Academic Libraries

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Academic Libraries

library

library a collection of books or other written or printed materials, as well as the facility in

which they are housed and the institution that is responsible for their maintenance. Modern

libraries may contain a wide range of materials, including manuscripts and pamphlets,

posters, photographs, motion pictures, and videotapes, sound recordings, and computer

databases in various forms.

The Modern Library

Modern libraries, in addition to providing patrons with access to books and other materials,

often publish lists of accessions and may maintain a readers' advisory service. Interlibrary

loan services, lecture series, public book reviews, and the maintenance of special juvenile

collections are other important recent developments. Three systems of book classification are

widely used to facilitate access to library collections: the Dewey decimal system of Melvil

Dewey, the system of Charles Ammi Cutter, and the Library of Congress system (see catalog).

Since the 1930s public library systems have had several technological tools at their disposal,

including microphotographic techniques for copying, computer data banks enabling the

storage of far more information and the search of indexes and catalogs far more quickly than

ever before, and computer networks that provide instant access to materials in libraries

throughout the world and to the Internet and its increasingly rich resources.

Major university libraries in the United States must work to meet an enormous demand for

research materials and spend nearly $5 million a year...