Abstract
This study examined the capacity of Public Libraries in South East
Geo-political zone of Nigeria to drive local development in their
areas of jurisdiction. It was a survey research. The five public
libraries in South East Nigeria serve as the population of the study.
Interviews and observation were used for data gathering. The
collected data were analyzed using content analysis which involves
sorting the collected data, coding, interpretation and transferring to
percentages. The result of the study showed that there is shortage of
professional staff in public libraries in South East Geo-political zone
of Nigeria amongst others. The authors concluded that Public
Libraries in South East Geo-political zone of Nigeria lack the
capacity to drive rural development in their areas of jurisdiction. It
was recommended that public libraries should employ more
professional staff to enhance information delivery for local
development and that local communities should support public
libraries through donations by philanthropic individuals within the
community amongst others.