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Library

Definition

Types of Libraries

      Based on Mission

                   National Library

                   Public Library

                   Academic Library

                   Personal / Private Library

                   Archives

      Based on Tecnology

                   Library (Traditional)

                   Automated Library

                   Electronic library

                   Digital Library

                   Virtual Library

                   Hybrid Library

      UNESCO Division

                    National Libraries

                    Libraries of institutions of higher education

                                       University library

                                       Libraries attached to university/institute or department

                                       Libraries which are not part of a university

                    Other major non specialized libraries

                    School libraries (size of collection only printed materials and manuscripts)

                                        up to 2000 volumes

                                        From 2001 to 5000 volumes

                                        More than 5000 volumes

                    Special libraries open to the public

                    Special libraries, reserved for their primary user

                    Public Libraries financed by the public authorities, size of collection

                                         Up to 2000 volumes

                                         From 2001 to 5000 volumes

                                         From 5001 to 10000 volumes

                                         More than 10,000 volumes

                                                                                                                                                                       

                                     Library                                  

 Library are congenial homes of ideas to be enjoyed, valued and used regularly by all. Libraries almost invariably contain long passageway to rows of books. order according to a library, classification scheme, so that items can be located quickly and collections can be browsed efficiently. Some libraries have additional galleries beyond the public ones, where reference materials are stored. These reference stacks may be open to selected members. Others require patrons to submit a "stack request"; which is a request for an assistant to retrieve the material from the closed stacks. In today's context most of the libraries provide open access to its entire collection. 

 Technical services work behind the scene, it includes selection acquisition, cataloguing and classification of new arrivals and weeding out of obsolete and unused materials. Collection development orders materials and maintains materials budgets. Larger libraries are often broken down into departments staffed by both para- professionals and professional librarian. Circulation handles user accounts and the loaning / returning and shelving of materials. Reference staffs in the reference desk provide answer to user questions (using structured reference interviews), instruct users and develop library pro-gramming. Reference may be further broken down by user groups or materials such as youth, teen, or special collections. 

 Since the advancement in technology made it possible to store information and media in the form other than books, many libraries now act as repositories and access points for a variety of micro f ilm, microfiche, audio tapes, video tapes, CDs, and DVDs and provide public facilities to access CD-ROM and subscription data-bases over the internet. Thus, modern libraries are increasingly being redefined as places to get unrestricted access to information in many formats and from many sources. 

 1. Definition                                                                                         

 The word "library" comes from the latin word liber = Book. Library means a collection of written, printed or digital reading material organized to provide different services to the user with the help of a trained staff. It is a collection of sources, resources, and. services, and the structure in which it is housed, it is organized for use and maintained by a public body, an institution or an individual. However, with the sets and collection of media and of media other than books for storing information, many libraries are now also repositories and access points for maps, prints or other documents and various storage media such as microform (microfilm/microfiche), audio tapes, CDs, cassettes, video tapes, and DVDs. Libraries may also provide public facilities to access subscription databases and the internet. Although mostly free to access and use, some libraries access service charges for some services, such as checking out new fiction DVDs interlibrary loan, Document Delivery service, etc. 

 ALA glossary of library and information science has defined library as "a collection of material organized to provide physical, bibliographical and intellectual access to a target group, with a staff that is trained to provide services and programmes related to the information needs of the target groups". 

 According to Dr. S. R. Ranganathan the father of library science in India, "a library is a public institution or establishment charged with the care of collection of books, the duty of making them accessible to those who require the use of them and the task of converting every person in its neighborhood into a habitual library goers and reader of books". 

 The word "Library collection" is synonymous with holdings. It is the total accumulation of books and other materials owned by a library, organized and cataloged for ease of access by its users. Encyclopaedia of library and Information science describes library collection as "the sum total of library materials - books, manuscripts, serial, government documents, pamphlets, catalogues, repot, recording, microfilms reels, micro cards and microfiche, punched cards, computer tapes etc. that make up the holding of a particular type of library". 

 Modern libraries are increasingly being redefined as places to get unrestricted access to information in many format and from many sources. They are understood as extending beyond the four walls of a building, by including material accessible by electronic means, and by providing the assistance of librarians in navigating and analyzing tremendous amounts of knowledge with a variety of digital tools.

 2. Types of Libraries                                                                            

 No single library can contain the information sought by every potential user, as a result, different types of libraries exist to serve different needs. Libraries can be divided into categories by the following methods. 

 2.1 Based on Mission 

 The following are the main types of libraries based upon their mission. 

 a. National Library 

 The mission is to preserve the cultural heritage of a nation. Eg. The National Library of India, Kolkata. 

 The National library, India is the largest library in the country. It is an institution of national importance under the Ministry of culture, Government of India. 

 Calcutta Public library was established in 1836. 

 The Imperial Library was established in 1891. 

 After Independence the Gort. of India changed the name of the Imperial library to the National Library, with the enactment of the Imperial Library (change of Name) Act. 1948 

 On 1 February 1953, the National Library was opened to the public, inaugurated by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. B.S. Kesavan was appointed the first Librarian of the national library. 

 Some other National Libraries in India

Name.                                                                             Place of establishment             Established Years 1. National Library of India.                                                    Kolkata.                                    1948              2. National Library for Blinds  and Handicaps                   Dehradun.                                  1979           3. National Sciences library.                                            Delhi, NISCAIR.                            1964           4. National Medical library.                                             New Delhi, AIIMS.                        1947           5. National Digital library                                                Kharagpur, IIT.                               2018             

Some National Libraries of the world 

 Name. .                                                                        Place of establishment               Established Years 1. Library of Congress                                                             USA.                                        1800          2. Bibliothec Nationale.                                                          France.                                      1440           3. State Lenin Library.                                                           Russia.                                       1862          4. National Diet Library                                                         Japan                                          1948          5. National Library, Germany                                               Germany                                      1912          6. British Museum                                                            United Kingdom                               1877

 b. Public Library 

 A free informational and recreational institution. Its mission is to provide reading materials to people without any free. (also called people university) 

 UNESCO manifesto for public libraries formulated in 1949. Which was later revised in 1972. 

 c. Academic Library The libraries that are attached with educational institution are known as academic library. Its mission is to help the students, researchers facilities in their study or researcher. The primary mission is to support the educational and research needs of the parent institution. Academic libraries may be of the following types 

 I. University Library. 

 II. College Library. 

 III. School Library. 

.

 d. Special Library 

 Libraries attached to special institution i.e. industrial firm, insurance company, All India Radio, Doordarshan kendra etc. belong to this category. Their aim is to support the parent organization. 

 e. Personal / Private Library 

 A library owned by an individual or family or a library with reading materials collected maintained and intended to be used by a single person or a family. 

 f. Archives 

 An organized collection of the non-current records of an institution, government, organization or corporate body, or the personal paper of an individual or family, preserved in a repository for their historical value. 

 2.2 Based on Tecnology 

 A shift from the traditional library to digital library has already taken place. The traditional closed access libraries are shifting towards open access library. The open access libraries are shifting towards automated library, the automated one toward the electronics, the electronics to digital and f inally end in virtual library. Is it really true? The true is that nobody knows what will be the future of libraries. Still, based on the technology used in processing of information as well as in providing services to the user community, the libraries of present times can be grouped into the following types. 

 a. Library (Traditional) 

 The collection of the traditional libraries is mostly print material, manuscripts etc and the collections are not well organized and the documents are deterioration at a rapid rate. The information sources are also hard to locate and so does not easily reach user. Again, the traditional libraries confine themselves within a physical boundary.

 b. Automated Library 

 A library with machine-readable catalogues computerized acquisition, circulation and OPAC are called as automated library. The holding of this type of libraries is same as that of tradition libraries. 

 c. Electronic library 

 When an automated library goes for local area Net working (LAN) and CD-ROM networking then it is known as electronic library. The resources of the electronic libraries are in both print and electronic forms but resources are not available over the web. The electronic media is used for storage retrieval and delivery of information. 

 d. Digital Library 

 The digital Library (DL) is a later stage of electronic library. When an electronic library started procuring e-journal and other similar kind of publications and access is over the web then it is termed as digital library. In digital library, high speed optical fibres are used for LAN and the access is over WAN and it provides a wide range of internet based services i.e. audio and video conferencing etc. The majority of the holding of a digital library is in the computer readable form. They have their own computer readable database and act as a point of access to other on line sources. A DL like a traditional library, is also a collection of books and reference materials along with its associated services, But, unlike a traditional library. However, the collection of a digital library is in digital form, and is usually served over the world wide web. 

 e. Virtual Library 

 Virtual library refers to the scientifically managed collection of information resources and services on site as well as off site that the available in a virtual reality environment and accessible electronically through the internet at any time from any geographical location. 

 f) Hybrid Library 

 The libraries, which are working both in electronic or digital and print environment, are known as hybrid library. Actually it is a traditional state between the print and digital environment. It is estimated that in near future libraries will be of hybrid nature, some of the very strong points in favour of this view are the centuries old reading habit of paper, more convenience of handling and reading a paper document than the digitized one (in case of digitized some equipment must be needed to read the document), incompatible standard, of electronic product, different display standard of digital product and its associated problem etc. 

 2.3 UNESCO Division 

 An overall classification of all types of libraries has been made by UNESCO in "Recommendations concerning she international standardization of library statistics" adopted by the general conference at its 16th session (Paris, November 13, 1970)

 a. National Libraries 

 b. Libraries of institutions of higher education. 

            i. University library 

            ii. Libraries attached to university/institute or department 

            iii. Libraries which are not part of a university 

 c. Other major non specialized libraries. 

 d. School libraries (size of collection only printed materials and manuscripts) 

          i. up to 2000 volumes 

          ii. From 2001 to 5000 volumes 

          iii. More than 5000 volumes 

 e. Special libraries open to the public. 

 f. Special libraries, reserved for their primary user. 

 g. Public Libraries financed by the public authorities, size of collection (only printed material and manuscripts) 

           i. Up to 2000 volumes, 

           ii. From 2001 to 5000 volumes. 

          iii. From 5001 to 10000 volumes, 

          iv. More than 10,000 volumes

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