Of the many institutions formed by society, the library is one of the most potent in meeting the multiple needs of its users. Libraries have evolved over time and can be categorized based on their functions, user communities, and collections. The main types are academic, public, and special libraries.
Here are detailed study notes on the distinguishing features and functions of these different types of libraries, based on the sources provided.
1. Academic Libraries
Academic libraries are integral to learning, teaching, and research. They are associated with educational institutions like schools, colleges, and universities, and their primary function is to support the objectives of their parent organizations.
The role of academic libraries has gained prominence with the massification of higher education and developments in information and communication technologies (ICT). They face challenges in integrating their services into e-learning and e-research and in defining their physical space in an increasingly electronic age.
Academic libraries are generally categorized into three types:
1.1 School Libraries
- Purpose and Function: The main purpose of a school library is to support and supplement classroom teaching. It provides facilities for students and teachers that widen the scope of learning and helps develop a love for reading and lifelong learning skills in students. The librarian should possess teaching skills and engage in activities like story-telling and book talks to complement classroom instruction.
- Users: The primary users are students and teachers.
- Services: A school library should offer services such as:
- Lending
- Information and reference services
- Guidance and advisory services
- Preparation of reading lists
- Service on current events, activities, and personalities
1.2 College Libraries
- Purpose and Function: College libraries play an important role in supplementing classroom teaching, as students at this level are expected to depend more on self-learning. The major functions include:
- Providing students with a deeper understanding of various disciplines.
- Preparing students for advanced studies and higher responsibilities.
- Providing adequate reading and research facilities for both students and faculty.
- Users: The user community comprises students and teachers.
- Collection: A college library should acquire a wide range of learning and teaching materials to meet both academic and extracurricular needs, based on a well-defined policy.
- Services: Important services provided by a college library include:
- Textbook services
- Lending and interlibrary loan
- Information and reference services
- Display of current journals and new acquisitions
- Assistance in the use of the library (user orientation)
- Reprographic and audio-visual services
1.3 University Libraries
- Purpose and Function: A university library is often described as the "heart of the university". Its objectives and functions are derived directly from those of its parent university, which include:
- Learning and teaching
- Research and generation of new knowledge
- Dissemination and publication of research results
- Conservation of knowledge and ideas A university library is distinct from a college library because its functions extend to supporting in-depth research, conserving knowledge, and aiding in the publication of research results.
- Users: The user community is diverse and includes undergraduate and postgraduate students, M.Phil. and Ph.D. research students, post-doctoral scholars, faculty, visiting scholars, and members of the university's academic and executive bodies.
- Key Areas of Concern: The successful functioning of a university library depends on its performance in key areas like collection development, processing and organization, services, professional staff, physical facilities, and finance. The library staff must be highly qualified, matching the academic and professional caliber of the teaching and research community.
- Services: A university library offers a wide range of services, which can be categorized as:
- Library Services: Lending, reference, reading facilities, and user assistance.
- Awareness Services: Current Contents of Journals and Selective Dissemination of Information (SDI).
- Bibliographic and Documentation Services: Literature searches, compiling bibliographies, preparing abstracts, and state-of-the-art reports.
- Other Services: Document supply and Internet-based searches.
- Special Services: User education, exhibitions, and special lectures.
2. Public Libraries
Public libraries are integral to community life, serving as promoters of literacy, providers of reading materials for all ages, and centers for community information. They are considered a "People's University". Their establishment is a legitimate charge on public funds, often supported by specific legislation and financed by national and local governments.
- Core Mission (UNESCO Public Library Manifesto): The 1995 UNESCO Manifesto emphasizes the public library's role as:
- A local gateway to knowledge, providing a basic condition for lifelong learning, independent decision-making, and cultural development.
- A living force for education, culture, and information.
- A local center of information that is freely accessible to all, regardless of age, sex, religion, nationality, or social status.
- Role in the Knowledge Society: Public libraries play a special role in the modern knowledge society by contributing to:
- Education: Supporting self-education and lifelong learning.
- Information: Ensuring access to information for all as a fundamental human right.
- Cultural Enrichment: Advancing literacy (including information literacy) and providing access to diverse cultural expressions.
- Economic Development: Acting as a local economic information service, providing information relevant to local industries like tourism, agriculture, and manufacturing.
- Indian Context: India's National Knowledge Commission (NKC) has prioritized the development of public libraries as a step toward transforming India into a knowledge-based economy.
3. Special Libraries
Special libraries are established by specific groups of users to meet their own specialized needs and are often attached to organizations like government departments, hospitals, learned societies, and commercial or industrial firms. They are sometimes referred to as information centres.
- Distinguishing Features:
- The word "special" should be interpreted as "specialist".
- They serve a particular institution and tend to be one-subject oriented.
- They are planned on strictly practical lines, with collections and activities carefully controlled in size and scope to meet specific needs.
- Functions: The primary concern of special libraries is communicating information to specialist users, often in anticipation of their needs. Their key functions include:
- Organizing resources to best suit local needs.
- Analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information and data.
- Providing critical reviews, reports, and compilations.
- Performing literature searches and compiling bibliographies.
- Disseminating current information.
- Services: Special librarians are proactive, mastering ways to present information that saves the time of their busy clients. They provide a range of services, including:
- Reference Service
- Awareness Services (e.g., Current Awareness, newsletters)
- Personalized and customized services like Selective Dissemination of Information (SDI).
- Specialized services like consolidation and repackaging of information.