choices about funding, professional independence and the meaning of public provision. Libraries cannot solve educational inequality, digital exclusion or democratic distrust alone. They can, however, provide lifelong learning opportunities and an accessible civic foundation from which people can respond to those challenges. A society that weakens its libraries may save money in the short term, but it also narrows the spaces in which knowledge remains a public good.

Further information:

* International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, the principal international body representing library and information services and a central source on access to information and library policy. https://www.ifla.org/

* UNESCO, co-author of the 2022 Public Library Manifesto and a United Nations agency working on education, culture, information and knowledge access. https://www.unesco.org/en/libraries

* United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the official source for SDG 4 and its targets on inclusive education and lifelong learning. https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal4

* Electronic Information for Libraries, an international non-profit supporting access to knowledge through libraries in developing and transition economies. https://www.eifl.net/