The library's role as a general information service and referral centre

Advice and information services have been developing considerably in Great Britain for the last years. They are derived from local or central government, or depend on agencies and associations; they cover all the daylife topics. Public libraries, which had first stayed aside, started to get involved in that kind of action. After a survey of the different information services, the author describes the various alternatives that can be open to libraries. He urges, not only that the action of the library should be combined with the needs of the local environment (study of the needs, contacts with other advice centers), but also that a clear distinction should be made between the different actions : from documentation displaying to information and advice delivering.
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