Evaluating outreach engagement practices of public libraries in the Kalutara District, Sri Lanka, with special reference to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Abstract

This paper discusses the outreach and engagement activities conducted by officers in charge of public libraries (PLs) in the Kalutara District of Sri Lanka and their alignment with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The main objective was to identify and analyse the outreach activities conducted by officers in charge of PLs in the Kalutara District. The study also examined the associations between the level of outreach activities and the designation categories and educational qualifications of the officers in charge of these PLs. A structured questionnaire was used as the data collection tool. The entire population of PLs (N = 64) was included in the study, and the response rate was 67% (n = 43). Both thematic and statistical analyses were used. Six themes of outreach activities emerged: (i) Reading Promotion and Literacy Engagement, (ii) Health Awareness and Wellbeing Outreach, (iii) Skill Development and Livelihood Support, (iv) Mobile Library and Inclusive Community Services, (v) Cultural and Community Engagement Programs, and (vi) Environmental Awareness Initiatives. These themes aligned with activities and the educational qualifications of the officers in charge of PLs (χZ = 0.88, SDGs 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 11, 13, and 15. No significant association was found between the level of outreach activities and the designations of the officers in charge of PLs (χZ = 3.77, p = .583). Moreover, no significant association was found between the level of outreach p = .927). It is recommended that outreach activities be integrated into a structured framework aligned with the SDGs, supported by capacity-building programmes, targeted training sessions, short courses, impact-assessment initiatives, monitoring indicators, institutional support mechanisms, sustainable funding pathways, and stronger community partnerships to standardise community outreach activities in the study sample.