Pratham libraries provide children from low-income families access to colourful and interesting books in their own languages as well as in English. In each community that Pratham works in, a library has been set up either within the house of a community member and/or in the government school catering to the area. The objective is to ensure that all children in the communities have access to books that they can read. The program is also important in reinforcing what children learn at school or in their Pratham classes. Most Indian children do not possess books of their own and cannot practice their reading skills outside the classroom as books are not easily available in the neighbourhood.  

The libraries are run after school hours. The librarian (who, like all Pratham teachers, is from the same community) also visits the houses in the community to interact with the children and their parents and provide them books. She has a register containing information of all the children (6 – 14 years) in the community, and tracks the reading habits of the children.

In addition to providing books several fun filled activities such as drawing competitions, craft classes, quizzes, debates are conducted as part of the library for the children of the communities. The objective is to make learning fun, encourage creative expression and build and sustain children’s interest.