Physical Libraries V/s Digital Libraries

The introduction of digital libraries or e-libraries has made the information availability very easy and fast. Despite this the need and importance of libraries can not be ignored. While surfing through physical resources in a library, we tend to encounter various steps which educate us at every level with details from various counts. Whereas, surfing online/ digital resources makes us hit the exact search cutting out the cumbersome workflow of toiling through pages of a book to reach our “castle” under search and thus no chance of quaffing an extra cup of knowledge. This process of feeding in the keyword and obtaining the result at a single click might seem conveniently tender at the first instant. If we compare the same search done on two different modes, one being physically looking out for the answer and the other being the search on internet tools. The ultimate result would be more exposure and acquaintance for the physical search as compared to that via online gear. One more very important fact to ponder about is the number of searches that will be obtained for a keyword. The validity of the texts found and the authenticity of the sources are easy to doubt on. The availability of research materials is not much old and an entire dependence might miss you out from the already researched and published data.

On the other hand, online library proves to be an effective tool when the time is less to go out to the library building and do the labor. The online resources are accessible with the work being accomplished in short spans keeping in mind that the bibliography of the work referred is not an issue at that time.

Rather than focusing on a single mode, we should amalgamate the two and there needs to be a hand- in – hand approach whereby the physical & virtual libraries should be consulted equally and without minimizing the role of each other.

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Library is a companion to all

Library is a distributor of knowledgeable information to the wide spectrum of masses irrespective of age and profession. People have a reading instinct in them sometimes its intense and other times it is occasional but still persists. “Books” have been described as man’s perfect friend at all times. Acquaintance while reading is informative as well as relaxing. In the leisure/ free time, visiting a library, selecting a source to read through, based on your preferences and then sitting in peace while exploring through an entirely different world is the most labor free and effortless pursuit. Libraries have been made friendly for usage by all varies of individuals. Special services are provided for handicapped, physically challenged, old aged/ senior citizens in the libraries so as to make the knowledge available to every individual in equal sense. Audio sources in the form of tapes/ CDs, also known as “Talking books” have been developed for convenience of people with disabilities preventing them from reading. Facilities of ordering books at the library centers and the deliverance for the time period at places have made the reach for knowledge at the doorsteps. The access for books especially for people who can not visit the libraries too far from their place have been made feasible via the “libraries on wheels”. The vans have limited collection but still the options are available. Besides ages, the interest from all spheres are fulfilled at the library centers as there are resources from all measures and answers to most queries and doubts whether the concern is technical, cultural, subject based or professional. The bibliographies from well known personalities are also availed with ease. The supposition “old is gold” is applicable here too. The more aged the library is, it will supposedly have a vast coverage of subjects with detailed collection of manuscripts catalogued accordingly.

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Library’s odyssey from ancient to modern resources

Library is an educator being a blend of networks of information putting best of their efforts to educate a reader. The era has transformed the modes and mediums of library education. The clay tablets have been used as the first sources by Babylonians & Assyrians where the inscriptions were the basis of storing information for referrals. The sources from the ancient times depended primarily on parchment or papyrus scrolls made of paper material or leather (if the document was for retaining long). Prepared animal skin was used by Pergamum (currently Bergama in Turkey) scholars for scripting. Such resources were tagged for reference and stored in pigeonholes. The Chinese civilization has been known for the Imperial Library system where the information was catalogued on scrolls of silk and stored in silk bags. Gradually, in around 8th century the paper mills were set up and the Islamic libraries starting using the paper to store information as is available today in the form of books instead of scrolls. Special care was taken at the places of storage where the shelves were designed for appropriate air circulation to not let the atmosphere go extreme humid or hot. This was the time of Tran version as the concept of libraries was changing from just storing the manuscripts under a private control to a centre for discussions, lending and idea spreading as a public entity. The next advancement was the improvement in the quality of paper used for preparing manuscripts. Further, in the modern era especially the past few decades, where the world is going techno freak, the digital media has become a major library resource. The advantage is the durability and surety of storage for long term without degradation. The e-books on internet, CDs, DVDs, pod casts, multimedia resources and more are few of the forms of digital sources serving as storage & spreading information medium in current era.

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Library: The Provenance & Chronicle

A repository of knowledge in the various forms from varied spheres housed under a structure is what we call a Library. The antiquity of Library dates back to ages as old as civilization.  The origin of the word Library is from a Latin term “Liber” meaning “to peel” especially referring to the tree bark which was the only template for manuscripts in earlier times and also in literal sense the source which unpeels the mind layers by imparting knowledge. This relation led to the development of the modern word “Library”. The oldest surviving library catalogues are archives of Sumerian records at Nippur (Earlier Mesopotamia, Modern Iraq) inscribed on two cuneiform clay tablets & more than 30,000 other clay tablets have also been discovered that are ancient for 5,000 years now. Moving ahead, the tablets of bibliographical entries have been found in the capital of the Hittite Empire (called Hattusas). The earlier findings at Hattusas reveal the development of orderly placement of records & collections, cataloguing and shelving as is followed by the modern libraries. The Egyptian cities have unveiled the paper scrolls belonging to 1300 -1200 BC and plenty clay tablets in palace of Assyrian ruler. The ancient logy of libraries remains incomplete without mentioning about the Great Library of Alexandria, a public library which existed in the Roman Empire in the Alexandria city in around 300 BC. Exquisite efforts were taken to collect scrolls, scripts, and all means of knowledge data available at that time from worldwide to set up a plethora of vast collection of 7,50,000 scrolls. The original manuscripts of Euripides, Sophocles and Aeschylus were borrowed for the library. The goal was to house Egyptian, Hebrew, Latin, English, Buddhist works. The concept of literary scholarship began in the library administration. Due to fire misfortune, the library was destroyed but nonetheless the intellectuality and epitome it gifted to its successors is exemplary.

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New Years Resolution: Stop By the Library

Wanting to pick up a hobby this year?  One of the top five New Years resolutions is to be happier and adding a hobby is one great way to do so. But where do you start? The library.  It may seem like an odd place to begin, but the local library is the best resource.

Reading is a very popular hobby. It is something that doesn’t take a lot of investment up front and by using a local library, your investment would be very minimal. Most libraries do not charge a fee to get a membership.  The only fees incurred would come from forgetting to renew books and returning them after their due date.

When starting reading as a hobby, it is good to know what type of literature is out there. The main categories are Fiction and Non-Fiction. Non-Fiction books include things that are factual, how-to books, biographies, etc. Fiction books include stories that are not true. There are a great number of very popular trilogies or series of books that would keep you entertained for months to come.

Even reading magazines could be a hobby. If a magazine subscription is not in the budget, stop by the library. They may even have an obscure magazine that you would not even think of picking up if you had to pay for it. Many times you would not be allowed to check out a magazine, but spending the time at the library may just be the peaceful retreat you need from time to time.

Even if reading is not the new hobby you were looking for, the library is a great place to start your search.  They have the how to guides to help with home decorating, knitting, bird watching, hiking, traveling, etc.   So add going to the library to the list of your new year resolutions and kick start a fantastic new year.

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