Library#Children's libraries

{{short description|Organized collection of books or other information resources}}

File:SanDiegoCityCollegeLearningResource - bookshelf.jpg in San Diego, California]]

A library is a collection of books, and possibly other materials and media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or digital (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location, a virtual space, or both. A library's collection normally includes printed materials which may be borrowed, and usually also includes a reference section of publications which may only be utilized inside the premises. Resources such as commercial releases of films, television programmes, other video recordings, radio, music and audio recordings may be available in many formats. These include DVDs, Blu-rays, CDs, cassettes, or other applicable formats such as microform. They may also provide access to information, music or other content held on bibliographic databases. In addition, some libraries offer creation stations for makers which offer access to a 3D printing station with a 3D scanner. https://www.natronacountylibrary.org/creation-station/

Libraries can vary widely in size and may be organised and maintained by a public body such as a government, an institution (such as a school or museum), a corporation, or a private individual. In addition to providing materials, libraries also provide the services of librarians who are trained experts in finding, selecting, circulating and organising information while interpreting information needs and navigating and analysing large amounts of information with a variety of resources. The area of study is known as library and information science or studies.

Library buildings often provide quiet areas for studying, as well as common areas for group study and collaboration, and may provide public facilities for access to their electronic resources, such as computers and access to the Internet.

The library's clientele and general services offered vary depending on its type, size and sometimes location: users of a public library have different needs from those of a special library or academic library, for example. Libraries may also be community hubs, where programmes are made available and people engage in lifelong learning. Modern libraries extend their services beyond the physical walls of the building by providing material accessible by electronic means, including from home via the Internet.

The services that libraries offer are variously described as library services, information services, or the combination "library and information services", although different institutions and sources define such terminology differently.

Etymology

The term library is based on the Latin word {{lang|la|liber}} for 'book' or 'document', contained in Latin {{lang|la|libraria}} 'collection of books' and {{lang|la|librarium}} 'container for books'. Other modern languages use derivations from Ancient Greek {{lang|grc|βιβλιοθήκη}} ({{transliteration|grc|bibliothēkē}}), originally meaning 'book container', via Latin {{lang|la|bibliotheca}} (cf. French {{lang|fr|bibliothèque}} or German {{lang|de|Bibliothek}}).{{cite book |last=Pfeifer |first=Wolfgang |title=Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Deutschen. A-G. |date=1989 |publisher=Akademie-Verlag |isbn=3-05-000641-2 |location=Berlin |page=166}}

History

File:Library of Ashurbanipal.jpg in Mesopotamia, {{Circa|1500-539 BC}}]]

The history of libraries began with the first efforts to organize collections of documents. The first libraries consisted of archives of the earliest form of writing—the clay tablets in cuneiform script discovered in Sumer, some dating back to 2600 BC. Private or personal libraries made up of written books appeared in classical Greece in the 5th century BC. In the 6th century, at the very close of the Classical period, the great libraries of the Mediterranean world remained those of Constantinople and Alexandria.

The Fatimids (r. 909–1171) also possessed many great libraries within their domains. The historian Ibn Abi Tayyi’ describes their palace library, which probably contained the largest collection of literature on earth at the time, as a "wonder of the world". Throughout history, along with bloody massacres, the destruction of libraries has been critical for conquerors who wish to destroy every trace of the vanquished community's recorded memory. A prominent example of this can be found in the Mongol massacre of the Nizaris at Alamut in 1256 and the torching of their library, "the fame of which", boasts the conqueror Juwayni, "had spread throughout the world".{{Cite book|last=Virani|first=Shafique N.|url=https://www.academia.edu/43674448|title=The Ismailis in the Middle Ages|date=2007-04-01|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-531173-0|doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195311730.001.0001|access-date=22 June 2021|archive-date=28 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211128055148/https://www.academia.edu/43674448|url-status=live}}

The libraries of Timbuktu were established in the fourteenth century and attracted scholars from all over the world.{{cite journal |title=African Bibliophiles: Books and Libraries in Medieval Timbuktu |journal=Libraries & Culture |year=2004 |last=Singleton |first=Brent D. |volume=39 |issue=1 |pages=1–12 |doi=10.1353/lac.2004.0019 |jstor=25549150 |s2cid=161645561 |access-date=2022-01-19 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25549150 |archive-date=19 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819185236/https://www.jstor.org/stable/25549150 |url-status=live | issn = 1932-4855}}

The oldest modern public library was the Załuski Library ({{langx|pl|Biblioteka Załuskich}}, {{langx|la|Bibliotheca Zalusciana}}) established in 1732 in Warsaw, Poland-Lithuania,{{cite journal |last1=Załuski |first1=Józef |title=Programma literarium ad biblio-philos, typothetas et bibliopegos tum et quosvis liberalium artium amatores |journal=Drukarnia Pijarów |issue=1732 |url=https://dbc.wroc.pl/dlibra/publication/57705/edition/42308?language=pl |access-date=3 May 2025}} which ultimately evolved into the National Library of Poland.

Functions

{{multiple image

| total_width = 400

| align=right

| header_align = center

| header =

| image1=Videos in boxes in Monmouth County Library eastern branch.JPG| alt1=Video boxes on shelves

| image2=Activity at the library5.png| alt3=Kids sitting on with adult reading aSpecial librariesnd leading group

| footer = 1. Video selection at library; 2. Reading activity at the library

}}

Libraries may provide physical or digital access to material, and may be a physical location, virtual space, or both (hybrid). A library's collection can include books, periodicals, newspapers, manuscripts, films, maps, prints, documents, microform, CDs, cassettes, videotapes, DVDs, Blu-ray Discs, e-books, audiobooks, databases, table games, video games, and other formats. Libraries range widely in size, up to millions of items.

Libraries often provide quiet spaces for private studying, common areas to facilitate group study and collaboration, and public facilities for access to their electronic resources and the Internet. Public and institutional collections and services may be intended for use by people who choose not to—or cannot afford to—purchase an extensive collection themselves, who need material no individual can reasonably be expected to have, or who require professional assistance with their research.{{Cite news|last=Howard|first=Jennifer|date=Fall 2019|title=The Complicated Role of the Public Library|work=Humanities: the Magazine of the National Endowment of the Humanities|url=https://www.neh.gov/article/complicated-role-modern-public-library|access-date=24 October 2021|archive-date=24 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211024171313/https://www.neh.gov/article/complicated-role-modern-public-library|url-status=live}}

Services offered by a library are variously described as library services, information services, or the combination "library and information services", although different institutions and sources define such terminology differently. Organizations or departments are often called by one of these names.{{cite web | title=Library & Information Service | website=Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales | url=https://www.icaew.com/library | access-date=6 March 2021 | archive-date=4 March 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304185405/https://www.icaew.com/library | url-status=live }}{{cite journal|title=Types of Library and Information Service|date=1 February 1986|journal=Management Decision|volume=24|issue=2|pages=8–24|url=https://doi.org/10.1108/eb001400|doi=10.1108/eb001400|access-date=6 March 2021|archive-date=24 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220224103506/https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/eb001400/full/html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.jcu.edu.au/division-of-student-life/documents/LIS-org-chart-Updated-January-2017-Position-Titles-only.pdf|title=A quick guide to services provided by Library & Information Services|website=James Cook University|access-date=6 March 2021|archive-date=18 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418051956/https://www.jcu.edu.au/division-of-student-life/documents/LIS-org-chart-Updated-January-2017-Position-Titles-only.pdf|url-status=live}}{{cite web | title=Reference and Information Service | website=Rutgers University Libraries | date=27 April 2000 | url=https://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/public_service_policies/pspm_02_reference_information_service | access-date=6 March 2021 | archive-date=13 April 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413184014/https://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/public_service_policies/pspm_02_reference_information_service | url-status=live }}{{cite journal | last1=Marshall | first1=Joanne Gard | last2=Sollenberger | first2=Julia | last3=Easterby-Gannett | first3=Sharon | last4=Morgan | first4=Lynn Kasner | last5=Klem | first5=Mary Lou | last6=Cavanaugh | first6=Susan K. | last7=Oliver | first7=Kathleen Burr | last8=Thompson | first8=Cheryl A. | last9=Romanosky | first9=Neil | last10=Hunter | first10=Sue|display-authors=2 | title=The value of library and information services in patient care: results of a multisite study | journal=Journal of the Medical Library Association | year=2013 | volume=101 | issue=1 | pages=38–46 | pmid=23418404 | doi=10.3163/1536-5050.101.1.007 | pmc=3543128 | doi-access=free }}{{cite web|url=https://worksafe.tas.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/571539/COVID-Safe-Workplace-Guidelines-Library-and-Other-Information-Services.pdf|title=COVID Safe Workplace Guidelines: Library and other information services industry|author=Government of Tasmania|date=29 January 2021|access-date=6 March 2021|archive-date=8 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308170330/https://www.worksafe.tas.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/571539/COVID-Safe-Workplace-Guidelines-Library-and-Other-Information-Services.pdf|url-status=live}}{{cite web | title=Information and research services principles | website=National and State Libraries Australia | date=29 March 2019 | url=https://www.nsla.org.au/publication/information-and-research-services-principles | access-date=6 March 2021 | archive-date=10 March 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310132722/https://www.nsla.org.au/publication/information-and-research-services-principles | url-status=live }}

= Internal organization =

File:HK Wan Chai Library Inside Bookcase a.jpg, showing numbers of the classification scheme to help readers locate works in that section]]

Most libraries have materials arranged in a specified order according to a library classification system, so that items may be located quickly and collections browsed efficiently.{{cite web |title=Library classification |url=https://www.britannica.com/science/library-classification |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416234738/https://www.britannica.com/science/library-classification |archive-date=16 April 2021 |access-date=17 October 2017 |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica}} Some libraries have additional galleries beyond the public ones, where "reference" materials are stored. These reference stacks may be open to selected members of the public while others may require patrons to submit a "stack request" – a request for an assistant to retrieve the material from the closed stacks: see List of closed stack libraries.

Larger libraries are often divided into departments staffed by both paraprofessionals and professional librarians. Their department names and occupational designations may change depending on their location and the needs of the library.

Circulation (or Access Services/Stacks Maintenance) – Handles user accounts and the loaning/returning and shelving of materials.Morris, V. & Bullard, J. (2009). Circulation Services. In Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences (3rd ed.).
Collection Development – Orders materials and maintains materials budgets.
Reference – Staffs a reference desk answering questions from users (using structured reference interviews), instructing users, and developing library programming. Reference may be further broken down by user groups or materials; common collections are children's literature, young adult literature, and genealogy materials.
Electronic Library – Responsible for providing information to users via electronic means.
Technical Services – Works behind the scenes cataloging and processing new materials and deaccessioning weeded materials.

File:2009 3962573662 card catalog.jpg were the traditional method of organizing the list of resources and their location within a large library.]]

Basic tasks in library management include planning acquisitions (which materials the library should acquire, by purchase or otherwise), classifying and preserving items (especially rare and fragile archival materials such as manuscripts), deaccessioning materials, patron borrowing, and developing and administering library computer systems and technology.{{Cite book |last1=Stueart |first1=Robert |title=Library and information center management |last2=Moran |first2=Barbara B. |last3=Morner |first3=Claudia J. |publisher=Libraries Unlimited |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-59884-988-2 |edition=Eighth |location=Santa Barbara |oclc=780481202}} More long-term issues include planning the construction of new libraries or extensions to existing ones, and the development and implementation of outreach services and reading-enhancement services (such as adult literacy and children's programming). Library materials like books, magazines, periodicals, CDs, etc. are managed using a library classification system such as the Dewey Decimal Classification Theory, though libraries will usually adjust their classification system to fit their needs.{{cite journal |last1=Bhattacharjee |first1=Pijush Kanti |date=2010 |title=Modified Dewey Decimal Classification Theory for Library Materials Management |url=https://www.ijimt.org/list-24-1.html |url-status=live |journal=International Journal of Innovation, Management and Technology |volume=1 |issue=3 |pages=292–94 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220117232540/http://www.ijimt.org/list-24-1.html |archive-date=17 January 2022 |access-date=24 February 2022}}

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has published several standards regarding the management of libraries through its Technical Committee 46 (TC 46),{{cite web |title=ISO – Technical committees – TC 46 – Information and documentation |url=https://www.iso.org/iso/standards_development/technical_committees/list_of_iso_technical_committees/iso_technical_committee.htm?commid=48750 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100703090332/http://www.iso.org/iso/standards_development/technical_committees/list_of_iso_technical_committees/iso_technical_committee.htm?commid=48750 |archive-date=3 July 2010 |access-date=7 March 2010 |publisher=ISO.org}} which is focused on "libraries, documentation and information centers, publishing, archives, records management, museum documentation, indexing and abstracting services, and information science". The following is a partial list of some of them:{{cite web |title=ISO – ISO Standards – TC 46 – Information and documentation |url=https://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_tc_browse.htm?commid=48750 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100703204803/http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_tc_browse.htm?commid=48750 |archive-date=3 July 2010 |access-date=7 March 2010 |publisher=ISO.org}}

ISO 2789:2006 Information and documentation—International library statistics
ISO 11620:1998 Information and documentation—Library performance indicators
ISO 11799:2003 Information and documentation—Document storage requirements for archive and library materials
ISO 14416:2003 Information and documentation—Requirements for binding of books, periodicals, serials, and other paper documents for archive and library use—Methods and materials
ISO/TR 20983:2003 Information and documentation—Performance indicators for electronic library services

= Usage =

File:Interior, National Library of Finland, 2019 (02).jpg in Helsinki]]

Some patrons may not know how to fully utilize library resources, or feel unease in approaching a staff member. Ways in which a library's content is displayed or accessed may have an impact on use. An antiquated or clumsy search system, or staff unwilling or not properly trained to engage their patrons, will limit a library's usefulness. In the public libraries of the United States, beginning in the 19th century, these problems drove the emergence of the library instruction movement, which advocated library user education.{{Cite journal |last=Weiss |first=S.C. |date=2003 |title=The origin of library instruction in the United States, 1820–1900 |journal=Research Strategies |volume=19 |issue=3/4 |pages=233–43 |doi=10.1016/j.resstr.2004.11.001}} One of the early leaders was John Cotton Dana.{{Cite journal |last=Mattson |first=K. |date=2000 |title=The librarian as secular minister to democracy: The life and ideas of John Cotton Dana |journal=Libraries & Culture |volume=35 |issue=4 |pages=514–34}} The basic form of library instruction is sometimes known as information literacy.{{Cite journal |last=Robinson |first=T.E. |date=2006 |title=Information literacy: Adapting to the media age |journal=Alki |volume=22 |issue=1 |pages=10–12}}

Libraries should inform their users of what materials are available in their collections and how to access that information. Before the computer age, this was accomplished by the card catalogue—a cabinet (or multiple cabinets) containing many drawers filled with index cards that identified books and other materials. In a large library, the card catalogue often filled a large room.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

The emergence of desktop computers and the Internet, however, has led to the adoption of electronic catalogue databases (often referred to as "webcats" or as online public access catalogues, OPACs), which allow users to search the library's holdings from any location with Internet access.{{Cite journal |last1=Sloan |first1=B |last2=White |first2=M.S.B. |date=1992 |title=Online public access catalogs |journal=Academic and Library Computing |volume=9 |issue=2 |pages=9–13 |doi=10.1108/EUM0000000003734}} This style of catalogue maintenance is compatible with new types of libraries, such as digital libraries and distributed libraries, as well as older libraries that have been retrofitted. Large libraries may be scattered within multiple buildings across a town, each having multiple floors, with multiple rooms housing their resources across a series of shelves called bays. Once a user has located a resource within the catalogue, they must then use navigational guidance to retrieve the resource physically, a process that may be assisted through signage, maps, GPS systems, or RFID tagging.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

Finland has the highest number of registered book borrowers per capita in the world. Over half of Finland's population are registered borrowers.{{cite web |last=Pantzar |first=Katja |date=September 2010 |title=The humble Number One: Finland |url=https://finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=160064&contentlan=2&culture=en-US |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813045018/http://finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=160064&contentlan=2&culture=en-US |archive-date=13 August 2011 |access-date=17 March 2012 |publisher=This is Finland}} In the US, public library users have borrowed on average roughly 15 books per user per year from 1856 to 1978. From 1978 to 2004, book circulation per user declined approximately 50%. The growth of audiovisuals circulation, estimated at 25% of total circulation in 2004, accounts for about half of this decline.{{cite web |last=Galbi |first=Douglas |date=July 29, 2007 |title=Book Circulation Per U.S. Public Library Iser Since 1856 |url=https://galbithink.org/libraries/circulation.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211128055200/http://galbithink.org/libraries/circulation.htm |archive-date=28 November 2021 |access-date=May 7, 2022 |website=GALB}}

= Relationship with the Internet =

File:Howard Tilton Library Computers 2010.jpg in New Orleans, Louisiana]]

A library may make use of the Internet in a number of ways, from creating its own library website to making the contents of its catalogues searchable online. Some specialised search engines such as Google Scholar offer a way to facilitate searching for academic resources such as journal articles and research papers. The Online Computer Library Center allows anyone to search the world's largest repository of library records through its WorldCat online database.{{cite web |last=Grossman |first=Wendy M. |date=January 21, 2009 |title=Why you can't find a library book in your search engine |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2009/jan/22/library-search-engines-books |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140114010642/http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2009/jan/22/library-search-engines-books |archive-date=14 January 2014 |access-date=May 7, 2022 |website=The Guardian}} Websites such as LibraryThing and Amazon provide abstracts, reviews, and recommendations of books. Libraries provide computers and Internet access to allow people to search for information online.{{cite journal |last1=Mostafa |first1=J |year=2005 |title=Seeking Better Web Searches |journal=Scientific American |volume=292 |issue=2 |pages=51–57 |bibcode=2005SciAm.292b..66M |doi=10.1038/scientificamerican0205-66 |pmid=15715393}} Online information access is particularly attractive to younger library users.{{cite journal |last=Corradini |first=Elena |date=November 2006 |title=Teenagers analyse their public library |url=https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/03074800610713307/full/html |journal=New Library World |volume=107 |issue=11 |pages=481–498 |doi=10.1108/03074800610713307 |access-date=May 7, 2022}}{{cite web |date=July 2005 |title=Youth Matters |url=https://publications.dcsf.gov.uk/eOrderingDownload/Cm6629.pdf |archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100408192702/http%3A//publications.dcsf.gov.uk/eOrderingDownload/Cm6629.pdf |archive-date=8 April 2010 |access-date=May 7, 2022 |website=The National Archives}}{{cite journal |last1=Nippold |first1=M.A. |last2=Duthie |first2=J.K. |last3=Larsen |first3=J. |name-list-style=amp |date=2005 |title=Literacy as a Leisure Activity: Free-time preferences of Older Children and Young Adolescents |journal=Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools |volume=36 |issue=2 |pages=93–102 |doi=10.1044/0161-1461(2005/009) |pmid=15981705}}{{cite journal |last=Snowball |first=Clare |date=February 2008 |title=Enticing Teenagers into the Library |journal=Library Review |publisher=Emerald Group Publishing |volume=57 |issue=1 |pages=25–35 |doi=10.1108/00242530810845035 |hdl-access=free |hdl=20.500.11937/6057}}{{cite report |url=https://research.mla.gov.uk/evidence/documents/Research_study_of_14_35_year_olds_for_the_future_development_of_public_libraries_9841.pdf |title=A Research Study of 14–35-year olds for the Future Development of Public Libraries |author=Museums, Libraries and Archives, Department of Culture, Media and Sport & Laser Foundation |date=June 2006 |publisher=MLA |access-date=May 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305095112/https://research.mla.gov.uk/evidence/documents/Research_study_of_14_35_year_olds_for_the_future_development_of_public_libraries_9841.pdf |archive-date=5 March 2012}}

Digitization of books, particularly those that are out-of-print, in projects such as Google Books provides resources for library and other online users. Due to their holdings of valuable material, some libraries are important partners for search engines such as Google in realizing the potential of such projects and have received reciprocal benefits in cases where they have negotiated effectively.{{cite magazine |last=Darnton |first=Robert |date=February 12, 2009 |title=Google & the Future of Books |url=https://www.nybooks.com/articles/22281 |volume=56 |issue=2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100330223716/http://www.nybooks.com/articles/22281 |archive-date=30 March 2010 |access-date=May 7, 2022 |website=New York Review of Books}} As the prominence of and reliance on the Internet has grown, library services have moved the emphasis from mainly providing print resources to providing more computers and more Internet access.{{cite journal |last=Garrod |first=Penny |date=April 30, 2004 |title=Public Libraries: the changing face of the public library |url=https://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue39/public-libraries/ |journal=Ariadne |issue=39 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215122155/http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue39/public-libraries/ |archive-date=15 December 2018 |access-date=May 7, 2022}} Libraries face a number of challenges in adapting to new ways of information seeking that may stress convenience over quality,{{cite web |last1=Abram |first1=Stephen |last2=Luther |first2=Judy |date=1 May 2004 |title=Born with the Chip: the next generation will profoundly impact both library service and the culture within the profession |url=https://lj.libraryjournal.com/2004/05/ljarchives/born-with-the-chip/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130914202820/http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2004/05/ljarchives/born-with-the-chip/ |archive-date=September 14, 2013 |website=Library Journal}} reducing the priority of information literacy skills.{{cite web |last=Bell |first=S. |date=15 May 2005 |title=Backtalk: don't surrender library values |url=https://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA601026.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120612052503/https://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA601026.html |archive-date=12 June 2012 |access-date=20 April 2010 |website=Library Journal}} The potential decline in library usage, particularly reference services,{{cite web |last=Novotny |first=Eric |date=September 2002 |title=Reference service statistics and assessment |url=https://www.arl.org/bm~doc/spec268web.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120524162917/http://www.arl.org/bm~doc/spec268web.pdf |archive-date=24 May 2012 |access-date=May 7, 2022 |publisher=Pennsylvania State University}} puts the necessity for these services in doubt.

File:Fukuchiyama Public Library 2F ac (5).jpg at Fukuchiyama Public Library in Fukuchiyama, Japan]]

Library scholars have acknowledged that libraries need to address the ways that they market their services if they are to compete with the Internet and mitigate the risk of losing users.Vrana, R., and Barbaric, A. (2007). "Improving visibility of public libraries in the local community: a study of five public libraries in Zagreb, Croatia". New Library World; 108 (9/10), pp. 435–44. This includes promoting the information literacy skills training considered vital across the library profession.{{cite web |last=Kenney |first=B. |date=15 December 2004 |title=Googlizers vs. Resistors: library leaders debate our relationship with search engines |url=https://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA485756.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050608080512/https://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA485756.html |archive-date=8 June 2005 |access-date=26 March 2010 |website=Library Journal}} Many US-based research librarians rely on the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy in order to guide students and faculty in research.{{Cite web |last=DMUELLER |date=2015-02-09 |title=Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education |url=https://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028165419/https://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework |archive-date=28 October 2021 |access-date=2021-10-28 |website=Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) |language=en}} However, marketing of services has to be adequately supported financially in order to be successful. This can be problematic for library services that are publicly funded and find it difficult to justify diverting tight funds to apparently peripheral areas such as branding and marketing.{{cite journal |last1=Hood |first1=David |last2=Henderson |first2=Kay |date=2005 |title=Branding in the United Kingdom Public Library Service |url=https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/03074800510575320/full/html |journal=New Library World |volume=106 |issue=1 |pages=16–28 |doi=10.1108/03074800510575320 |access-date=May 7, 2022}}

The privacy aspect of library usage in the Internet age is a matter of growing concern and advocacy; privacy workshops are run by the Library Freedom Project which teach librarians about digital tools (such as the Tor network) to thwart mass surveillance.{{cite web |title=SCREW YOU, FEDS! Dozen or more US libraries line up to run Tor exit nodes |date=17 Sep 2015 |first1=Kieren |last1=McCarthy |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/09/17/library_freedom_project_dozen_more_tor_nodes/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918013636/http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/09/17/library_freedom_project_dozen_more_tor_nodes/ |archive-date=18 September 2017 |access-date=2015-09-21 |publisher=The Register}}{{cite web |title=Libraries, Tor, Freedom and Resistance |url=https://libraryfreedomproject.org/libraries-tor-freedom-and-resistance/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928192107/https://libraryfreedomproject.org/libraries-tor-freedom-and-resistance/ |archive-date=28 September 2015 |publisher=Library Freedom Project at Kilton Library}}{{cite journal |last=Macrina |first=Alison |date=2015 |title=Accidental Technologist: The Tor Browser and Intellectual Freedom in the Digital Age |url=https://journals.ala.org/rusq/article/view/5704/7092 |journal=Reference & User Services Quarterly |volume=54 |issue=4 |page=17 |doi=10.5860/rusq.54n4.17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930181434/https://journals.ala.org/rusq/article/view/5704/7092 |archive-date=30 September 2015|doi-access=free }}

Librarians

Libraries are usually staffed by a combination of professionally trained librarians, paraprofessional staff sometimes called library technicians, and support staff. Some topics related to the education of librarians and allied staff include accessibility of the collection, acquisition of materials, arrangement and finding tools, the book trade, the influence of the physical properties of the different writing materials, language distribution, role in education, rates of literacy, budgets, staffing, libraries for specially targeted audiences, architectural merit, patterns of usage, the role of libraries in a nation's cultural heritage, and the role of government, church, or private sponsorship. Since the 1960s, issues of computerization and digitization have arisen.{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/library/The-history-of-libraries|title=The history of libraries|website=Britannica|access-date=29 January 2021|date=May 2020|archive-date=3 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303152919/https://www.britannica.com/topic/library/The-history-of-libraries|url-status=live}}

Types

File:W.P.A. Packhorse Libraries.png, Book Carriers ready to take the trail from Hindman, Kentucky.]]

Many institutions make a distinction between a circulating or lending library, where materials are expected and intended to be loaned to patrons, institutions, or other libraries, and a reference library where material is not lent out. Travelling libraries, such as the early horseback libraries of eastern Kentucky{{cite web|title=The Amazing Story of Kentucky's Horseback Librarians (10 Photos)|url=https://archiveproject.com/the-horseback-librarians-of-eastern-kentucky-10-photos|website=Archive Project|access-date=19 May 2017|language=en|archive-date=12 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171012202216/http://archiveproject.com/the-horseback-librarians-of-eastern-kentucky-10-photos|url-status=live}} and bookmobiles, are generally of the lending type. Modern libraries are often a mixture of both, containing a general collection for circulation, and a reference collection which is restricted to the library premises. Also, increasingly, digital collections enable broader access to material that may not circulate in print, and enables libraries to expand their collections even without building a larger facility. Lamba (2019) reinforced this idea by observing that "today's libraries have become increasingly multi-disciplinary, collaborative and networked" and that applying Web 2.0 tools to libraries would "not only connect the users with their community and enhance communication but will also help the librarians to promote their library's activities, services, and products to target both their actual and potential users".{{cite journal |last1=Lamba |first1=Manika |title=Marketing of academic health libraries 2.0: a case study |journal=Library Management |year=2019 |volume=40 |issue=3/4 |pages=155–177 |doi=10.1108/LM-03-2018-0013 |s2cid=70170037 |url=https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/LM-03-2018-0013/full/html |access-date=9 March 2020 |archive-date=22 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200422192312/https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/LM-03-2018-0013/full/html |url-status=live }}

= Library system =

A library system is a central organization created to manage and coordinate operations and services in or between different centers, buildings or libraries branches and library patrons. They use a library classification to organize their volumes and nowadays also use an Integrated library system - an enterprise resource planning system for a library used to track items owned, orders made, bills paid, and patrons who have borrowed.Adamson, Veronica, et al. (2008). {{cite web |title=JISC & SCONUL Library Management Systems Study |url=http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/programmes/resourcediscovery/lmsstudy.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120703151709/http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/programmes/resourcediscovery/lmsstudy.pdf |archive-date=2012-07-03 |access-date=2016-10-30}} {{small|(1 MB)}}. Sheffield, UK: Sero Consulting. p. 51. Retrieved on 21 January 2009. "... a Library Management System (LMS or ILS 'Integrated Library System' in US parlance)." Some useful library automation software are: KOHA, Grennstone .LIBsis, and granthlaya. Many counties, states and universities have developed their own library systems. For example, the Arrowhead Library System is a geographically based library system, established in 1965 to serve seven counties in Northeastern Minnesota with 29 member libraries in the system. In 2012 it merged with the North Country Library Cooperative to become the state's first regional public and multitype library system. The London Public Library in Canada has 16 branches, and the Helsinki Metropolitan Area Libraries, in Finland, has 63 libraries.{{cite web |date=5 February 2013 |title=Helsinki Metropolitan Area Libraries (Finland) Upgrades to Sierra Services Platform |url=http://www.iii.com/news/pr_display.php?id=559 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808044631/http://www.iii.com/news/pr_display.php?id=559 |archivedate=8 August 2014 |accessdate=1 August 2014 |publisher=Innovative |type=Press release}} Some countries, such as Venezuela, have only one library system for the whole country; the National Library of Venezuela has 685 branches.

== Library branch ==

File:North Portland Branch Public Library, Portland - DPLA - 85b06e5685680f767b4ac7a00a3c4385.jpg]]

A library branch, branch library or community library is a local library that forms part of a larger library system, using the same library classification for its catalogs and is interconnected with all the other branches of the system through an integrated library system.

Some countries' municipalities have their own library system, such as London Public Library (Canada) with 16 library branches, Helsinki Metropolitan Area Libraries (Finland) with 63 libraries, and the National Library of Venezuela with 685 branches.

Some popular library branches include New York Public Library Main Branch, part of New York Public Library System, and Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, a branch of District of Columbia Public Library System.

=Academic libraries=

{{Main|Academic library}}File:Egyetemi Könyvtár4.JPG, Budapest, Hungary]]

Academic libraries are generally located on college and university campuses and primarily serve the students and faculty of that and other academic institutions. Some academic libraries, especially those at public institutions, are accessible to members of the general public in whole or in part. Library services are sometimes extended to the general public at a fee; some academic libraries create such services in order to enhance literacy levels in their communities.

Academic libraries are libraries that are hosted in post-secondary educational institutions, such as colleges and universities. Their main functions are to provide support in research, consultancy and resource linkage for students and faculty of the educational institution. Academic libraries house current, reliable and relevant information resources spread through all the disciplines which serve to assuage the information requirements of students and faculty. In cases where not all books are housed some libraries have E-resources, where they subscribe for a given institution they are serving, in order to provide backups and additional information that is not practical to have available as hard copies. Furthermore, most libraries collaborate with other libraries in exchange of books.

Specific course-related resources are usually provided by the library, such as copies of textbooks and article readings held on 'reserve' (meaning that they are loaned out only on a short-term basis, usually a matter of hours). Some academic libraries provide resources not usually associated with libraries, such as the ability to check out laptop computers, web cameras, or scientific calculators.

File:Robartslibrary.jpg at the University of Toronto, Canada]]Academic libraries offer workshops and courses outside of formal, graded coursework, which are meant to provide students with the tools necessary to succeed in their programs.{{cite web|url=https://main.library.utoronto.ca/workshops/|title=St. George Library Workshops|website=utoronto.ca|date=9 August 2018|access-date=24 February 2022|archive-date=24 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220224103458/https://www.library.utoronto.ca/|url-status=live}} These workshops may include help with citations, effective search techniques, journal databases, and electronic citation software. These workshops provide students with skills that can help them achieve success in their academic careers (and often, in their future occupations), which they may not learn inside the classroom.

The academic library provides a quiet study space for students on campus; it may also provide group study space, such as meeting rooms. In North America, Europe, and other parts of the world, academic libraries are becoming increasingly digitally oriented. The library provides a "gateway" for students and researchers to access various resources, both print/physical and digital.Dowler, Lawrence (1997). Gateways to knowledge: the role of academic libraries in teaching, learning, and research. {{ISBN|0-262-04159-6}} Academic institutions are subscribing to electronic journals databases, providing research and scholarly writing software, and usually provide computer workstations or computer labs for students to access journals, library search databases and portals, institutional electronic resources, Internet access, and course- or task-related software (i.e. word processing and spreadsheet software). Some academic libraries take on new roles, for instance, acting as an electronic repository for institutional scholarly research and academic knowledge, such as the collection and curation of digital copies of students' theses and dissertations.{{cite web |url=https://unllib.unl.edu/LPP/anunobi-okoye.htm |title=The Role of Academic Libraries in Universal Access to Print and Electronic Resources in the Developing Countries, Chinwe V. Anunobi, Ifeyinwa B. Okoye |publisher=Unllib.unl.edu |access-date=9 September 2012 |archive-date=30 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120430131918/https://unllib.unl.edu/LPP/anunobi-okoye.htm |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|url=https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/|title=TSpace|website=utoronto.ca|access-date=26 October 2011|archive-date=17 December 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121217122608/https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/|url-status=live}} Moreover, academic libraries are increasingly acting as publishers on their own on a not-for-profit basis, especially in the form of fully Open Access institutional publishers.{{Cite news|url=https://www.lepublikateur.de/2018/05/21/library-publishing/|title=Library Publishing, or How to Make Use of Your Opportunities|date=2018-05-21|work=LePublikateur|access-date=2018-06-15|language=en-GB|archive-date=9 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809233647/https://www.lepublikateur.de/2018/05/21/library-publishing/|url-status=dead}}

=Children's libraries=

{{redirect|Children's library|the collection of digitized books|Internet Archive's Children's Library}}

File:Kinderbücherei Ludwigsburg.jpg

Children's libraries are special collections of books intended for juvenile readers and usually kept in separate rooms of general public libraries.{{Cite web|first1=Lars |last1=Aarsgaard|first2=John |last2=Dunne|first3=Kathy |last3=East|first4=Leikny |last4=Haga Indergaard|first5=Susanne |last5=Kruger|first6=Ulga |last6=Maeots|first7=Rita |last7=Schmitt|first8=Ivanka |last8=Stricevic|date=2003|title=The background text to the Guidelines for Children's library services|url=https://www.ifla.org/files/assets/libraries-for-children-and-ya/publications/guidelines-for-childrens-libraries-services_background-en.pdf|url-status=live|access-date=10 March 2021|website=IFLA|archive-date=17 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417175804/https://www.ifla.org/files/assets/libraries-for-children-and-ya/publications/guidelines-for-childrens-libraries-services_background-en.pdf}} Some children's libraries have entire floors or wings dedicated to them in bigger libraries while smaller ones may have a separate room or area for children. They are an educational agency seeking to acquaint the young with the world's literature and to cultivate a love for reading. Their work supplements that of the public schools.{{Americana|last=Modell |first=David A. |wstitle=Children's Libraries|inline=1}}{{Cite book|last=L.O.|first=Aina|title=Library and Information Science Text for Africa|publisher=Third World Information Services Ltd|year=2004|isbn=9783283618|location=Ibadan, Nigeria|pages=31}}

Services commonly provided by public libraries may include storytelling sessions for infants, toddlers, preschool children, or after-school programs, all with an intention of developing early literacy skills and a love of books. One of the most popular programs offered in public libraries are summer reading programs for children, families, and adults.Udomisor, I., Udomisor, E., & Smith, E. (2013). Management of Communication Crisis in a Library and Its Influence on Productivity. In Information and Knowledge Management (Vol. 3, No. 8, pp. 13–21)

Another popular reading program for children is PAWS TO READ or similar programs where children can read to certified therapy dogs. Since animals are a calming influence and there is no judgment, children learn confidence and a love of reading. Many states have these types of programs: parents need simply ask their librarian to see if it is available at their local library.{{cite web|title=Paws to read|url=https://www.readingpaws.org/READingPaws/Welcome.html|access-date=1 April 2013|archive-date=2 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502172750/http://www.readingpaws.org/READingPaws/Welcome.html|url-status=live}}

= Media libraries =

In some countries, a difference is made between libraries that hold multimedia materials like videos, such as movies and documentaries, and sound recordings, such as music and audio books, and libraries that hold physical books.{{Cite web |title=CEU MultiMedia Library |url=http://www.library.ceu.hu/collections/mml.html |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20130321192952/http://www.library.ceu.hu:80/collections/mml.html |archive-date=2013-03-21 |access-date=2025-02-21 |website=www.library.ceu.hu}} The French term {{Lang|fr|médiatheque}} describes this sort of multimedia library{{Cite journal |last=Melot |first=Michel |date=2006 |title="Le temps des médiathèques" Regards sur un demi-siècle |url=https://www.enssib.fr/bibliotheque-numerique/documents/68260-regards-sur-un-demi-siecle.pdf |journal=Cinquantenaire du Bulletin des bibliothèques de France |language=Fr |pages=207–231 |issn=0006-2006}} and came from a period in the history of French libraries during the 1970s.{{Cite web |last=Bertrand |first=Anne-Marie |date=1994-01-01 |title=La médiathèque questionnée |url=https://bbf.enssib.fr/consulter/bbf-1994-02-0008-001 |access-date=2025-02-21 |website=bbf.enssib.fr |language=fr}} Notable media libraries include Sendai Mediatheque in Japan, and from within France the Médiathèque Musicale Mahler, and Médiathèques de Saint-Étienne.

=National libraries=

File:National Library of Wales.jpg, Aberystwyth]]

A national or state library serves as a national repository of information, and has the right of legal deposit, which is a legal requirement that publishers in the country need to deposit a copy of each publication with the library. Unlike a public library, a national library rarely allows citizens to borrow books. Often, their collections include numerous rare, valuable, or significant works. There are wider definitions of a national library, putting less emphasis on the repository character.Line, Maurice B.; Line, J. (1979). "Concluding notes". National libraries, Aslib, pp. 317–18{{cite web |last1=Lor |first1=Peter Johan |last2=Sonnekus |first2=Elizabeth A.S. |date=December 1995 |access-date=May 7, 2022 |url=https://www.ifla.org/VII/s1/gnl/index.htm |title=Guidelines for Legislation for National Library Services |website=IFLA |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060813200532/https://www.ifla.org/VII/s1/gnl/index.htm |archive-date=13 August 2006 }} The first national libraries had their origins in the royal collections of the sovereign or some other supreme body of the state.

Many national libraries cooperate within the National Libraries Section of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) to discuss their common tasks, define and promote common standards, and carry out projects helping them to fulfill their duties. The national libraries of Europe participate in The European Library which is a service of the Conference of European National Librarians (CENL).{{Cite web|title=About CENL|url=https://www.cenl.org/about-cenl/|url-status=live|website=The Conference of European National Librarians (CENL)|access-date=15 March 2021|archive-date=2 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210402063020/https://www.cenl.org/about-cenl/}}

=Public lending libraries=

{{Main|Public library}}File:ET Amhara asv2018-02 img120 Awra Amba.jpg]]

A public library provides services to the general public. If the library is part of a countywide library system, citizens with an active library card from around that county can use the library branches associated with the library system. A library can serve only their city, however, if they are not a member of the county public library system. Much of the materials located within a public library are available for borrowing. The library staff decides upon the number of items patrons are allowed to borrow, as well as the details of borrowing time allotted. Typically, libraries issue library cards to community members wishing to borrow books. Often visitors to a city are able to obtain a public library card.

Many public libraries also serve as community organizations that provide free services and events to the public, such as reading groups and toddler story time. For many communities, the library is a source of connection to a vast world, obtainable knowledge and understanding, and entertainment. According to a study by the Pennsylvania Library Association, public library services play a major role in fighting rising illiteracy rates among youths.Celano, D., & Neumann, S.B. (2001). The role of public libraries in children's literacy development: An evaluation report. Pennsylvania, PA: Pennsylvania Library Association. Public libraries are protected and funded by the public they serve.

File:2015-07 k1 CDMX 3474.jpg in Mexico City, Mexico]]

As the number of books in libraries have steadily increased since their inception, the need for compact storage and access with adequate lighting has grown. The stack system involves keeping a library's collection of books in a space separate from the reading room. This arrangement arose in the 19th century. Book stacks quickly evolved into a fairly standard form in which the cast iron and steel frameworks supporting the bookshelves also supported the floors, which often were built of translucent blocks to permit the passage of light (but were not transparent, for reasons of modesty). The introduction of electric lights had a huge impact on lighting in libraries. The use of glass floors was largely discontinued, though floors were still often composed of metal grating to allow air to circulate in multi-story stacks. As more space was needed, a method of moving shelves on tracks (compact shelving) was introduced to cut down on otherwise wasted aisle space.

Library 2.0, a term coined in 2005, is the library's response to the challenge of Google and an attempt to meet the changing needs of users by using Web 2.0 technology. Some of the aspects of Library 2.0 include, commenting, tagging, bookmarking, discussions, use of online social networks by libraries, plug-ins, and widgets.{{cite journal |last=Cohen |first=L.B. |title=A Manifesto for our time |year=2007 |pages=47–49 |journal=American Libraries |volume=38}} Inspired by Web 2.0, it is an attempt to make the library a more user-driven institution.

Despite the importance ascribed to public libraries, their budgets are often cut by legislatures. In some cases, funding has dwindled so much that libraries have been forced to cut their hours and release employees.{{cite journal |last1=Jaeger |first1=Paul T. |last2=Bertot |first2=John Carol |last3=Gorham |first3=Ursula |title=Wake Up the Nation: Public Libraries, Policy Making, and Political Discourse |journal=The Library Quarterly: Information, Community, Policy |date=January 2013 |volume=83 |issue=1 |pages=61–72 |doi=10.1086/668582 |jstor=10.1086/668582 |s2cid=145670348 }}

=Reference libraries{{anchor|Reference library}}=

File:2011 library reading room at University of Ibadan in Oyo Nigeria 5600401644.jpg]]

A reference library does not lend books and other items; instead, they can only be read at the library itself. Typically, such libraries are used for research purposes, for example at a university. Some items at reference libraries may be historical and even unique. Many lending libraries contain a "reference section", which holds books, such as dictionaries, which are common reference books, and are therefore not lent out.{{cite book |first1=George |last1=Ehrenhaft |first2=William |last2=Howard Armstrong |first3=M. Willard |last3=Lampe |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_lwXXb_QmLAC&pg=PA263 |title=Barron's pocket guide to study tips |page=263 |publisher=Barron's Educational Series |date=August 2004 |isbn=978-0-7641-2693-2 |access-date=1 January 2016 |archive-date=27 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160427210630/https://books.google.com/books?id=_lwXXb_QmLAC&pg=PA263 |url-status=live }} Such reference sections may be referred to as "reading rooms" or "study rooms", which may also include newspapers and periodicals.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nET95M8fc_YC&pg=PA90 |page=93 |title=Public Libraries |first=Amian L. |last=Champneys |publisher=Jeremy Mills Publishing |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-905217-84-7 |access-date=1 January 2016 |archive-date=30 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160430065858/https://books.google.com/books?id=nET95M8fc_YC&pg=PA90 |url-status=live }} An example of a reading room is the Hazel H. Ransom Reading Room at the Harry Ransom Center of the University of Texas at Austin, which maintains the papers of literary agent Audrey Wood.{{cite web |url=https://research.hrc.utexas.edu:8080/hrcxtf/view?docId=ead/00247.xml |title=Audrey Wood: An Inventory of Her Collection at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center |website=Harry Ransom Center: The University of Texas at Austin |access-date=May 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315115358/http://research.hrc.utexas.edu:8080/hrcxtf/view?docId=ead%2F00247.xml |archive-date=15 March 2012}}

=Research libraries{{anchor|Research library}}=

File:Rijks Museum Library.jpg is the largest public art history research library in the Netherlands. The library is part of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.]]

A research library is a collection of materials on one or more subjects.{{Cite book |last=Young |first=Heartsill |title=ALA Glossary of Library and Information Science |year=1983 |page=[https://archive.org/details/alaglossaryoflib00youn/page/188 188] |publisher=American Library Association |location=Chicago |isbn=978-0-8389-0371-1 |oclc=8907224 |url=https://archive.org/details/alaglossaryoflib00youn/page/188 }} A research library supports scholarly or scientific research and will generally include primary as well as secondary sources; it will maintain permanent collections and attempt to provide access to all necessary materials. A research library is most often an academic or national library, but a large special library may have a research library within its special field, and a very few of the largest public libraries also serve as research libraries. A large university library may be considered a research library; and in North America, such libraries may belong to the Association of Research Libraries.{{cite web |url=https://www.arl.org/arl/membership/members.shtml |title=Association of Research Libraries (ARL) :: Member Libraries |website=arl.org |year=2012 |access-date=2 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419012722/https://www.arl.org/arl/membership/members.shtml |archive-date=19 April 2012 |url-status=dead }} In the United Kingdom, they may be members of Research Libraries UK (RLUK).{{cite web|url=https://www.rluk.ac.uk/|title=RLUK: Research Libraries UK|publisher=RLUK|access-date=9 January 2013|archive-date=13 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130113090340/http://www.rluk.ac.uk/|url-status=live}} Particularly important collections in England may be designated by Arts Council England.{{cite web|url=https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/designated-collections|title=Designated Collections|website=Arts Council England|access-date=23 March 2023}}

A research library can be either a reference library, which does not lend its holdings, or a lending library, which does lend all or some of its holdings. Some extremely large or traditional research libraries are entirely reference in this sense, lending none of their materials; most academic research libraries, at least in the US and the UK, now lend books, but not periodicals or other materials. Many research libraries are attached to a parent organization and may serve only members of that organization. Examples of research libraries include the British Library, the Bodleian Library at Oxford University and the New York Public Library Main Branch on 42nd Street in Manhattan, State Public Scientific Technological Library of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science.{{Cite web|url=https://www.spsl.nsc.ru/en/|title=SPSTL SB RAS|website=www.spsl.nsc.ru|language=en-US|access-date=2017-01-26|archive-date=16 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220216102423/http://www.spsl.nsc.ru/en/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nypl.org/help/about-nypl|title=Our Story|access-date=24 February 2022|archive-date=27 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127043118/https://www.nypl.org/help/about-nypl|url-status=live}}

= Digital libraries =

Digital libraries are libraries that house digital resources, such as text, photographs, and audio. These are curated by digital librarians. In the 21st century, there has been increasing use of the internet to gather and retrieve data. The shift to digital libraries has greatly impacted the way people use physical libraries. Between 2002 and 2004, the average American academic library saw the overall number of transactions decline approximately 2.2%. The University of California Library System saw a 54% decline in circulation between 1991 and 2001 of 8,377,000 books to 3,832,000.

=Special libraries=

File:20170420 Beinecke Rare Book Library Interior Yale University New Haven Connecticut.jpg.]]

Many private businesses and public organizations, including hospitals, churches, museums, research laboratories, law firms, and many government departments and agencies, maintain their own libraries for the use of their employees in doing specialized research related to their work. Depending on the particular institution, special libraries may or may not be accessible to the general public or elements thereof.

In more specialized institutions such as law firms and research laboratories, librarians employed in special libraries are commonly specialists in the institution's field rather than generally trained librarians, and often are not required to have advanced degrees in a specifically library-related field due to the specialized content and clientele of the library.

Special libraries can also include women's libraries or LGBTQ libraries, which serve the needs of women and the LGBTQ community. Libraries and the LGBTQ community have an extensive history, and there are currently many libraries, archives, and special collections devoted to preserving and helping the LGBTQ community. Women's libraries, such as the Vancouver Women's Library or the Women's Library @LSE are examples of women's libraries that offer services to women and girls and focus on women's history.

Some special libraries, such as governmental law libraries, hospital libraries, and military base libraries commonly are open to public visitors to the institution in question. Depending on the particular library and the clientele it serves, special libraries may offer services similar to research, reference, public, academic, or children's libraries, often with restrictions such as only lending books to patients at a hospital or restricting the public from parts of a military collection. Given the highly individual nature of special libraries, visitors to a special library are often advised to check what services and restrictions apply at that particular library.

Special libraries are distinguished from special collections, which are branches or parts of a library intended for rare books, manuscripts, and other special materials, though some special libraries have special collections of their own, typically related to the library's specialized subject area.

For more information on specific types of special libraries, see law libraries, medical libraries, music libraries, or transportation libraries.

Associations

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) is the leading international association of library organizations. It is the global voice of the library and information profession, and its annual conference provides a venue for librarians to learn from one another.{{cite web |url=https://www.ifla.org/ |title=International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) |website=ifla.org |year=2012 |access-date=3 March 2012 |archive-date=13 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413221659/https://www.ifla.org/ |url-status=live }}

Library associations in Asia include the Indian Library Association (ILA),{{cite web |url=https://www.ilaindia.net |title=Welcome to Indian Library Association |publisher=Ilaindia.net |access-date=9 September 2012 |archive-date=22 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120822141728/http://www.ilaindia.net/ |url-status=live }} Indian Association of Special Libraries and Information Centers (IASLIC),{{cite web |url=https://iaslic1955.org.in |title=Welcome to Indian Association of Special Libraries and Information Centers |publisher=Iaslic1955.org.in |date=3 September 1955 |access-date=24 February 2022 |archive-date=24 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220224103507/https://iaslic1955.org.in/login_up.php?success_redirect_url=%2F |url-status=live }} Bengal Library Association (BLA), Kolkata,{{cite web|url=https://www.blacal.org|title=Bengal Library Association|publisher=Blacal.org|access-date=9 September 2012|archive-date=22 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120422105152/http://www.blacal.org/|url-status=live}} Pakistan Library Association,{{cite web |url=https://www.pla.org.pk |title=Pakistan Library Association |publisher=Pla.org.pk |access-date=21 June 2013 |archive-date=8 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130708222946/http://www.pla.org.pk/ |url-status=live }} the Pakistan Librarians Welfare Organization,{{cite web |url=https://librarianswelfare.org |title=Pakistan Librarians Welfare Organization |publisher=Librarianswelfare.org |access-date=21 June 2013 |archive-date=10 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130610170616/http://librarianswelfare.org/ |url-status=live }} the Bangladesh Association of Librarians, Information Scientists and Documentalists, the Library Association of Bangladesh, and the Sri Lanka Library Association (founded 1960).

National associations of the English-speaking world include the American Library Association, the Australian Library and Information Association, the Canadian Library Association, the Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa, and the Research Libraries UK (a consortium of 30 university and other research libraries in the United Kingdom). Library bodies such as CILIP (formerly the Library Association, founded 1877) may advocate the role that libraries and librarians can play in a modern Internet environment, and in the teaching of information literacy skills.{{cite web |author=CILIP |year=2010 |title=An introduction to information literacy |location=London |website=CILIP |url=https://www.cilip.org.uk/get-involved/advocacy/learning/information-literacy/pages/introduction.aspx |access-date=13 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616065049/https://www.cilip.org.uk/get-involved/advocacy/learning/information-literacy/pages/introduction.aspx |archive-date=16 June 2011}}{{cite journal|last1=Rowlands|first1=Ian|last2=Nicholas|first2=David|last3=Williams|first3=Peter|last4=Huntington|first4=Paul|last5=Fieldhouse|first5=Maggie|last6=Gunter|first6=Barrie|last7=Withey|first7=Richard|last8=Jamali|first8=Hamid R.|last9=Dobrowolski|first9=Tom|last10=Tenopir|first10=Carol|title=The Google generation: the information behaviour of the researcher of the future|journal=ASLIB Proceedings|date=2008|volume=60|issue=4|pages=290–310|doi=10.1108/00012530810887953|s2cid=15674801 }} The Nigerian Library Association is the recognized group for librarians working in Nigeria and it was founded in 1962.

Public library advocacy is support given to a public library for its financial and philosophical goals or needs. Most often this takes the form of monetary or material donations or campaigning to the institutions which oversee the library, sometimes by advocacy groups such as Friends of Libraries and community members. Originally, library advocacy was centered on the library itself, but current trends show libraries positioning themselves to demonstrate they provide "economic value to the community" in means that are not directly related to the checking out of books and other media.{{cite journal|last1=Miller|first1=Ellen G.|date=2009|title=Hard Times = A New Brand of Advocacy|journal=Georgia Library Quarterly|volume=46|issue=1|doi=10.62915/2157-0396.1269 |url=https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1269&context=glq|access-date=24 February 2022|archive-date=15 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415071049/https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1269&context=glq|url-status=live}}

Protection

Libraries are considered part of the cultural heritage and are one of the primary objectives in many state and domestic conflicts and are at risk of destruction and looting. Financing is often carried out by robbing valuable library items. National and international coordination regarding military and civil structures for the protection of libraries is operated by Blue Shield International and UNESCO. From an international perspective, despite the partial dissolution of state structures and very unclear security situations as a result of the wars and unrest, robust undertakings to protect libraries are being carried out. The topic is also the creation of "no-strike lists", in which the coordinates of important cultural monuments such as libraries have been preserved.Isabelle-Constance von Opalinski: Schüsse auf die Zivilisation. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung., (German), 20 August 2014.Peter Stone: Monuments Men: protecting cultural heritage in war zones. In: Apollo – The International Art Magazine. 2 Februar 2015.Corine Wegener, Marjan Otter: Cultural Property at War: Protecting Heritage during Armed Conflict. In: The Getty Conservation Institute, Newsletter. 23.1, Spring 2008.Eden Stiffman: Cultural Preservation in Disasters, War Zones. Presents Big Challenges. In: The Chronicle of Philanthropy. 11 May 2015.

Notes

References

External links

[https://www.lib-web.org/ LIBweb]—Directory of library servers in 146 countries via WWW
[https://web.archive.org/web/20070403015838/https://www.hss.ed.ac.uk/chb/ Centre for the History of the Book], hss.ed.ac.uk
[https://www.ibiblio.org/librariesfaq/ Libraries: Frequently Asked Questions], ibiblio.org
[https://sifonia.com/the-concept-of-library-definition-of-library/ The Concept of Library: Definition of Library] sifonia.com

{{subject bar|portal1=|wikt=yes|commons=yes|commons-search=Category:Library|q=yes|b=yes|d=yes|d-search=Q7075}}

Category:Book promotion

Category:Library science