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This article is from the Libraries FAQ, by Anthony Wilson paw@iglou.com with numerous contributions by others.

2.1 What is a library?

The traditional definition is "a collection of books". The ALA
Glossary of Library and Information Science (Heartsill Young (ed.)
Chicago: ALA, 1983) defines a library as:
"A collection of material organized to provide physical,
bibliographical, and intellectual access to a target group with a
staff that is trained to provide services and programs related to the
information needs of the target group".

Will Manley adds, in his _Manley Art of Librarianship_ (Jefferson, NC:
McFarland, 1993), "An unused collection of books is simply that - an
unused collection of books. It is not a library."

 

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• prev: 1.4 What other FAQs might interest librarians and researchers?
• Index
• next: 2.2 What is library science?

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reading, books, libraries, librarianship, Universal Decimal Classification, librarian, information broker, Dewey