Library

Library

A library is a curated collection of sources of information and similar resources, selected by experts and made accessible to a defined community for reference or borrowing. It provides physical or digital access to material, and may be a physical location or a virtual space, or both. 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, and other formats.

History

The history of libraries began with the first efforts to organize collections of documents. Topics of interest 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, and 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.

Types of Libraries

Libraries can be divided into categories by several methods:

• By the entity that supports them (e.g., public library, academic library, school library, special library, private library, national library)
• By the type of materials they hold (e.g., digital library, film and video library, picture (photograph) library, slide library, tool library)
• By the users they serve (e.g., children's library, military library, prison library, library for the blind and physically handicapped)

Library Services

Libraries offer a range of services. These include, but are not limited to:

• Reference services
• Information and referral services
• Reader's advisory
• Computer and internet access
• Community information
• Individual and group study spaces
• Interlibrary loan
• Literacy programs
• Public programs and exhibits
• Technical services

See Also

• List of libraries
• Library science
• Digital library
• Public library
• Academic library