Public libraries play vastly different roles in providing Internet access and information services. In some countries, they are active players and have adopted new technologies and launched innovative services to meet community information needs. In other countries, however, libraries are routinely overlooked when new information-access initiatives are designed. The Perceptions of Libraries as Development Partners project highlights the opportunities and challenges for libraries to serve as more prominent development partners. The research, covering 12 countries in the developing world and several international development agencies, assesses perceptions of public libraries through interviews with library sector innovators, national-level library and information-access planners, and development policy leaders.

This project is part of the Beyond Access: Libraries Powering Development initiative.