Library, Information and Society

Introduction

 Information and knowledge drive society's development. Humans, known for their intelligence, gather information, turn it into knowledge, and use it to improve lives. Initially, knowledge was shared orally, but as it grew, people started writing it down. These written records became known as documents. As society progressed, knowledge expanded, leading to the rise of civilizations. Civilizations brought educational, political, and cultural organizations, boosting human intellectual activities. Printing technology marked a major milestone in preserving and sharing knowledge.

Amid these developments, the concept of a library emerged. Libraries became places to store and share knowledge, ensuring its transfer to future generations.

Definition of a 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 Harrold's Librarians' Glossary and Reference Book explains library as:

(a) A collection of books and other literary material kept for reading, studying and consultation

(b) A place, building, room or rooms set apart for keeping the books

(c) A number of books issued by one publisher under a comprehensive title such as 'Loeb Classical Library', and usually having some general characteristic, such as, subject, binding, or typography

(d) A collection of films, photographs and other non-book materials, plastic or metal tapes, disks and programs

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.

Purpose of a Library

The definition of a library, given by Ranganathan, helps us understand the status of a library in the society. He designates the library as a public institution. This status itself sets goals and objectives for a library. Being a public institution, it has the responsibility to serve the public without any reservation or biasness. Further, he says 'care of collection of books' which refers to the organization, maintenance and preservation aspects of the library materials so that it can serve the society or community for a longer period. The final and the most important factor in his definition is 'making them accessible'. This aspect of the definition sets an agenda to

provide service to the society. The library should be made available to the public for use or consultation.

Hence, the purpose of a library is to serve the society through the records of human thoughts, ideas and expressions by making them available as and when required by the members of the society, and preserving them for the coming generations, as these records are the intellectual wealth of the society.