LIS 111: INTRODUCTION TO LBRARY AND INFORMATION

STUDIES

Week 1: Concept of Library (Definition/Need/

Purpose/Functions

Lecturers: Prof. Yetunde Zaid & Dr Olanike Alabi

The course introduces students to the nature of library and
information, and its role in society. The course discusses the
historical development of libraries, types and their set up. It also
explores the nature of information cycle; information transfer;
information age; scope of the information profession; the
philosophical, ethical, and historical foundations of the information
professions, major professional organizations, and the legal, political,
and social issues confronting today’s information professionals.
Objectives and Learning Outcomes
The course seeks to achieve the following objectives:
Library system and its development
Information life cycles
The Information profession
Library professional organizations
At the end of the course, you should have:
Understanding of what a library is.
Demonstrate how library system developed, especially in
Nigeria
Write contents for various library professional organizations
Definition of a Library
The word ‘Library’ is derived from the Latin word “libraria”
meaning ‘a book place’. It originates from the term ‘liber’ which
means ‘a book’. According to the Oxford Companion to the
English Language – “Library is a collection of books, periodicals
and/or other materials, primarily written and printed.”
Harrod’s Librarian’s Glossary and Reference Book defines
‘Library’ as:
1.A collection of books and other literary material kept for
reading, study and consultation.
.
Definition Contd

2. A place, building, room or rooms set apart for the keeping

and use of a collection of books, etc.

3. A number of books issued by one publisher under a

comprehensive title as the ‘Loeb Classical Library’, and usually
having some general characteristic, such as, subject, binding, or
typography.

4. A collection of films, photographs and other non-book

materials, plastic or metal tapes, disks and programs
Definition Contd.
In view of the above definitions, a library is defined as:
1. An organized collection of information resources made
accessible to a defined community for reference or borrowing.
2. A physical or digital space that provides access to material. It
may be a physical building or room, or a virtual space, or both.
3. A collection of materials such as books, periodicals,
newspapers, manuscripts, films, maps, prints, documents,
microform, CDs, cassettes, videotapes, DVDs, e-books, audio
books etc especially when systematically arranged.
4. A room in a private home for such a collection.
5. An institution or foundation maintaining such a collection.
Other Tips
Basically, libraries range in size from a few shelves of books to
several million items.
It is organized for use and maintained by a public body, an
institution, a corporation, or a private individual.
Libraries often provide quiet areas for studying, and they also
often offer common areas to facilitate group study and
collaboration.
Libraries often provide public facilities for access to their
electronic resources and the Internet.
Other Tips

Libraries are extending services beyond the physical walls of

building, by providing materials accessible by electronic means,
and providing the services of librarians who are experts at
finding and organizing information, interpreting information
needs, and analysing very large amounts of information with a
variety of digital tools.
Purpose of Library
Basically, the purpose of establishing a library is to serve the
society through the records of human thoughts, ideas and
expressions by making them available to all.
The purpose of a library include:
1. Libraries are for the lending of books: Indeed, the earliest
libraries were just this – a small business, museum or other
place would take it upon themselves to educate their
neighbours by lending out their collection of books. As
collections increased, these places would need innovative
means to organize and provide access to such books and
innovative people to do the innovative work – thus librarians
were invented.
Purpose of Library

Current libraries continue to offer ‘the lending of books’ as a key

service. However, as library processes slowly became enhanced
through automation, ‘librarians’ have added other activities to
their job in addition to instruction and management.
2. Libraries are for educating people of all ages: Since reading
inevitably increases the brainpower of communities, an
educational role for libraries seems fairly obvious.
.
Purpose of Library
3. Libraries are for preserving and/or promoting community
culture: The cultural role of libraries is supported through the
country governance

4. Other roles: The identity of libraries is so tied to their

communities that there is no end of roles for them. The reality
is that the purpose of a library depends heavily on the culture,
location and structure of its community. Libraries, especially
public libraries, are extremely adaptive to community needs
and can play the role of ‘catch all’ where
Function of Library
The functions of library are as follows:
1. To acquire and conserve the whole of the national production
of documents utilizing the existing library facilities fully.
2.To collect all the documents concerning that nation published
throughout the world, irrespective of language of publication.
3.To build up a complete collection, self-sufficient on all aspects,
of all subjects related to its country.
4.To store information on the nation, minutely and fully
catalogued; classified and arranged which should be capable of
answering any enquiry about the country.
Function of Library
5.To take the full responsibility for ensuring that a copy of the
whole of national production of documents is preserved in its
original form. It does not matter whether it is stored in one
place or at different institutions.
6. To compile and publish national bibliographies; current and
retrospective, and coordinate bibliographical work in general.
To provide facilities to enable a required document, an extract
or information, translated into the regional language of a user if
required.
7.To extend its services to all the citizens of the country. It
should be organized in such a way that people from all over the
country find no difficulty in approaching it.
Function of Library
8. To provide information about its collection and the ways of
using it through all educational and cultural institutions of the
nation.
9. To enable the people to use the national library through all
other institutions from any part of the country.
10. To provide leadership among the nation’s libraries. It should
coordinate co-operative activities between the public libraries,
university libraries and special libraries for dissemination of
knowledge.
11. To be responsible for ensuring that a country gets all foreign
literature it requires, especially on the latest developments in the
fields of science and technology without any time gap.
Function of Library

12. To display permanent and changing exhibitions of

collections to the public, including borrowed collections.
13. To provide cultural, literary and educational activities,
geared towards the general public as well as specific audiences,
including students.
14.To maintain and operate an infrastructure that allows,
among other things, suitable study, documentation, storage,
preservation, presentation and research conditions.
Laws of Library Science

Shiyali Ramamrita formulated the five laws of library science in

1924. The laws took the final form in 1928 and a detailed
account of the laws and their implication were published in the
form of a book in 1931 by Bombay Asia Publishing House. Most
librarians worldwide accept the 5 laws as the foundations of
their philosophy.
Laws of Library Science
The five laws of library science are:
1.Books are for use.
2. Every reader his/her book (i.e. books are for all).
3.Every book its reader (i.e. every book in a library must find its
reader)
4. Save the time of the reader (i.e. a user is supposed to be a
busy person. So his/her time must be saved). Corollary: Save
the time of the staff.
5. Library is a growing organism (A library always grows in terms
of document i.e. book, reader or user and staff).
Further Reading

Aina, R.F. (2011). Foundation of Information Studies. Lagos: Emaphine Reprographics Ltd.