More and more studies show that the role of the public library is changing from a passive research institute that focuses on reading for entertainment to an active institute that is aligned with economic development. A study on the influence of the public library on local economic development, authorized by the U. S. City Library Commission and sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, shows that with respect to the cultivation of skills and capabilities, the support for starting an enterprise, and urban constructions to enhance the mobility and livability of a city, the city public library plays an essential role that promotes the development of the new economy, the economy for the next generation. In this world, all the developed countries that pay attention to the public demand of library information, the construction of library software and hardware, as well as the economic development and the knowledge competitiveness of a given country, have devised a series of guidelines for the promotion of future library development and direction. These guidelines take the form of policy statements, white papers, reports, plans, and other related documents. With the impact of rapid changes in the development of society, global economic development, and the creative innovation of digital technology and communication systems, a set of guidelines for library information services is particularly significant. The libraries in Singapore, the United Kingdom, Finland, Denmark and Sweden have made much progress because of the national development plans and policies set up by their governments. In the past twenty years, the ROC's government has come up with several national projects concerning the development of the public library which have been of immense significance. This study will introduce and compare the policies and plans for the development of the public library in different countries and explain their influences with specific examples.