Main district library plus branch and mobile units, free for on-site reading and lending to members.
Sambalpur has 29.9 public libraries per 10 lakh population, better than the typical district. 9.6% of women read a newspaper regularly, behind the typical district. 21.1% use the internet, behind the typical district. The Public Library remains one of the few free, physical spaces for reading and study in the district.
80% of registered enterprises are in services while 20% are in manufacturing. Only 6% of employment is in small and medium enterprises. 79% of school-age children are enrolled in higher secondary school (classes 9–12).
In Sambalpur, which ranks 7 of 30 in Odisha for youth opportunity, the overall opportunity score is 47.6 out of 100. It trails the national picture on young men using the internet at 46.6%. On young men who read a newspaper regularly at 26.2%, it sits close to the national mark.