Decline of library usage
Encyclopedia
As technology becomes increasingly available and digital information expands on a daily basis, academic library use is on the decline. Research libraries on college
and university
campuses are finding that “gate count
s and circulation
of traditional materials are falling at many college libraries across the country, as students find new study spaces in dorm rooms or apartments, coffee shops, or nearby bookstores."
The shift to electronic resources has many scholars and librarians worrying about the loss of a central community resource in physical libraries, whether they are at the university or public level. University boards are becoming increasingly skeptical about new additions and library buildings since they cost so much. Many academics mourn the loss of a common culture of library use across campuses and communities while others hail the era of a new type of library with a new structure of knowledge and practical use. There has been a move to make the library seem more than a tool and storage house for books and information as different programs are offered and coffee bars are added; this is a huge transition from the traditional assumption of the library.
and has received considerable attention, especially over the last decade. While physical use may have been reasonably expected to decline in recent years due to the large scale shift to digital libraries and the increase in sources such as e-journals, the trend has appeared to be on a much larger scale. As the decline in library use remains somewhat of an ambiguous problem to solve, a large number of experts feel that library usage will continue its downward trend in the coming future until libraries can learn to adapt accordingly, if at all.
Not surprisingly, declining usage has been most well documented in university and academic libraries. A large scale study of academic libraries conducted from 2002-2004 indicated that average weekly reference transactions declined 2.2%. Additionally, a 2005 report from the Association of Research Libraries
stated that references dropped an average 4.5% per year while circulation transactions fell 1.2% per year dating to 1991.
A general change in attitude regarding libraries has become apparent, especially in younger generations. Students now enter college with a much different idea regarding libraries and how to go about finding information they need. A study of around 2,000 American college students in 2001 showed that 93% felt that finding information online “made more sense” than going to the actual library. Furthermore, 83% stated they were frequently unable to get the information they needed due to library hours and another 75% said they just didn’t have time to go to the library.
Such opinions have generated expected results. From 1995 to 2003, the ratio of reference queries to full-time students plummeted for ARL libraries. Similarly, total circulation to full-time students fell at a sharp rate over the same time frame. Regarding the issue, University of Illinois’ Graduate School of Library and Information Science professor Jerome McDonough observed that in terms of undergraduate usage, “We're losing clientele; students may come in the library to study, to socialize, to hit the newly installed cafe designed to lure them in, but they're not using library materials, or library services, at anything like the rate they did even ten years ago.”
Likewise, the issue has been of particular relevance in the United Kingdom
. A nationwide report in March 2004 indicated that over the previous 10 year period, overall library usage declined 21% and circulation fell 35%. The report further claimed that libraries within the United Kingdom could be unused and irrelevant by 2020. In 2005, Parliament directly addressed the issue as well, with the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee
producing a report calling for “urgent action” to reverse the decline of public libraries. It included 42 recommendations and conclusions regarding what Parliament considered a pressing issue.
has its own Office of Research and Statistics that has the mission of providing "leadership and expert advice to ALA staff, members, and public on all matters related to research and statistics about libraries, librarians, and other library staff; represent the Association to Federal agencies on these issues; and initiate projects needed to expand the knowledge base of the field through research and the collection of useful statistics." This large organization conducts research on a myriad of issues and publishes statistics regarding use at libraries on all levels. For instance, the Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study (begun in 1994) assesses the availability of computers and internet-related services in public libraries in the United States
as well as the impact of funding changes on access to these resources.
a division of the American Library Association
, focuses on research libraries at the college and university levels. This organization’s Research and Scholarship Committee conducts numerous research studies on adapting library use and instruction for the digital age. It publishes an agenda calling for further research in the field of library instruction and information literacy. The ACRL research committee publishes a variety of documents related to the need to adapt to the digital age, such as their 2007 report: “Top ten assumptions for the future of academic libraries and librarian.” Which amounts to the following assumptions:
and other popular search engines such as Bing
, which allow people to receive a reply in tenths of a second. While information retrieved on search engines has proved less reliable than library resources, people have shown a preference for quick access. Furthermore, quick access tools such as Google Scholar
, which directs searches to scholarly literature, have emerged very popular with students.
The purchasing of books has also gained popularity. Chain bookstores such as Barnes & Noble
and Borders
have been very successful and experienced rapid expansion, partly due to the promotion of atmosphere and amenities such as Starbucks Coffee. This has been especially detrimental to libraries, as studies have shown a major intrinsic factor in avoiding libraries today is the appearance and conditions of the library. In 1979, about two and a half times as many books were loaned than were purchased in the UK. As of 2005, the number is about even. Online book stores and other shopping websites such as Amazon.com
have also enjoyed tremendous growth over the last decade as well.
and The Baltimore Examiner
have gone out of business. Likewise, other notable publications such as The Christian Science Monitor
have taken to the approach of adopting primarily online business models.
Periodicals and magazines have seen a similar drop off in subscriptions, which has had a much more direct effect on library usage. Over 2009, the San Francisco Public Library
will reduce its spending on periodicals over 16%, while over a decade it has cut its subscriptions down from over 15,000 to about 11,000.
Despite the work of libraries to adopt technologies, the primary reason people still go to the library is for print media. With such a precipitous decline, libraries have inevitably seen a drop in patrons and circulation, as efforts to digitize have not been marketed effectively enough to reach declining audiences.
) enable patrons to search the library database for its holdings from remote locations. In some cases, libraries are attempting to become fully digitized by becoming digital libraries to cater to a generation of people who find the internet faster and easier than physically going to a library. However, the complexity of the search methods provided by libraries alienates many potential users. While most academic researchers and students acknowledge that libraries contain much more relevant and high quality materials, the confusing search process makes it difficult to find these resources. With the current premium placed on time, students are not willing to sift through the clutter to find the sources, rather turning to Google because of the accessibility of the content, not its quality. So despite the efforts to digitize, libraries are still losing potential patrons to less complicated mediums.
writing and interview workshops and session with career consolers to help the unemployed. These services, along with people’s need to rent
rather than purchase books during tough times, make libraries extremely popular during recessionary times. Therefore, it has been seen that during recession
, regardless of the current overall trend, library usage will increase as people clamor for the free services. While the effects of the recession are being felt all around the nation, a particular study in Washington state
places numbers to the increases in library usage. Washington State Librarian Jan Walsh states, “This study follows a trend found elsewhere in the nation during this current economic recession. More people are relying on their public libraries during tough economic times. It really underscores the importance of public libraries, especially when the economy declines and unemployment rises.” The study looked to measure the increases in six categories from June 2008 until November 2008 in comparison to previous years. The categories considered were attendance (patron visits), circulation (material checkouts), virtual visits, reference transactions, percent of time public Internet computers are in use, and number of public internet computer users. The percent increases from the previous year are as follows:
As can be seen from this data, all aspects of library use have significantly increased compared to the previous year.
Unfortunately, as library usage grows during a recession, the ability to fund public libraries declines. A decline in state funding for libraries during the 2009 fiscal year has been reported in forty-one percent of states according to the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies. While the effects on library funding are felt throughout the nation, the southeast has been most effected by the recession. South Carolina
and Florida
reported a 30 percent and 23.4 percent decrease respectively from last year. Even states that provide the largest portion of state funding towards public libraries per capita, Ohio
and Hawaii
, are reporting or anticipating declining state funds.
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
and university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
campuses are finding that “gate count
Gate count
In microprocessor design, gate count refers to the number of gates build with transistor and other electronic devices, that are needed to implement a design. Even with today's process technology providing what was formerly considered impossible numbers of gates on a single chip, gate counts remain...
s and circulation
Library circulation
Library circulation or library lending comprises the activities around the lending of library books and other material to users of a lending library. A circulation or lending department is one of the key departments of a library....
of traditional materials are falling at many college libraries across the country, as students find new study spaces in dorm rooms or apartments, coffee shops, or nearby bookstores."
The shift to electronic resources has many scholars and librarians worrying about the loss of a central community resource in physical libraries, whether they are at the university or public level. University boards are becoming increasingly skeptical about new additions and library buildings since they cost so much. Many academics mourn the loss of a common culture of library use across campuses and communities while others hail the era of a new type of library with a new structure of knowledge and practical use. There has been a move to make the library seem more than a tool and storage house for books and information as different programs are offered and coffee bars are added; this is a huge transition from the traditional assumption of the library.
Evidence of decline
Since the mid 1990s, the declining trend in library usage has been well documented. With the rapid expansion of the internet to the general public, people began to seek answers in the quickest and most convenient way. Declining usage has been an issue both within and outside of the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and has received considerable attention, especially over the last decade. While physical use may have been reasonably expected to decline in recent years due to the large scale shift to digital libraries and the increase in sources such as e-journals, the trend has appeared to be on a much larger scale. As the decline in library use remains somewhat of an ambiguous problem to solve, a large number of experts feel that library usage will continue its downward trend in the coming future until libraries can learn to adapt accordingly, if at all.
Not surprisingly, declining usage has been most well documented in university and academic libraries. A large scale study of academic libraries conducted from 2002-2004 indicated that average weekly reference transactions declined 2.2%. Additionally, a 2005 report from the Association of Research Libraries
Association of Research Libraries
The Association of Research Libraries is an organization of the leading research libraries in North America. As of October 2006, it comprises 123 libraries at comprehensive, research-intensive institutions in the US and Canada that share similar missions, aspirations, and achievements...
stated that references dropped an average 4.5% per year while circulation transactions fell 1.2% per year dating to 1991.
A general change in attitude regarding libraries has become apparent, especially in younger generations. Students now enter college with a much different idea regarding libraries and how to go about finding information they need. A study of around 2,000 American college students in 2001 showed that 93% felt that finding information online “made more sense” than going to the actual library. Furthermore, 83% stated they were frequently unable to get the information they needed due to library hours and another 75% said they just didn’t have time to go to the library.
Such opinions have generated expected results. From 1995 to 2003, the ratio of reference queries to full-time students plummeted for ARL libraries. Similarly, total circulation to full-time students fell at a sharp rate over the same time frame. Regarding the issue, University of Illinois’ Graduate School of Library and Information Science professor Jerome McDonough observed that in terms of undergraduate usage, “We're losing clientele; students may come in the library to study, to socialize, to hit the newly installed cafe designed to lure them in, but they're not using library materials, or library services, at anything like the rate they did even ten years ago.”
Likewise, the issue has been of particular relevance in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. A nationwide report in March 2004 indicated that over the previous 10 year period, overall library usage declined 21% and circulation fell 35%. The report further claimed that libraries within the United Kingdom could be unused and irrelevant by 2020. In 2005, Parliament directly addressed the issue as well, with the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee
Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee
The Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee is one of the Select Committees of the British House of Commons, established in 1997. It oversees the operations of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport which replaced the Department for National Heritage....
producing a report calling for “urgent action” to reverse the decline of public libraries. It included 42 recommendations and conclusions regarding what Parliament considered a pressing issue.
Research conducted
In order to assess the decline of library usage, a multitude of research has taken place since the turn of the 21st century. When studying the overall decline of library usage, a number of typical factors are considered, including changes in physical attendance, the number of print sources available, overall circulation of materials (both print and electronic), reference questions asked, and the use of reference alternatives, such as online search engines. To this point, universities and major national library organizations have been at the forefront of conducting such research.American Library Association
The American Library AssociationAmerican Library Association
The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
has its own Office of Research and Statistics that has the mission of providing "leadership and expert advice to ALA staff, members, and public on all matters related to research and statistics about libraries, librarians, and other library staff; represent the Association to Federal agencies on these issues; and initiate projects needed to expand the knowledge base of the field through research and the collection of useful statistics." This large organization conducts research on a myriad of issues and publishes statistics regarding use at libraries on all levels. For instance, the Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study (begun in 1994) assesses the availability of computers and internet-related services in public libraries in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as well as the impact of funding changes on access to these resources.
Association of College and Research Libraries
The Association of College and Research LibrariesAssociation of College and Research Libraries
The Association of College and Research Libraries , a division of the American Library Association , is a professional association of academic librarians and other interested individuals...
a division of the American Library Association
American Library Association
The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
, focuses on research libraries at the college and university levels. This organization’s Research and Scholarship Committee conducts numerous research studies on adapting library use and instruction for the digital age. It publishes an agenda calling for further research in the field of library instruction and information literacy. The ACRL research committee publishes a variety of documents related to the need to adapt to the digital age, such as their 2007 report: “Top ten assumptions for the future of academic libraries and librarian.” Which amounts to the following assumptions:
- 1. There will be an increased emphasis on digitizing collections, preserving digital archives, and improving methods of data storageData storage devicethumb|200px|right|A reel-to-reel tape recorder .The magnetic tape is a data storage medium. The recorder is data storage equipment using a portable medium to store the data....
and retrieval.
- 2. The skill set for librarians will continue to evolve in response to the needs and expectations of the changing populations (students and faculty) that they serve.
- 3. Students and faculty will increasingly demand faster and greater access to services.
- 4. Debates about intellectual propertyIntellectual propertyIntellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
will become increasingly common in higher education.
- 5. The demand for technology-related services will grow and require additional funding.
- 6. Higher education will increasingly view the institution as a business.
- 7. Students will increasingly view themselves as customers and consumers, expecting high-quality facilities and services.
- 8. Distance learning will be an increasingly more common option in higher education, and will coexist but not threaten the traditional bricks-and-mortar model.
- 9. Free public access to information stemming from publicly funded research will continue to grow.
- 10. Privacy will continue to be an important issue in librarianship.
Council on Library and Information Resources
The Council on Library and Information Resources published a report in 2003 that provides an overview of over 200 recent research studies (conducted between 1995–2003) concerning use and users of electronic library resources. Conclusions from this report, like that college and high school students use the internet more than the library for research or that students’ quality judgments on internet material often do not conform to quality criteria of faculty members, are relevant to the move toward digital information since the results can be applied by librarians nationwide to improve and adapt their services to a rapidly changing worldLibrary alternatives
A major factor in the decline of library usage has been the emergence of other popular supplements. Most notable among these are GoogleGoogle
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
and other popular search engines such as Bing
Bing
Bing is a web search engine from Microsoft.Bing may also refer to:* An onomatopœia of a bell sound* Bing cherry, a variety of cherry* Bing , Chinese flatbread* Bing , a German company that manufactured toys and kitchen utensils...
, which allow people to receive a reply in tenths of a second. While information retrieved on search engines has proved less reliable than library resources, people have shown a preference for quick access. Furthermore, quick access tools such as Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Google Scholar is a freely accessible web search engine that indexes the full text of scholarly literature across an array of publishing formats and disciplines. Released in beta in November 2004, the Google Scholar index includes most peer-reviewed online journals of Europe and America's largest...
, which directs searches to scholarly literature, have emerged very popular with students.
The purchasing of books has also gained popularity. Chain bookstores such as Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble, Inc. is the largest book retailer in the United States, operating mainly through its Barnes & Noble Booksellers chain of bookstores headquartered at 122 Fifth Avenue in the Flatiron District in Manhattan in New York City. Barnes & Noble also operated the chain of small B. Dalton...
and Borders
Borders Group
Borders Group, Inc. was an international book and music retailer based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The company employed approximately 19,500 throughout the U.S., primarily in its Borders and Waldenbooks stores....
have been very successful and experienced rapid expansion, partly due to the promotion of atmosphere and amenities such as Starbucks Coffee. This has been especially detrimental to libraries, as studies have shown a major intrinsic factor in avoiding libraries today is the appearance and conditions of the library. In 1979, about two and a half times as many books were loaned than were purchased in the UK. As of 2005, the number is about even. Online book stores and other shopping websites such as Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
have also enjoyed tremendous growth over the last decade as well.
Related factors
In recent years, print media has been in sharp decline. This has been especially notable in the newspaper industry, where since 2007 newspapers such as The Cincinnati PostThe Cincinnati Post
The Cincinnati Post is a discontinued afternoon daily newspaper that was published in Cincinnati, Ohio. Distributed in Northern Kentucky as The Kentucky Post, it was owned by the E. W. Scripps Company. Since the 1980s, its editorial stance was usually conservative. The Post published its final...
and The Baltimore Examiner
The Baltimore Examiner
The Baltimore Examiner was a free daily newspaper, one of the two big dailies in Baltimore, Maryland . It was launched in 2006 by the Philip Anschutz-owned Clarity Media Group as part of a national chain that includes The San Francisco Examiner and The Washington Examiner...
have gone out of business. Likewise, other notable publications such as The Christian Science Monitor
The Christian Science Monitor
The Christian Science Monitor is an international newspaper published daily online, Monday to Friday, and weekly in print. It was started in 1908 by Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Church of Christ, Scientist. As of 2009, the print circulation was 67,703.The CSM is a newspaper that covers...
have taken to the approach of adopting primarily online business models.
Periodicals and magazines have seen a similar drop off in subscriptions, which has had a much more direct effect on library usage. Over 2009, the San Francisco Public Library
San Francisco Public Library
The San Francisco Public Library is a public library system serving the city of San Francisco. Its main library is located in San Francisco's Civic Center, at 100 Larkin Street at Grove. The first public library of San Francisco officially opened in 1879, just 30 years after the California Gold...
will reduce its spending on periodicals over 16%, while over a decade it has cut its subscriptions down from over 15,000 to about 11,000.
Despite the work of libraries to adopt technologies, the primary reason people still go to the library is for print media. With such a precipitous decline, libraries have inevitably seen a drop in patrons and circulation, as efforts to digitize have not been marketed effectively enough to reach declining audiences.
Online presence
Libraries have already begun to shift to react to the increasing reliance on the internet by the world. Online public access catalogs (OPACOPAC
An Online Public Access Catalog is an online database of materials held by a library or group of libraries...
) enable patrons to search the library database for its holdings from remote locations. In some cases, libraries are attempting to become fully digitized by becoming digital libraries to cater to a generation of people who find the internet faster and easier than physically going to a library. However, the complexity of the search methods provided by libraries alienates many potential users. While most academic researchers and students acknowledge that libraries contain much more relevant and high quality materials, the confusing search process makes it difficult to find these resources. With the current premium placed on time, students are not willing to sift through the clutter to find the sources, rather turning to Google because of the accessibility of the content, not its quality. So despite the efforts to digitize, libraries are still losing potential patrons to less complicated mediums.
Economic effects on library usage
Although a general downward trend in overall library usage since the creation of the internet exists as explained previously, general library use will fluctuate with changing economic cycles in a specific manner. The reason for the connection is the services that libraries provide citizens free of charge. Libraries provide a multitude of job-related services especially for the unemployed mainly centered on the free computer and internet access provided. Also, many libraries provide resumeRésumé
A résumé is a document used by individuals to present their background and skillsets. Résumés can be used for a variety of reasons but most often to secure new employment. A typical résumé contains a summary of relevant job experience and education...
writing and interview workshops and session with career consolers to help the unemployed. These services, along with people’s need to rent
Renting
Renting is an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property owned by another. A gross lease is when the tenant pays a flat rental amount and the landlord pays for all property charges regularly incurred by the ownership from landowners...
rather than purchase books during tough times, make libraries extremely popular during recessionary times. Therefore, it has been seen that during recession
Recession
In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction, a general slowdown in economic activity. During recessions, many macroeconomic indicators vary in a similar way...
, regardless of the current overall trend, library usage will increase as people clamor for the free services. While the effects of the recession are being felt all around the nation, a particular study in Washington state
Washington State
Washington State may refer to:* Washington , often referred to as "Washington state" to differentiate it from Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States* Washington State University, a land-grant college in that state- See also :...
places numbers to the increases in library usage. Washington State Librarian Jan Walsh states, “This study follows a trend found elsewhere in the nation during this current economic recession. More people are relying on their public libraries during tough economic times. It really underscores the importance of public libraries, especially when the economy declines and unemployment rises.” The study looked to measure the increases in six categories from June 2008 until November 2008 in comparison to previous years. The categories considered were attendance (patron visits), circulation (material checkouts), virtual visits, reference transactions, percent of time public Internet computers are in use, and number of public internet computer users. The percent increases from the previous year are as follows:
- Attendance (patron visits): 7.5%
- Circulation (material checkouts): 11.22%
- Virtual visits (such as to a library Web page): 20.21%
- Reference transactions: 4.41%
- Percent of time public Internet computers are in use: 9.74%
- Number of public Internet computer users: 13.77%.
As can be seen from this data, all aspects of library use have significantly increased compared to the previous year.
Unfortunately, as library usage grows during a recession, the ability to fund public libraries declines. A decline in state funding for libraries during the 2009 fiscal year has been reported in forty-one percent of states according to the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies. While the effects on library funding are felt throughout the nation, the southeast has been most effected by the recession. South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
and Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
reported a 30 percent and 23.4 percent decrease respectively from last year. Even states that provide the largest portion of state funding towards public libraries per capita, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, are reporting or anticipating declining state funds.
See also
- American Library AssociationAmerican Library AssociationThe American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
- ArchiveArchiveAn archive is a collection of historical records, or the physical place they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or organization's lifetime, and are kept to show the function of an organization...
- BookendBookendA bookend is an object that is designed to buttress, or support, an upright row of books. It is placed on either end to prevent books from falling over, such as in a half-filled bookshelf. Bookends are both utilitarian and, often, decorative. They are common in libraries and in homes...
- Digital libraryDigital libraryA digital library is a library in which collections are stored in digital formats and accessible by computers. The digital content may be stored locally, or accessed remotely via computer networks...
- Carnegie libraryCarnegie libraryA Carnegie library is a library built with money donated by Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. 2,509 Carnegie libraries were built between 1883 and 1929, including some belonging to public and university library systems...
- Dewey Decimal ClassificationDewey Decimal ClassificationDewey Decimal Classification, is a proprietary system of library classification developed by Melvil Dewey in 1876.It has been greatly modified and expanded through 23 major revisions, the most recent in 2011...
- Digital reference servicesDigital reference servicesDigital reference is a service by which library reference service is conducted online, and the reference transaction is a computer-mediated communication....
- Document management systemDocument management systemA document management system is a computer system used to track and store electronic documents and/or images of paper documents. It is usually also capable of keeping track of the different versions created by different users . The term has some overlap with the concepts of content management...
- Friends of LibrariesFriends of LibrariesFriends of Libraries USA are non-profit charitable, groups formed to support libraries in their communities. Friends of Libraries groups are often involved in fundraising, advocacy, volunteerism,public awareness campaigns, and literacy programs.-See also:...
- International Federation of Library Associations and InstitutionsInternational Federation of Library Associations and InstitutionsThe International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions is the leading international association of library organisations. It is the global voice of the library and information profession, and its annual conference provides a venue for librarians to learn from one another...
- LibraryLibraryIn a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
- LibrarianLibrarianA librarian is an information professional trained in library and information science, which is the organization and management of information services or materials for those with information needs...
- Library 2.0Library 2.0Library 2.0 is a loosely defined model for a modernized form of library service that reflects a transition within the library world in the way that services are delivered to users....
- Library scienceLibrary scienceLibrary science is an interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary field that applies the practices, perspectives, and tools of management, information technology, education, and other areas to libraries; the collection, organization, preservation, and dissemination of information resources; and the...
- Library catalogLibrary catalogA library catalog is a register of all bibliographic items found in a library or group of libraries, such as a network of libraries at several locations...
- Library of Congress ClassificationLibrary of Congress ClassificationThe Library of Congress Classification is a system of library classification developed by the Library of Congress. It is used by most research and academic libraries in the U.S. and several other countries; for example, Australia and Taiwan, R.O.C. It is not to be confused with the Library of...
- Public Library of SciencePublic Library of ScienceThe Public Library of Science is a nonprofit open-access scientific publishing project aimed at creating a library of open access journals and other scientific literature under an open content license...
- Research libraryResearch libraryA research library is a library which contains an in-depth collection of material on one or several subjects . A research library will generally include primary sources as well as secondary sources...
- Slide library
- Special librarySpecial libraryA special library is a term for a library that is neither an academic, school, public or national library. Special libraries include law libraries, news libraries, corporate libraries, museum libraries, and medical libraries and are not usually open to the public for use...