Page 8 - DLIS001_FOUNDATION_OF_LIBRARY_AND_INFORMATION_SCIENCE

Unit 1: Concept of Library Science

information found in libraries isn’t limited to books. Articles, encyclopedias, magazines, records, Notes
CDs and DVDs can be found in libraries as well. Some people enjoy going to the library to use
the internet, watch puppet shows, and listen to stories or use one of the library’s meeting or
study rooms. Whether you want to read a great story, find a useful article for an assignment, or
listen to music, there’s sure to be a library that can help you on your quest.
A library is an organized collection of information resources made accessible to a defined
community for reference or borrowing. It provides physical or digital access to material, and
may be a physical building or room, 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, audio books, databases, and other formats.
Libraries range in size from a few shelves of books to several million items.

Did u know? The first libraries consisted of archives of the earliest form of writing – the
clay tablets in cuneiform script discovered in Sumer, some dating back to 2600 BC. These
written archives mark the end of prehistory and the start of history. Private or personal
libraries made up of written books appeared in classical Greece in the 5th century BC.
A library is organized for use and maintained by a public body, an institution, a corporation, or
a private individual. Public and institutional collections and services may be intended for use by
people who choose not to – or cannot afford to – purchase an extensive collection themselves,
who need material no individual can reasonably be expected to have, or who require professional
assistance with their research. In addition to providing materials, libraries also provide the
services of librarians who are experts at finding and organizing information and at interpreting
information needs. Libraries often provide quiet areas for studying, and they also often offer
common areas to facilitate group study and collaboration. Libraries often provide public facilities
for access to their electronic resources and the Internet. Modern libraries are increasingly being
redefined as places to get unrestricted access to information in many formats and from many
sources. They are extending services beyond the physical walls of a building, by providing
material accessible by electronic means, and by providing the assistance of librarians in navigating
and analysing very large amounts of information with a variety of digital tools.

Self Assessment

State whether the following statements are true or false:

1. The first American school for library science was founded by Melvil Dewey at Columbia
University in 1987.
2. There is no generally agreed-upon distinction between the terms library science,
librarianship, and library and information science.
3. Library science has also included archival science.

1.2 History of Library Science in India

The first libraries were only partly libraries, and stored most of the unpublished records, which
are usually viewed as archives. The archaeological as well as literary evidence (written by
Chinese travellers in India) make it clear that writing and reading of manuscripts were regularly
practiced in ancient period since the 4th century B.C. to the 6th century after Christ. This must
have led to the growth and development of collection of manuscripts in important centres of
learning. The important library of that period was that of Nalanda University of Bihar in the 4th
century AD. The library was said to be in three grandest buildings, the area of which was called

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 3