Public Libraries in Palestine: Reality and Solutions

Abstract

This study examined the current status of 53 public libraries in Palestine established by both the municipalities and NGO's,in orderto find out the extent of the services provided by these libraries in the following areas: location, size, furniture, equipment, staff, users and resources. This study also aimed to identify the difficulties that hinder these libraries from performing their functions. The study used the survey method based on three questionnaires. The first one was sent to the director of each public library, while another survey was given to the clients and users of these libraries. The third survey was given to members of the general public who do not use libraries in order to gauge public awareness concerning libraries and to discern how to attract the public to come to libraries in order to find reading material. The researcher also visited some of these libraries to interview employees in order to identify the strengths and weaknesses of Palestinian public libraries. The results of this study will assist libraries to achieve a leading role in Palestinian society. This study was analyzed in collaboration with SPARK Consulting & Training Center.