From IFLA:
As public spaces, open to all members of the community, libraries enable people to exercise and enjoy their human rights. A new report from the UN Special Rapporteur on Cultural Rights highlights this role, and the conditions for it to be realised. It provides a useful advocacy tool for libraries.
Libraries around the world are increasingly realising the potential of their spaces as a means of delivering on their missions. In addition to being quiet places to study, they are proving their value as spaces for meetings, workshops and for community interaction.
Especially in a digital age, these physical spaces have an important role both for individuals and communities. They provide opportunities to realise a variety of human rights, including participation in civic life, freedom of access to information, and cultural rights. They allow for a social, shared dimension to rights, going beyond the individual.
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Direct to Full Text: Report of the Special Rapporteur in the Field of Cultural Right (via UN)
24 pages; PDF.