The use of libraries as a space for socializing in the process of lifelong learning: The example of KAUST Public Library

Lifelong learning is an individual's learning of how to improve his/her knowledge and skills throughout his/her life. One of the most important institutions for lifelong learning is public libraries. Public libraries open their doors to everyone, regardless of their age, race, language, religion and social class. Owing to public libraries, every individual from each social group can be involved in the life learning process with no cost. Through the different services they provide, public libraries aim for individuals to be literate and for the society to be informed. For an individual to be literate and a society to be informed, the individuals must have the ability to improve their knowledge and skills. In other words, the individual must be actively involved in his/her lifelong learning process. The public libraries, in aiming to attract the individuals to the library through different services, activities, and courses they provide, involves the library users in their lifelong learning process. The aim of this study is to provide examples for the lifelong learning activities that can be organized in public libraries to attract library users. In this study, the use of libraries as a space for socializing in the process of lifelong learning is explained by using the KAUST Public Library located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia as an example. To this end, the activities organized by the KAUST Public Library has been investigated through observation by attending the events. For the thesis project, a survey titled "The Use of the KAUST Public Library as a Space for Socializing" has been conducted with 300 people. With this survey, the demographic of the library's most frequent users, and who out of the working class, students, and house-wives uses the public library the most and for what vi aim has been determined. According to the obtained results, our hypothesis that "the use of libraries as a space for socializing has a great positive effect in the process of lifelong learning, especially for families" has been verified. Homemakers benefit the most from the lifelong learning activities organized by the library. They take their children to the KAUST public libraries for them to socialize and to acquire the habit of reading.