“Library -- from the Latin liber, meaning "book." In Greek and the Romance languages, the corresponding term is bibliotheca. A collection or group of collections of books and/or other print or nonprint materials organized and maintained for use (reading, consultation, study, research, etc.). Institutional libraries, organized to facilitate access by a specific clientele, are staffed by librarians and other personnel trained to provide services to meet user needs."(Online Dictionary of Library and Information Science (ODLIS).
In The Librarian’s Book of Lists (Chicago: ALA, 2010), George Eberhart offers this definition: "A library is a collection of resources in a variety of formats that is (1) organized by information professionals or other experts who (2) provide convenient physical, digital, bibliographic, or intellectual access and (3) offer targeted services and programs (4) with the mission of educating, informing, or entertaining a variety of audiences (5) and the goal of stimulating individual learning and advancing society as a whole." (p.1)
Purpose of Library : The purpose of a library can be stated as is explained in this section:
i. Libraries are for the lending of books: Indeed, the earliest libraries were just this – a small business, museum or other place would take it upon themselves to educate their neighbours by lending out their collection of books. As collections increased, these places would need innovative means to organize and provide access to such books and innovative people to do the innovative work – thus librarians were invented.
ii. Libraries are for educating people of all ages: Since reading inevitably increases the brainpower of communities, an educational role for libraries seems fairly obvious. In academic and school libraries, this role is the most obvious and apparent, since the institutions that host them are largely educational ones.
iii. Libraries are for preserving and/or promoting community culture: The cultural role of libraries is supported through the country governance. The cultural role for libraries is largely a supportive one at best and does not speak to the value a library has in the community.
Functions of Library : The functions of library are as follows:
1.To acquire and conserve the whole of the national production of documents utilizing the existing library facilities fully
2.To collect all the documents concerning that nation published throughout the world, irrespective of language of publication.
3. To build up a complete collection, self-sufficient on all aspects, of all subjects related to its country.
4. To store information on the nation, minutely and fully catalogued; classified and arranged which should be capable of answering any enquiry about the country.
5. To take the full responsibility for ensuring that a copy of the whole of national production of documents is preserved in its original form.
Role of Libraries in formal and non-formal Education :
In every formal education be it school, college or university , there should have library attached to it. At the earlier stages of education the education system should be done to supplement classroom teaching. At later stages the focal point of learning should gradually shift from the classroom to library. Apart from School, College and University libraries the public libraries to have a responsibility to support formal education. For this purpose the public library must stock books and other material of an academic nature suitable for students and teacher.
In non-formal education where the help of the teacher is minimal, it is the library that is the main resource. Student here have by and large to acquire knowledge through self-study. The development of a sound public library system is an essential pre-requisite for the successful implementation of all non-formal education programmes. Everyone should have access as a matter of right to the public library. A public library should try to discharge this responsibility by acquiring books and journals suited to the needs of the students of non formal education in its area.
Library and Modern Society
In modern soceity some changing factors have radically changed the conventional functions of the library. The changes that are occurring in different facets of human life in modern society can be seen in the following aspects:
b) Socio-economic changes affect occupational patterns, incomes, prices, value, inflation, growth dynamics, and economic developments at the macro and micro levels
c) Political changes affect political structures and systems, political parties, their growths, the activities of members of parliament and state assemblies, power structures, etc
d) Educational changes affect learning and teaching processes at all levels of education, learning and teaching materials, educational technologies, etc.
e) Industry and business are affected by changes in production and distribution,
technology transfer, assessment and application, marketing and sales, etc.
f) Government and administration are affected through changes in planning, policy-making, governance, execution and management, etc.
Libraries, through their books, are actually repositories of information and knowledge. Information is indispensable for any human activity aiming at social progress. The basic information role of the library is to collect material containing information through appropriate methods. It is primarily in this sense that a library is described as an information centre. But a library also has an information role in the sense of providing information relating to the socio-economic needs of the people. In short, a library should be so equipped and organised that it will be able to serve its community with all types of information that may be in actual or potential demand. Thus in modern soceity the library occupies a prominent place: While other institutions are designed to meet one or a few of the needs, the library is able to meet all of them in equal measure. It plays an important role in supporting the educational and research activities of society, promoting culture, disseminating information, catering to the spiritual and ideological instincts in man and building up a value system for him and providing recreation.
Reference :
- Isaac, K.A-(1987). Libraries and Librarianship : A Basic Introduction, S. Vishwanthan Printers and Publishers Pvt. Ltd., Madras (pp. l-35).
- Khanna, J.K. (1987). Library and Society; Research Publications: Kurukshetra:
(pp.7-79) (pp.7-79) - India. Ministry of Education and Youth Affairs. (1959). Report of Advisory
Committee for Libraries, Manager of Publications: Delhi.
