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Chapter 4
Community Service
Education, especially adult education, has been a major
force in shaping the program of library services the JPL has
rendered to the Janesville community throughout its history. The
focus of these service efforts changed from time to time, from an
advisory role and later to community services and
library-sponsored group activities. It was, however, a
progression consistent with the materials-centered services and
informational and recreational functions of the JPL adapted to
the needs of special groups in the community. Current statements
of library objectives are couched in terms of the JPL's
commitment to serving informational and recreational needs as a
form of community service.
The general purpose of the Janesville Public
Library is to serve the community as a reliable source
of information, self-education, and intellectual
stimulation and recreation through an effective library
program of books, materials, and services.
There is a certain ambiguity and common ground to the terms
'community service," and "extension services" as librarians
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