Define " Library "
In English, the word "Library" means "a collection of books for study, research,reference and recreation". It is probably derived from a Latin word 'liber' which means 'a book'. The definition of library has changed functions over a period of time with the change in its. Let us see some of the definitions provided by different reference sources and the scholars of Library and Information Science.
The Oxford Dictionary defines library as "a building or room containing collections of books, periodicals, and sometimes films and recorded music for using or borrowing by the public or the members of an institution".
The Merriam-Webster's Dictionary defined it as "a place in which literary, musical, artistic, or reference materials (as books, manuscripts, recordings, or films) are kept for use but not for sale".
The Oxford Companion to the English Language says that the "library is a collection of books, periodicals and/or other materials, primarily written and printed".
The observation of definitions, provided above, make us understand a library as:
"A physical space such as a building, part of a building, room or rooms or such a place having collection or collections of intellectual or literary output of a society such as manuscripts, books, periodicals, newspapers, pamphlets, written or printed records, tape, artefacts or any literary and artistic materials for reading, reference, or lending purpose".
Initially, library was considered a storehouse of books. The main function of a library was to preserve the human thought and knowledge of a society. The 'use' or 'utilization' of the preserved knowledge was not evident. But, as the society advanced, the use of the knowledge preserved in the libraries became more evident. Hence, the definition given by S. R. Ranganathan, father of library science in India, is more appropriate from the perspective of use of library material and its preservation.
Ranganathan says "a library is a public institution or establishment charged with the care of collection of books and the duty of making them accessible to those who require to use them". Here, the term 'book' symbolizes the library collection which may be books, periodicals, or any other material kept in a library.
