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Unit 9: National Libraries

subjects Notes
special groups served
type of material collected

sub-national serving a geographical area or a cultural group
functional sharing.
Table 9.1 given below, shows the different types of National Libraries and the functions performed
by them with examples.

Table 9.1: Types of National Libraries

Types Functions Examples
Comprehensive All Functions National Library of Canada
By Functions Lending British Library Lending Division
(Formerly National Lending Library
for science and Technology)
By subject Agriculture National Agriculture Library USA
Medicine National Medical Library, India
Science National Science Library, India
Scientific & Technical Technical Library USSR
By Special groups Blind National Library for the Blind, UK
Legislators National Diet Library, Japan
Sub National serving a Area/State/cultural National Library of Wales
geographical area or culture group National Libraries of Serbia USSR
group National Library of Scotland
Sharing Sharing functions State and University of Aarhus,
Denmark

Self Assessment

State whether the following statements are true or false:

1. The concept of national libraries has developed in about three centuries back, mostly in
industrially advanced countries of the East.
2. One of the unique privileges of a National Library of a country is to receive by law all
print and non-print materials produced by the country.
3. National Libraries that have been operating in only one country.
4. National libraries found it increasingly difficult to acquire all important documents, leave
alone processing and making them speedily available to users.
5. National libraries works as a national referral and bibliographic exchange centre.

9.2 Functions of National Library

Some basic functions performed by a national library are:

It works as a national depository library for all literary work published in the country;
It freely collects copies of all published material in the country under legal provision or
by law;

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