Library

In its most general sense a library is a collection of books and other
reference materials. The term is usually used to refer to a public, school,
or institutional library. Such a library is open to consultation by the
public, students, or patrons or employees of an institution, and often
features a reference desk. Many libraries (called lending libraries) make at
least some of their books available for borrowing, so readers can use them
at home, over a period of days or weeks. As well as books, many libraries
are now repositories and/or access points for other media, such as maps,
microfilm, microfiche, audio tapes, CD's, video tapes, CD-ROMs and DVD's,
and have facilities to use internet.

Etymology of the word

The word is derived from Latin liber, which means "book." Derivations from
the Greek Bibliotheke (from Biblos, book) are used in at least German,
French, Spanish, Swedish, Polish, Portuguese and Russian. Other languages,
such as Icelandic, Finnish, and Estonian, use words that derive from their
own words for book (Bokasafn, Kirjasto, and Raamatukogu, respectively).

Library management

Basic tasks in library management include the planning of acquisition (which
materials should we acquire?), library classification, preservation of
materials (especially rare and fragile materials such as manuscripts),
borrowing, and developing and administering library computer systems. More
long-term issues include the planning of the construction of new libraries
or extensions to existing ones.

Library instruction

Many users do not know how to use a library correctly. Fear and anxiety are
common in some users. An entire movement has sprung up to advocate library
user education. The common term is library instruction. For example, library
instruction has been practiced in the USA since the 19th Century.

Some famous libraries

   * Library of Alexandria in ancient Egypt
   * Library of Congress in Washington DC
   * British Library in London
   * Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris
   * Bodleian Library at Oxford University
   * Cambridge University Library at Cambridge University
   * Fisher Library at the University of Sydney (largest in the Southern
     Hemisphere)

Most of the countries of the world have their own National Libraries:

   * Canada - National Library of Canada -
     http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/index-e.html
   * Germany - Die Deutsche Bibliothek - http://www.ddb.de/
   * Netherlands - Koninklijke Bibliotheek - http://www.kb.nl/
   * Sweden - Kungliga Biblioteket - http://www.kb.se/

Other libraries:

   * The St. Phillips Church Parsonage Provincial Library, established in
     1698 in Charleston, South Carolina, was the first public lending
     library in the American Colonies.
   * Boston Public Library, an early public lending library in America, was
     established in 1848.
   * Haskell Free Library and Opera House, "The only library in America with
     no books".

Some libraries that specialize in one subject:

   * Chess libraries
   * Esperanto libraries
   * Family History Library in Salt Lake City, the largest genealogy library