Abstract

Outreach activities refer to organized initiatives undertaken by an institution to extend its services beyond its immediate community to support social development. The term “Social engagement” mentions the active participation of individuals or institutions in collaborative community initiatives aimed to promote social development and well-being. This research examines the outreach and social engagement activities carried out by the University of Jaffna Library a five-year period from 2019 to 2023, reflecting role of an academic library in post-conflict community development. Despite academic libraries are recognized as significant agents of social inclusion and community engagement, there are limited empirical evidences on how University libraries contribute to social inclusion and post-conflict reconstruction. This study used a qualitative case study method. The data were collected from primary and secondary sources such as document analysis, site observations, and semi-structured interviews with purposively selected participants. The selected data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis, involving categorization, coding, and thematic analysis with the use of Microsoft Word and Excel. The analysis identified key themes such as outreach strategies, stakeholder collaboration, community impacts, and implementation challenges. Key outreach activities included capacity-building programmes for teacher-librarians, support for rural school library, establishment of a prison library, information literacy for school communities, and maternal health sessions for pregnant women. The findings show that these initiatives significantly contributed to advancement of social inclusion, health awareness, rehabilitation, and lifelong learning in the post – conflict society, as evidenced through participant feedback, and documentary analysis. The research also identified key challenges such as budget limitations, and limited technological resources. Based on the findings, the study recommends some suggestions to enhance outreach activities of library included strengthening stakeholder collaborations, and expanding community awareness programmes. This study highlights the transformative role of academic libraries in bridging educational and informational gaps and promoting social transformation beyond University boundaries in post-conflict societies.