ABSTRACT
Every library, and every librarian, has an educational role to play. Policy makers from across the world have placed great emphasis on the value of education and literacy. For some however, links between libraries and learning have become increasingly problematic. Some readers described how they used their recreational reading to gain a wider education, obtaining insights into politics, history, anthropology, science, and geography via works of imagination. Supporting formal and informal education for young people according to Eyre has, always been 'central to the philosophy of library provision'. Public library services and professional associations across the world have been involved in various projects to promote the basic skill of literacy. The American historian Harris far from celebrating the public library's educational function views it as an instrument of social control. 'Education, education, education' in its various forms can enable people to escape from a limited and materialistic world. Traditionally, education has been at the heart of the public library service.
