Public libraries support
a democratic society

The access to information that public libraries offer to Canadians, regardless of race, class, income, age or gender, assists in supporting and encouraging democracy and improves the quality of citizens' lives.

• in measuring the development of countries, the United Nations noted as positive the fact that industrialized nations have on average "more than five library books" for every person (United Nations, 1995, p.17)

A citizen's access to information is an essential component of an effective democratic process.

• "Democracies vest supreme power in the people. Libraries make democracy work by providing access to information so that citizens can make the decisions necessary to govern themselves" ("12 Ways Libraries are Good for the Country", 1995, American Libraries 26. p.1114)

• Canadian public libraries help to ensure that those living in rural communities are not isolated from information resources. In 1994, British Columbia Library Services mailed 11,544 books to individuals who had no local library service (British Columbia Public Library Statistics 1994, p.60)

Furthermore, public libraries are the primary site to locate information about and produced by the various levels of government. Governments, in turn, depend on libraries to collect and disseminate government information. As governments are increasingly making information available in electronic format only, it becomes even more important for libraries to provide electronic access to their users free of charge, so all members of the community, regardless of income bracket, will be able to find needed government information.

• Canadian public libraries are the major distribution channel of government documents to the public. Through the Depository Services Program, libraries receive government information. "By using the infrastructure of the library community to provide access, the federal government guarantees long-term and wide-spread availability of information gathered... the partnership provides government with an efficient conduit to promote itself, its role and its programs" (Canadian Government Publishing Centre, 1990, p.3)