Tamralipta Mahavidyalaya Research Review

A Peer Reviewed National Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies Online ISSN : 2456-1681

Vol.2:2017
IMPORTANCE AND ROLE OF LIBRARIES IN OUR SOCIETY

Rajat Ari

Central Library,
Tamralipta Mahavidyalaya, Tamluk,
Purba Midnapore-721636, West Bengal, India
E-Mail: rajatari_10@yahoo.com

Abstract:

Library is a learning institution that exists in our society from ancient times. It is a place where
interaction between human and information takes place and intends to satisfy the information and
social needs. Libraries play a vital role for a nation by preserving its cultural heritage. In the modern
age with the abundance of information, libraries assist the society by maintaining and disseminating
the relevant information as and when required.

Keywords: Library, Society.

Introduction:

Library from time immemorial has been considered as a „social institution‟. It has an
immense role in the modern society and regarded as the „gateway of knowledge‟ for the
community. With the generation of new information sources including web-based resources
there is a huge change in the role and form of the libraries. Today people in every sphere of
the society irrespective of their age, profession, etc. from child to adult, from teacher to
politician, businessmen to housewives use the libraries. Everybody use and need the
services of a library. In today‟s age of information both print and non-print materials are kept
in a library. Conventional documents like books, journals, newspapers as well as non-
conventional documents such as maps, charts, etc. are maintained together in a library.

Library and Society:

Library and society are both interlinked and interdependent. Library exists for the
need of the society. A library can be referred to as a well acknowledged „social agency‟. It
plays a vital role in shaping our society. It transmits and disseminates the accumulated
knowledge through books and other materials.

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Tamralipta Mahavidyalaya Research Review
A Peer Reviewed National Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies Online ISSN : 2456-1681
Vol.2:2017
In ancient times, libraries acted only as the custodian of books and other written
documents. Writings on clay tablets, papyrus, parchment, velum, paper, etc were preserved
in those libraries. Libraries existed as accumulation of personal collection of kings, in
temples, religious centres. There was limited accessibility to these collections. Only the elite
who were involved in acquiring knowledge had access to it.
Gradually, with the increasing democratization of education, libraries became
accessible to the general public and there was awareness about libraries.

What is a library?

The word library is derived from the Latin word „libraria‟ meaning „a book place‟. It
originated from the word „liber‟ which means „book‟. A library can be described as:

• A room where books are kept.

• Collection of literary documents or records kept for reference or borrowing
• A depository built to contain book and other material
• A building that houses a collection

Definition:

• Library is Collection of information resources in print or in other forms that is

organized and made accessible for reading or study. (Encyclopedia Britannica)

• A library is a collection of sources of information and similar 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, Blue-ray Discs, e-books, audio-books, databases, and other formats.
(Wikipedia)

• Dr. S. R. Ranganathan, father of Library Science, describes the library as the public
institution or establishment charged with the care with the collection of books and the
duty of making them accessible to those who require to use them.

Thus, libraries can be referred to as places to get access to information in a number of

formats from various sources.

Types of libraries:

Libraries can be broadly divided into three categories:

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Tamralipta Mahavidyalaya Research Review
A Peer Reviewed National Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies Online ISSN : 2456-1681
Vol.2:2017
1) Public library: Public Libraries are those which are developed for the use of general
public and funded by public sources. It provides services to the people of a particular
region irrespective of their age, religion, sex, profession, etc. Example: The National
Library of India, Delhi Public Library, etc.

2) Academic Library: Academic Libraries are those which are available in a particular
institution and provide the reading material and other services to the members of that
institution. Generally these libraries are attached to education institutions and support
the curriculum and research activity of the students. Example: School library, College
library, University library.

3) Special Library: Special Libraries are those which provide specialized information
services to particular category of users. Here documents of a specific subject are
available. Example: Agricultural Research Library, Libraries for Disabled, etc.

Purpose and Objectives of a library:

The main purpose of a library is to serve the society through the record of human
thoughts, ideas and expressions by making them available to all. They vary according to the
type of libraries.
1. To provide access to a large collection of different kind of books and other reading
materials at one place.
2. To preserve literature for posterity.
3. To provide a place or an environment for study and research.

Services Provided:

The basic service is to provide access to the collection of the library.

1. Reference
2. Circulation
3. Inter-library loan

Functions of a library:

The functions of library are as follows:

• Build up a collection and provide books and other non-book materials to the people
who need them.
• Helps to develop and promote the spread of knowledge, education and culture.
• Provide facility for both formal and informal life-long self education in the community.
• Furnish up-to-date facts and information on all subjects to all.
• Support for adult literacy initiatives.

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Tamralipta Mahavidyalaya Research Review
A Peer Reviewed National Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies Online ISSN : 2456-1681
Vol.2:2017
• Provide reliable information to a variety of users irrespective of their age, caste,
creed, religion, sex, profession, etc.
• Provide students with books and other reading materials that are relevant to the
course curriculum in the academic institution.
• Help faculty members in preparation of their instructional courses.
• Support for job seekers via free access to the internet to search for and respond to
job applications.
• Support to the disadvantaged.
• Preserve the literary works and the cultural heritage for posterity.
• Support for community involvement through the provision of information about the
local area
• Provide Information Services – business, economic, social and other information to
the needy.
• Supports research and development.
• Facilitate advancement of culture in the community.
• Fulfilling recreational needs and utilization of leisure time.

These functions may broadly be categorized into the following areas:

a) Education: Library supports both formal and informal education and provides
facilities for life-long education. It helps in the self-development in various stages of
education.

b) Dissemination of Information: Libraries provide current and accurate information to

the intended users according to their subject of interest. They act as an information
centres or referral centres for specific source of information like Information regarding
employment, social programmes, public utility services, etc.

c) Promotion of Culture: Libraries act as cultural centres and promote participation

and appreciation of various arts. It helps to broaden our views and develop creative
abilities by reading and thinking.It also help in cultural upliftment by organizing
extension services like lectures, seminars, book exhibition.

d) Recreation: Libraries help in utilizing the leisure time properly by providing books on
fiction, magazine, newspapers, etc. Audio-visual materials are also kept in the library
for use.

e) Preservation of Knowledge: Libraries maintains archives of old and rare

documents thereby preserving the literary heritage for posterity. It stores the literary
works in various formats which helps the researchers to do their work.

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Tamralipta Mahavidyalaya Research Review
A Peer Reviewed National Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies Online ISSN : 2456-1681
Vol.2:2017
f) Aids to Research Work: Libraries assists research scholars in their work in the
following way:
• Libraries procure research materials such as books, journals, etc. and
facilitate easy access and discovery of research materials.
• Provides physical space to work.
• Assists in gathering of vital information.
• Provides information and advice regarding publishing, copyright, open
access, citation.
• Provides access to high quality content vital for research.

Recent Trends:

The recent trends that are observed in the library are:

i. Library Professionals to Information Professionals: The work of the librarians is

now not limited to just mere circulation of books but providing the accurate
information to the right user. In the age of digitization, documents are now available
in e-formats and the library automation is must for every library.

ii. Traditional Libraries to Digital Libraries: In the age of information technology,

digital documents co-exist with printed books rather than only printed documents that
were available in the traditional libraries. Initiatives are taken to develop digital
libraries in India. Modern libraries subscribe a number of e-journals and e-books to
facilitate the users through internet. Example: N-LIST of INFLIBNET.

iii. Library Co-operation to Resource Sharing Networks/Consortium: No library is

self-sufficient enough to accommodate each and every document. Certain issues like
space, limited fund, increased price of documents, etc. restricts a library to acquire all
the documents. In such case, a consortium or network is developed among libraries
to share their resources. Example: INFLIBNET, UGC-INFONET E-Journal
Consortium.

iv. Collection Development to Content Development: A proper collection of

documents have to be developed to satisfy user needs. Libraries have to assess and
recognize the user‟s need and built up the collection accordingly so that the content
satisfies the users.

v. Conventional Education to Web-Based Education: It provides access to e-

resources and there is increasing access to learning resources. It reduces the
educational delivery cost and provides a new learning environment.

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Tamralipta Mahavidyalaya Research Review
A Peer Reviewed National Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies Online ISSN : 2456-1681
Vol.2:2017
Future of Libraries:

As long as books are there, libraries will exist in our society. But some eminent
personalities have opined that in the near future libraries may not exist at all. Google and
other resources may weaken the relevance of the libraries. According to them, documents
will be available in electronic formats only. Others think that libraries will exist but have to
face a number of challenges.

The job of the librarians is very important. Even a small library must have a librarian
whose task is to arrange the documents and make them available for the users.
The focus will be on the following areas:

1) Organising the universe of knowledge: The librarian should explore the knowledge
needs of the people. They should capture and manage the new emerging
knowledge.

2) Managing online content: Librarians should learn the skills for using online
resources and Use of search engine in selecting the best online content. They should
possess basic knowledge of web resources.

3) Understanding the needs of library users: Librarians help users to satisfy their
requirements and in this process may use information technology. They should also
encourage the use of reliable information sources.

4) Developing Technical skills: Librarian should be technology friendly, support digital

database development and take initiative in digital archiving and preservation.

5) Evaluating users’ need: For this, the librarian should first prepare a complete list of
users needs of both present and future and information may be collected through
questionnaires, interviews and observations. The data which is collected should be
classified and after analyzing the data, suggestions to be recommended.

Conclusion:

Education is the backbone for the progress of any society. Libraries provide the
crucial role in promoting education, research, personality development, ethics and other
important values. A society cannot flourish without proper education and the primary
requirement of the education system is the knowledge available in the books. Libraries
acquire books along with other reading materials, organize them, preserve them and
disseminate the information to the users. In this way libraries play an important role in
development of the society.

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Tamralipta Mahavidyalaya Research Review
A Peer Reviewed National Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies Online ISSN : 2456-1681
Vol.2:2017
References:

1. Chakrabarti, Bhubaneswar & Mahapatra, Piyushkanti (2008) “Library and Information

Science : an introduction”. Kolkata : The World Press Pvt. Ltd.
2. Evas, Wendy and Baker, David (ed.) (2011). “Libraries and Society: Role,
Responsibility and Future in an Age of Change”.Oxford :Chandos Publishing.
3. Godin, Seth. "The Future of the Library." Seth's Blog. N.p., 16 May 2011. Web. 18
May 2011.
4. Kaul, H.K.(2013). “Librarians of the future: mastering the road ahead”. New Delhi:
DELNET.
5. Kumar, Krishan (2001). “Library organization”. New Delhi: Vikash Publishing House.
6. Pandey, S. K. S. (1992). “Library and society”, New Delhi: EssEss Publication.
7. https://www.slideshare.net/mssridhar/library-and-society
8. http://www.nios.ac.in/media/documents/SrSecLibrary/LCh-001.pdf
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library

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