A special library is a library that provides specialized information resources on a particular subject, serves a specialized and limited clientele, and delivers specialized services to that clientele. Special libraries include corporate libraries , government libraries, law libraries , medical libraries , museum libraries, news libraries. Special libraries also exist within academic institutions. These libraries are included as special libraries because they are often funded separately from the rest of the university and they serve a targeted group of users.
108-674: The Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History is a special library within the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System . It is in Atlanta's Sweet Auburn Historic District. The Auburn Avenue Research Library opened in 1994 as the first library in the Southeast to offer specialized reference and archival collections for the study and research of African American culture and history and of other peoples of African descent. Its collection
216-549: A Technical and Further Education (TAFE) college/institute followed by an ALIA-recognized bachelor's degree in library and information studies. ALIA is responsible for accreditation of library specific qualifications for both librarians and library technicians. Professional Australian teacher-librarians require slightly different qualifications. In addition to having a degree that meets ALIA's accreditation process, teacher librarians must also hold recognized teaching qualifications. The increasing role of technology in libraries has
324-700: A doctorate in library science. The first doctoral degree in library science was offered by the Graduate Library School, University of Chicago, 1928-1989. Graduates with PhDs usually become teaching faculty in schools of library and information science, or sometimes occupy the directorship or deanship of university libraries. Those undertaking research at the doctoral level can pursue a very wide range of interests including information technology , government information policy, social research into information use among particular segments of society, information in organizations and corporate settings, and
432-538: A library science degree as well as a degree or experience of some type in the field their library specializes in as opposed to either only library science or field specific experience. Special libraries are "special" in their collections, users, and services. For example, a research institute's library may supply information to scientists who lack the time to visit the library. Current Awareness Service (CAS) and Selective Dissemination of Information (SDI) are very common. The listing of special libraries in this article
540-450: A teaching credential ; however, an additional library science degree is not generally required. Many, if not most, academic librarians also have a second, subject-based master's degree. This is especially true of librarians working at four-year colleges. Beta Phi Mu , the international honor society for library & information science and information technology, honors faculty for distinguished service to education for librarianship with
648-484: A "hemeroteca" in some European countries. The term also refers to an archive or a collection of newspapers, magazines, and other journalistic publications of a specific type such as document archives of publishers. The term is also used for archives of recent web-pages. Performing arts library specialize in collecting items relating to any faction of the performing arts , including music , theatre , dance , film , and recorded sound. Generally, these libraries are open to
756-604: A Governor's Award in the Humanities. Its core collection was established at the Auburn Branch of the Carnegie Library of Atlanta that opened in 1921 and was Atlanta's first public library branch for African Americans. "Due to Jim Crow laws , African Americans were denied public library services established in 1902. The Auburn branch was opened with Carnegie Corporation funds despite Carnegie's offer to fund
864-538: A branch for the city's large black population as early as 1908. From the time that the library opened in 1921 until it closed in 1959 numerous African American women librarians managed the library. The two most notable among them were Alice Dugged Cary and Annie L. McPheeters . McPheeters was crucial in the development of the core collection known as, the Negro History Collection. The library opened on May 14, 1994, with 50,000 square feet of space at
972-461: A certain amount of special training; some have criticized this trend. Systems librarians develop, troubleshoot and maintain library systems, including the library catalog and related systems. Technical service librarians work "behind the scenes" ordering library materials and database subscriptions, computers and other equipment, and supervise the cataloging and physical processing of new materials. A Youth Services librarian, or children's librarian,
1080-620: A cost of $ 10 million. It became the second public library in the United States focused on black history and culture. The renovation completed in 2016, led by Perkins and Will , expanded the library to 106,500 square feet. In 2019, the Auburn Avenue Research Library celebrated its 25th anniversary at its current address. The library has three divisions: Reference and Research, Archives, and Program & Outreach. Reference and Research maintains sources related to
1188-916: A degree in librarianship are law , management , health administration , or public administration . Despite the existence of doctoral programs existing to supplement a master's degree, the American Library Association considers a master's degree from an ALA accredited or approved program to be the terminal degree in the field. Library technicians , library assistants , and library associates (not to be confused with academic rank of assistant librarian or associate librarian) may have diplomas but usually do not hold library-related degrees. Occasionally they also hold undergraduate or graduate degrees in other disciplines. These workers, sometimes referred to as para-professionals , perform duties such as database management, library cataloging , ready reference, and serials and monograph processing. In
SECTION 10
#17327975474921296-416: A diplomat and established Oxford's Bodleian library. He is credited as creating the first functional library of modern times. Subsequent librarians following Bodley were called Protobibliothecarius Bodleianus , Bodley's Librarian. They would earn £40 a year. The ideas formed with these librarians continued to develop into the 17th century. With the approach of Bibliotheca Universalis , libraries changed;
1404-545: A discrete user group with a restricted collection area. In an increasingly global and virtual workplace, many special librarians may not even work in a library at all but instead manage and facilitate the use of electronic collections. Funding for special libraries varies widely. Librarians in some types of special libraries may be required to have additional training, such as a law degree for a librarian in an academic law library or appropriate subject degrees for subject specialties such as chemistry, engineering, etc. Many belong to
1512-407: A library specifically for the entertainment and leisure of patients rather than research, education, or professional development, and these libraries tend to function similarly to public libraries though their collections may be weighted towards medically related or themed works. Physics libraries include books about physics or helpful to physicists. Military libraries are designed to support
1620-537: A library technician or assistant. Correctional institution librarians can look to a few different organizations for assistance. The American Library Association and the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies offer valuable resource for prison librarians. News libraries maintain collections of news articles and news-related items. Archives of newspapers, magazines, and other periodicals in print for consultation in public libraries may be called
1728-596: A mild to moderate amount of secondary traumatic stress that develops from working closely with patients who are experiencing trauma. There are a number of contributing factors to the librarians’ roles changing. Basic categories of workplace settings for librarians are routinely classified around the world as: public, academic, school, and special. Some librarians will start and operate their own business. They often call themselves information brokers , research specialists, knowledge management , competitive intelligence , or independent information professionals. Below are
1836-401: A more specific clientele than libraries in traditional educational or public settings, and deal with more specialized kinds of information. They are developed to support the mission of their sponsoring organization and their collections and services are more targeted and specific to the needs of their clientele. Special libraries may or may not be open to the general public. Those that are open to
1944-472: A profound impact on the resources and services that librarians of all kinds provide to their patrons. Electronic information has transformed the roles and responsibilities of librarians, even to the point of revolutionizing library education and service expectations. Specific duties vary depending on the size and type of library. Olivia Crosby described librarians as "Information experts in the information age." Most librarians spend their time working in one of
2052-467: A public museum or institution whose main purpose is to provide historical and educational information to the general public. Unlike traditional libraries, many museum libraries are more private and hidden from the public eye due to their main purpose as a research library for museum staff and professional researchers. Because of this, users must often make appointments and be allowed special access through them by library staff or other museum staff. Though this
2160-408: A reading room as well as a public section with exhibit cases, general reference materials, and main reading room, and its archive of library stacks in the center of the building on the second and third floors. The library is open to the public. Appointments are encouraged for access to its archival collections. In 2001, the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History received
2268-418: A related credential. Experienced librarians may take administrative positions such as library or information center director or learning resource officer. Similar to the management of any other organization, they are concerned with the long-term planning of the library, and its relationship with its parent organization (the city or county for a public library, the college/university for an academic library, or
SECTION 20
#17327975474922376-496: A school librarian's responsibilities. Often, teacher-librarians are qualified teachers who take academic courses for school library certification or earn a master's degree in Library Science. Special libraries are libraries designed to perform some specific function for a particular set of people or an organization, i.e. news, law, medical, theological, prison, corporate, or museum. They can be highly specialized, serving
2484-516: A school library/media teacher, a member of a public library team, or a librarian in a penal institution. Licensing for library/media teacher includes a Bachelor or Master of Arts in Teaching and additional higher-level course work in library science. YA librarians who work in public libraries are expected to have a master's degree in Library and Information Science (MLIS), relevant work experience, or
2592-474: A significant impact on the changing roles of librarians. New technologies are dramatically increasing the accessibility of information, and librarians are adapting to the evolving needs of users that emerge from the adoption of these new technologies. Digital librarians have become ubiquitous in the Information Age, so much so that a new word has been coined for such digital curators: "cybrarian", which
2700-814: A subject field, followed by additional training in librarianship. In the United States and Canada, a librarian generally has a one or two-year (more common) master's degree in library science from an accredited university. This master's degree is obtained following graduation from a bachelor's degree program in any discipline. The Library Science master's degree is accredited by the American Library Association and can have specializations within fields such as archival studies , records management , information architecture , public librarianship, medical librarianship, law librarianship, special librarianship, academic librarianship, or school (K-12) librarianship. School librarians often are required to have
2808-513: A time of aristocratic enthusiasm for libraries. During this period, great private libraries were developed in Europe by figures such as Petrarch and Boccaccio . These libraries were sponsored by popes, royals, and nobility who sent agents throughout Western Europe to locate manuscripts in deteriorating monastic libraries. As a result, Renaissance libraries were filled with a wealth of texts. While materials in these libraries were mostly restricted,
2916-520: Is a main objective of professionals in this library specialty. Outreach librarians are charged with providing library and information services for underrepresented groups, such as people with disabilities, low-income neighborhoods, home bound adults and seniors, incarcerated and ex-offenders, and homeless and rural communities. In academic libraries, outreach librarians might focus on high school students, transfer students, first-generation college students, and minorities. Public service librarians work with
3024-1103: Is associated with collections of books , as demonstrated by the etymology of the word "librarian" (from the Latin liber , "book"). A 1713 definition of the word was "custodian of a library", while in the 17th century, the role was referred to as a "library-keeper", and a librarian was a "scribe, one who copies books". The role of a librarian is continually evolving to meet social and technological needs. A modern librarian may deal with provision and maintenance of information in many formats, including books ; electronic resources; magazines ; newspapers ; audio and video recordings ; maps; manuscripts ; photographs and other graphic material; bibliographic databases ; and Internet -based and digital resources. A librarian may also provide other information services, such as information literacy instruction; computer provision and training; coordination with community groups to host public programs; assistive technology for people with disabilities; and assistance locating community resources. The Internet has had
3132-644: Is considered to be the first subject catalog of the library holdings, called the pinakes . The pinakes contained 120 scrolls arranged into ten subject classes; each class was then subdivided, listing authors alphabetically by titles. The librarians at Alexandria were considered the "custodians of learning". Near the end of the Roman Republic and the beginning of the Roman Empire , it was common for Roman aristocrats to hold private libraries in their home. Many of these aristocrats, such as Cicero , kept
3240-459: Is in charge of serving young patrons from infancy all the way to young adulthood. Their duties vary, from planning summer reading programs to weekly story hour programs. They are multitaskers, as the children's section of a library may act as its own separate library within the same building. Children's librarians must be knowledgeable of popular books for school-aged children and other library items, such as e-books and audiobooks. They are charged with
3348-806: Is it home to hundreds of thousands of rare materials, but also because of its location. The library is located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts , right between the Metropolitan Opera House and the Vivian Beaumont Theater , and only a block away from the Juilliard School , making access for both students and professionals relatively easy. Theological libraries provide many different types of resources to assist in educating and promoting
Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History - Misplaced Pages Continue
3456-477: Is not comprehensive. Special libraries as a field are defined by not being public, school, academic, or national libraries. Special libraries may be called libraries, information centers, information resource collections, or other names, typically decided by the institution that the library is attached to, and may or may not have a generally trained and qualified librarian on staff. These libraries select and procure documents and other sources of relevant documents in
3564-824: Is not to say all museum libraries are unattainable to public users. Museum libraries such as the Ryerson & Burnham Libraries of the Art Institute of Chicago , the Nolen Library of the Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York, and the Museums Victoria Library in Melbourne , Australia all provide access to public during opening hours. Another major difference between this type of special library to other traditional libraries
3672-443: Is proposed that librarians experience a moderate degree of work-related stress, and is reported that many experience harassment or emotionally challenging situations in their daily work. The public library in particular can often be described as having an emotionally charged atmosphere. There is evidence to suggest that specialized librarians might experience similar conditions. For example, health science librarians report experiencing
3780-557: Is that museum libraries are usually focused on one subject or field of study, rather than covering all subject areas. Such areas of study museum libraries focus in on include art, history, science, and other more specific fields. These areas the libraries focus on also depends on what museum they work and are associated with. The libraries within the MET and the Art Institute of Chicago, both art museums, focus on art and its history. While
3888-663: The American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) in 1906. The Special Libraries Association (SLA), which includes corporate libraries, was founded in 1909 with 20 librarians. The major professional association for special libraries is the Special Libraries Association , which has chapters in Canada, the US, and Europe. The UK based Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals and
3996-685: The American Theological Library Association (ATLA) founded in 1946 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. ATLA is governed by an elected board of directors and has as its members over 800 individual, institutions, and affiliates. The ATLA publishes four different journals monthly, annually, and quarterly. The organization also provides theological libraries with access to electronic resources (ATLA Religion Database, ATLA Serials, and ATLA Catholic Periodical and Literature Index) including an open access online journal
4104-767: The Australian Library and Information Association also have focus groups devoted to special libraries. More special library associations around the world can be found in the list of library associations . There are also associations dedicated to supporting specialized libraries within specific fields. These include: A corporate library is a special library serving the staff at a corporation . The information services provided by corporate libraries save employees time, and can aid in competitive intelligence work. Law libraries are designed to assist law students , attorneys , judges and their law clerks , and other individuals conducting legal research including members of
4212-477: The Bibliotheca Universalis are important figures in librarianship. Gabriel Naudé published Avis pour dresser une bibliothèque , the first printed monograph on librarianship. In this monograph , Naudé advocated collecting all kinds of books, old and new, of famous, more obscure, and heretical authors. He also contributed to the idea of organization and administration of libraries which led to
4320-683: The Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) and the World Health Organization . As of November 2021, the Librarian Reserve Corps has vetted over 60,000 publications relating to COVID-19 . The Librarian Reserve Corps founder, Elaine Hicks, and co-leadership Stacy Brody and Sara Loree, were awarded the 2021 Librarian of the Year title from Library Journal . Traditionally, a librarian
4428-510: The National Museum of Natural History Library of Washington, D.C., focuses on natural history because of its collaboration with the museum which bears the same name. Museums and libraries collaborate and work with each other in order for both to function properly. Without one, the other could not survive. Organizations that provide support to those working within museum libraries include Institute of Museum and Library Services and
Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History - Misplaced Pages Continue
4536-489: The Special Libraries Association (SLA), which has a Military Libraries Community, and the American Library Association (ALA), which has a Federal and Armed Forces Libraries Interest Group. The LOC manages the Federal Library and Information Network (FEDLINK) as a consortium for U.S. federal government libraries, offering purchasing, training, and resource-sharing. FEDLINK's mission is to "achieve optimum use of
4644-562: The Special Libraries Association . There are also more specific associations such as the American Association of Law Libraries , Art Libraries Society of North America , the American Theological Library Association , the Medical Library Association , or the Visual Resources Association . Librarians generally hold a university degree in library science . It is also possible to earn
4752-399: The history of books and printing . It is common in academic and other research libraries to require the librarians to obtain master's degrees in some academic subject, sometimes but not necessarily related to their professional responsibilities; in major research libraries, some of the librarians will hold PhD degrees in subject fields. Other advanced degrees often taken in conjunction with
4860-406: The 14th century, universities began to reemerge which had libraries and employed librarians. At the same time royalty, nobles and jurists began to establish libraries of their own as status symbols. King Charles V of France began his own library, and he kept his collection as a bibliophile , an attribute that is closely connected to librarians of this time. The Renaissance is considered to be
4968-431: The 18th century, the professionalization of the library role was a 19th-century development, as shown by its first training school, its first university school, and its first professional associations and licensing procedures. In England in the 1870s, a new employment role opened for women in libraries; it was said that the tasks were "Eminently Suited to Girls and Women." By 1920, women and men were equally numerous in
5076-744: The ATLA publishes. These print and electronic resources are subscribed to by thousands of institutions across the globe. There are also well-known theological libraries located internationally. The International Theological Institute Library in Austria houses around 25,000 volumes in philosophy and theology. One of the most famous international theological libraries is the Vatican Library , founded in 1475, which contains not only collections on theology and religion but on history, law, philosophy, and science as well. Theological libraries are available around
5184-683: The Committee on Archives, Libraries and Museums, or CALM of the ALA. Correctional institution libraries, or prison libraries, serve a number of roles in a prison community. They provide a source of entertainment for the incarcerated, offer a place to research legal cases, and facilitate education. Because many inmates have low literacy levels, correctional institution libraries may offer tutoring services by civilian volunteers, teachers, or other inmates. Correctional institution libraries usually have one or two librarians and inmate workers, but there may also be
5292-700: The Conservative government began replacing professional librarians with unpaid volunteers in 2015–2016. During the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States in 2020, many librarians were temporarily displaced as libraries across the country were affected by a nationwide shutdown in efforts to control the spread of SARS-CoV-2 disease. During this time, library services were in high demand as patrons were stuck inside during quarantine, but with limited building access, most public library patrons switched to digital content, online learning, and virtual programs. As
5400-474: The Greek classicists . During this period, the lectern system, in which books were chained to desks for security, was also introduced. Classification and organization of books during this period was generally done by subject and alphabetically, with materials inventoried using basic check lists. Later in the period, individuals known as librarius began more formal cataloguing, inventory, and classification. In
5508-473: The Interior , Department of Justice , Department of Transportation , Department of Veterans Affairs , independent agencies, judicial branch , legislative branch , National Archives and Records Administration , and other agencies. Major categories of U.S. federal libraries include military libraries and presidential libraries . Federal library workers are supported by professional organizations such as
SECTION 50
#17327975474925616-595: The United Kingdom, a librarian can have a three- or four-year bachelor's degree in library science; separate master's degrees in librarianship, archive management, and records management are also available. These degrees are accredited by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals and the Society of Archivists . In Germany, the first step for an academic librarian is a PhD in
5724-739: The United States, federal libraries are libraries operated by a federal government agency. The most prominent example is the Library of Congress (LOC), the de facto national library , but there are "more than 1,100 libraries in the U.S. federal government." The 2022 edition of the Federal Library Directory includes libraries operated by the Department of Agriculture , Department of Commerce , Department of Defense , Department of Energy , Department of Health and Human Services , Department of Homeland Security , Department of
5832-524: The annual Beta Phi Mu Award . In Australia, a professional librarian must meet the requirements set out by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA). There are three ways in which these requirements can be met: the individual must obtain an ALIA-recognized bachelor's degree in library and information studies, complete a first degree in any discipline followed by an ALIA-recognized postgraduate diploma or masters course, or gain an ALIA-recognized library technician qualifications (undertaken at
5940-577: The base and may also maintain information on the history of the base, units assigned there, and notable personnel. Other military libraries are tasked with directly supporting military operations by providing access to pertinent resources or organizing and disseminating information directly related to a military unit or organization's activities. Depending on the specific responsibilities of the library, military libraries may be staffed by civilian librarians, military personnel with library or organizational training, or both. Music libraries are designed to support
6048-438: The basic differences between the types of libraries. Public libraries are created through legislation within the jurisdiction they serve. Accordingly, they are given certain benefits, such as taxpayer funding, but must adhere to service standards and meet a wide group of client needs. They are usually overseen by a board of directors or library commission from the community. Mission statements, service and collection policies are
6156-530: The books, but should also be well educated and accomplished to raise the standards of librarianship. Furthermore, he advocated that librarians deserve a living wage in order to use their energy to perform their duties to the fullest extent. Gottfried Leibniz upheld that the librarian was the most important factor in the aid of learning. He is credited as including science texts in addition to conventional literature within library collections. Another key figure of this time, Sir Thomas Bodley , gave up his career as
6264-440: The business of music. Transportation libraries are designed to support the study, research, and dissemination of information related to transportation . They provide resources related to policy , regulations, operations, and other aspects of transportation. Users of transportation libraries include engineers , city planners , contractors , academic researchers , and the general public. Transportation libraries are located at
6372-627: The collections. Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, houses the archives and history center of the United Methodist Church . Along with the archives, about half of the 500,000 volumes in its library's collection are dedicated to theological and religious studies. The Jewish Theological Seminary Library in New York has a collection of 400,000 volumes dedicated to religious and theological studies along with an archive to preserve
6480-400: The content of libraries became less selective, to include literature of entertainment as well as academic value. At this time, libraries also became fully open to the public, with access no longer restricted to a small circle of readers. In 18th-century France, two librarians, Hubert-Pascal Ameilhon and Joseph Van Praet , selected and identified over 300,000 books and manuscripts that became
6588-410: The contents of their private libraries to themselves, only boasting of the enormity of his collection. Others, such as Lucullus , took on the role of lending librarian by sharing scrolls in their collection. Many Roman emperors included public libraries into their political propaganda to win favor from citizens. While scholars were employed in librarian roles in the various emperors' libraries, there
SECTION 60
#17327975474926696-451: The crisis escalated, there was a high demand for contact tracers , and the CDC had earlier named librarians as key public health staff to support COVID-19 case investigation and contact tracing, so many librarians and library staff volunteered to help with contact tracing. Librarians also supported their community in other ways, such as staffing non-emergency hotlines and manning shelters for
6804-572: The databases that libraries license from third-party vendors. School librarians work in school libraries and perform duties as teachers, information technology specialists, and advocates for literacy. Instruction librarians teach information literacy skills in face-to-face classes or through the creation of online learning objects. They instruct library users on how to find, evaluate, and use information effectively. They are most common in academic libraries. Media specialists teach students to find and analyze information, purchase books and other resources for
6912-477: The death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC, was created to house the entirety of Greek literature . It was notable for its famous librarians: Demetrius , Zenodotus , Eratosthenes , Apollonius , Aristophanes , Aristarchus , and Callimachus . These scholars contributed significantly to the collection and cataloging of the wide variety of scrolls in the library's collection. Most notably, Callimachus created what
7020-432: The development of library collections. It was also in part thanks to Naudé that some libraries began to lend books outside of the precincts of the library. John Dury is considered to be the first English library theorist. He wrote two letters to Samuel Hartlib concerning the duties of a professional librarian, which were published in 1650 as "The Reformed Librarie-Keeper". He held that librarians should not only care for
7128-581: The digital age, performance libraries are starting to include digital collection for patrons to get a small sample of what items are part of the library's physical collection, especially the more rare ones. The performing arts library is a vast and convenient resource of materials to be studied by students and professionals alike. One such example is the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts in New York City, not only because
7236-491: The fall of the Roman Empire. It is during this time that the first codex (book as opposed to scroll) enters popularity: the parchment codex . Within the monasteries, the role of librarian was often filled by an overseer of the scriptorium where monks would copy out books cover to cover. A monk named Anastasias who took on the title of Bibliothecarius (literally "librarian") following his successful translations of
7344-629: The federal, state, and local levels of government, as well as at universities and research institutes . Major transportation libraries can be found in the United States , Canada , the United Kingdom , Sweden , Australia , and Japan . Museum libraries are libraries within museums . Like any other special library, museum libraries have aspects of traditional libraries, but also contain other characteristics unlike public or academic libraries. Museum libraries are often associated with
7452-515: The first to train clerks to keep records of accounts. "Masters of the books" or "keepers of the tablets" were scribes or priests who were trained to handle the vast amount and complexity of these records. The extent of their specific duties is unknown. Sometime in the 8th century BC, Ashurbanipal , King of Assyria , created a library at his palace in Nineveh in Mesopotamia . Ashurbanipal
7560-421: The following areas of a library: Archivists can be specialized librarians who deal with archival materials, such as manuscripts, documents and records, though this varies from country to country, and there are other routes to the archival profession. Collection development or acquisitions librarians monitor the selection of books and electronic resources. Large libraries often use approval plans, which involve
7668-609: The fundamental administrative features of public libraries. Occasionally, private lending libraries serve the public in the manner of public libraries. In the United States, public librarians and public libraries are represented by the Public Library Association . Public library staffing is structured in response to community needs. Libraries bridge traditional divisions between technical and public services positions by adopting new technologies such as mobile library services and reconfigure organizations depending on
7776-455: The general public and various government agencies as well. The library's collection currently has approximately 2.65 million items in it including materials on both United States law as well as legal resources for jurisdictions all over the world. The collection also includes materials about the history of law going back to the beginning of the most primitive legal systems in the areas of common, religious, civil, customary, and socialist laws. In
7884-425: The general public are typically extremely limited due to legal restrictions on non-attorneys providing legal advice. Researching legal issues is acceptable but directly asking for legal advice is beyond the legally allowed assistance of a law library. The most a librarian at a law library can do is assist with locating reference materials but is not allowed to provide legal advice based on library materials. Currently,
7992-962: The general public. Most law libraries are attached to law schools, private law firms, or government courts for the use of the respective institution's clientele, though some university libraries also maintain a dedicated legal section. The collections of law libraries are tailored to the specific legal interests of the institution they are affiliated with and may not have extensive collection beyond that scope. Education requirement for law librarians varied on types of law libraries. Academic law librarians who provide reference would mostly likely have both master's degree in library science and Juris Doctor degree. Law firm librarians, in contrast, often have library science degree only. The dual-degree requirement in law librarianship has been widely debated in recent years, given librarians in medical or business libraries, for example, are not required to have advanced degree in subject disciplines. Legal reference services available to
8100-401: The heading of corporate libraries, discussed below. The concept of "special libraries" as a distinctive categories of libraries emerged in the United Kingdom and the United States in the nineteenth century. The growth of various special library associations led to the founding of the American Library Association (ALA) in 1876. The Medical Library Association was founded in 1898, followed by
8208-415: The historical collections of religious group(s) while other theological libraries specialize in more contemporary resources (books, videos, journals, etc.) to support theological and religious research. Because of the rarity of some of the archival collections and rare books housed within these repositories, the lending and use policies for each library varies greatly contingent on the type of institution where
8316-695: The homeless, for which they were able to retain their income, while others were furloughed for a time. The Librarian Reserve Corps was formed during the COVID-19 pandemic . It was a global network of volunteer librarians, specializing in academic libraries and medical libraries , serving as "information first responders" in the fight against the Infodemic as a direct result of COVID-19 pandemic . The Librarian Reserve Corps Literature Enhancement and Metadata Enrichment (LIME) volunteers, led by Jessica Callaway, vetted, indexed, and helped disseminate resources about COVID-19 to various organizations, including
8424-447: The information they need, through a structured conversation called a reference interview . The help may take the form of research on a specific question, providing direction on the use of databases and other electronic information resources; obtaining specialized materials from other sources; or providing access to and care of delicate or expensive materials. These services are sometimes provided by other library staff that have been given
8532-884: The institution, the library may serve a particular faculty or the entire institution. Many different types, sizes, and collections are found in academic libraries and some academic librarians are specialists in these collections and archives. A university librarian , or chief librarian, is responsible for the library within the college structure, and may also be called the Dean of Libraries or Director of Libraries. Some post-secondary institutions treat librarians as faculty, and they may be called professor or other academic ranks, which may or may not increase their salary and benefits. Some universities make similar demands of academic librarians for research and professional service as are required of faculty. Academic librarians administer various levels of service and privilege to faculty, students, alumni, and
8640-615: The largest law library in the world is the Law Library of Congress in the United States of America . It opened in 1832 and became a department of the main Library of Congress with the first Law Librarian of Congress Charles Henry Wharton Meehan. Initially, the library only served the members of the United States Congress and the United States Supreme Court but has since expanded to serve
8748-452: The latter as having "a very narrow scope". They are generally staffed by librarians , although many librarians employed in special libraries are specialists in the library's field rather than generally trained librarians, and often are not required to have advanced degrees in specifically library-related field due to the specialized content and clientele of the library. However, it is not uncommon for librarians at special libraries to have both
8856-449: The librarian for a specific subject creating a profile that allows publishers to send relevant books to the library without any additional vetting . Librarians can then see those books when they arrive and decide if they will become part of the collection or not. All collections librarians also have a certain amount of funding to allow them to purchase books and materials that don't arrive via approval. Electronic resources librarians manage
8964-509: The libraries were open to the public. Librarians were needed to plan and organize libraries to meet public needs. A tool to achieve these organizational goals, the first library catalog , appeared in 1595. During the 16th century, the idea of creating a Bibliotheca Universalis , a universal listing of all printed books, emerged from well-established academics and librarians: Conrad Gessner , Gabriel Naudé , John Dury , and Gottfried Leibniz . The four librarians responsible for establishing
9072-467: The library is housed. There are a variety of institutions who are considered theological libraries. Some of these institutions include churches, seminaries, universities, colleges, and synagogues. A few of the most well-known theological libraries in the United States are found on the East coast. These theological libraries are mostly housed within a university or seminary because of the expense of maintaining
9180-780: The library profession, but women pulled ahead by 1930 and comprised 80% by 1960. The factors accounting for the transition included the demographic losses of the First World War, the provisions of the Public Libraries Act of 1919, the library-building activity of the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust, and the library employment advocacy of the Central Bureau for the Employment of Women. In the United Kingdom, evidence suggests that
9288-412: The local situation. An academic library is a library that is an integral part of a college, university, or other institution of postsecondary education, administered to meet the information and research needs of its students, faculty, and staff. In the United States, the professional association for academic libraries and librarians is the Association of College and Research Libraries . Depending upon
9396-467: The medical field. Most medical libraries are attached to hospitals, medical research facilities, medical schools, and similar institutions. Similar to law libraries, most medical librarians have degrees in a biological or medical field instead of or in addition to formal library training, and the specific nature of the medical library collection is tailored to the field or type of care that the library's institution specializes in. Some hospitals also maintain
9504-423: The needs of members of a nation's armed forces and other personnel attached to the unit or base that the library is a part of. The primary responsibilities of military libraries are assisting military personnel with access to resources for professional development, personal education, and leisure. Military libraries attached to military bases often include collections and services for families of personnel assigned to
9612-654: The needs of musicians and musicologists as well as broadcasting authorities, orchestral, opera and choral professionals, music publishers and suppliers, and music librarians. The primary responsibilities of music libraries are to collect musical scores, recordings of performances, critiques, commentary, and scholarship on the development of music as an art of both composition and performance. Music libraries document music as an art in all of its diversity of forms and genres. Music libraries contain musical scores , manuscripts, papers, and recordings. Music libraries exist in academic and cultural institutions as well as in companies in
9720-404: The organization served by a special library ). In smaller or specialized libraries, librarians typically perform a wide range of the different duties. Representative examples of librarian responsibilities: As user and community needs change over time, the role of the librarian continues to reflect these changes. Librarians assist and interact with vulnerable or at-risk populations regularly. It
9828-439: The papers of Jewish communities and famous people. Princeton Theological Seminary Library is another well-known theological library in the United States. The library's collection specializes in all areas of theological study with special collections in hymnology , Puritanism , early American pamphlets, and Baptist controversy. This institution is open to the public. Most theological libraries are available for use not only by
9936-491: The particular field and disseminate the updated information in the concerned field. it gives pinpointed technical information promptly. Provides desired information to users on demand and mostly in anticipation. The idea of "special libraries" in the context of sharing a collection of books to a targeted audience was by no means novel. The first known libraries, dating back to the beginning of known history, recorded commercial transactions and inventories. Today, these fall under
10044-540: The past century in particular bringing many new media and technologies into play. From the earliest libraries in the ancient world to the modern information hub, there have been keepers and disseminators of the information held in data stores. Roles and responsibilities vary widely depending on the type of library, the specialty of the librarian, and the functions needed to maintain collections and make them available to its users. Education for librarianship has changed over time to reflect changing roles. The Sumerians were
10152-562: The property of the people in the Bibliothèque Nationale . During the French Revolution, librarians assumed sole responsibility for selecting books for use by all citizen of the nation. Out of this action came the implementation of the concept of modern library service: the democratic extension of library services to the general public, regardless of wealth or education. While there were full-time librarians in
10260-528: The public may offer services similar to research , reference, public , academic , or children's libraries, often with restrictions such as only lending books to patients at a hospital or restricting the public from parts of a military collection. Many special libraries are not open to the general public, though access may be requested for specialized research by request. Special libraries are also sometimes known as information centers. Some authors differentiate special libraries from information centers by defining
10368-535: The public, frequently at the reference desk of lending libraries. Some specialize in serving adults or children. Children's librarians provide appropriate material for children at all age levels, include pre-readers, conduct specialized programs and work with the children (and often their parents) to help foster interest and competence in the young reader. (In larger libraries, some specialize in teen services, periodicals , or other special collections.) Reference or research librarians help people doing research to find
10476-597: The public, though patrons are only allowed to study these items within the library itself. The reason for this is because of how rare and fragile some of these resources are. This type of library is usually organized by divisions, each containing materials related to the aforementioned art forms such as photographs, programs, reviews, videotapes, newspaper articles, costume designs, posters, financial records, audio recordings (both music and non-music), sheet music, manuscripts, fine prints of portraits, and even printed materials like books and periodicals. As libraries are adapting to
10584-497: The public. A school library exclusively serves the needs of a public or private school. The primary purpose is to support the students, teachers, and curriculum of the school or school district. In addition to library administration, certificated teacher-librarians instruct individual students, groups and classes, and faculty in effective research methods, often referred to as information literacy skills. Audio-visual equipment service and/or textbook circulation may also be included in
10692-465: The resources and facilities of federal libraries and information centers by promoting common services, coordinating and sharing available resources, and providing continuing professional education for federal library and information staff." Medical libraries, also known as hospital libraries or health libraries, are designed to support the needs of physicians, health professionals, medical researchers, medical students, patients, and consumers interested in
10800-408: The school library, supervise library assistants, and are responsible for all aspects of running the library/media center. Both library media teachers (LMTs) and young adult public librarians order books and other materials that will interest their young adult patrons. They also must help YAs find relevant and authoritative Internet resources. Helping this age group to become lifelong learners and readers
10908-432: The students, faculty, and staff of an institution but also are open for use by researchers and the public. The archival collections housed within these repositories can assist in genealogical searches, understanding the history of a religious community, and more. There are also opportunities to obtain items through interlibrary loan if a patron is unable to travel to the library in person. Theological libraries are supported by
11016-872: The study of African American culture and the African diaspora . Archives holds records related to African American culture and history, primarily in the Atlanta area. The Program and Outreach division hosts public events to highlight the library's collections. The Library's archives are home to the Andrew J Young Papers, the Atlanta Life Insurance Company Records, and the National Conclave of Grady Graduate Nurses Collection. 33°45′19″N 84°23′02″W / 33.7553°N 84.3839°W / 33.7553; -84.3839 Special library Special libraries often have
11124-468: The study of theology and religion. These libraries assist students, faculty, staff, and researchers through the use of primary and secondary sources to advance their knowledge of religion and theology to better understand its impact upon the world. Within the category of theological libraries, the variety of resources housed within each institution varies depending upon its needs and its researchers' needs. Some theological libraries are archival repositories for
11232-413: The task of creating a safe and fun learning environment outside of school and the home. A young adult or YA librarian specifically serves patrons who are between 12 and 18 years old. Young adults are those patrons that look to library services to give them direction and guidance toward recreation, education, and emancipation. A young adult librarian could work in several different institutions; one might be
11340-438: The world for a variety of research purposes. They contain both contemporary and historical collections to promote the understanding of religious communities. Librarians A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users. The role of the librarian has changed much over time, with
11448-471: Was housed at other libraries and became known as the Samuel W. Williams Collection on Black America . The library re-opened in 2016 after being closed for about two years during a $ 20 million renovation. Covering 50,000 square feet, the Auburn Avenue Research Library's four-story red-brick and black-granite building houses a library research area containing general reference books and materials, study areas, and
11556-413: Was no specific office or role that qualified an individual to be a librarian. For example, Pompeius Macer, the first librarian of Augustus' library, was a praetor , an office that combined both military and judicial duties. A later librarian of the same library was Gaius Julius Hyginus , a grammarian . Christian monasteries in Europe are credited with keeping the institution of libraries alive after
11664-583: Was the first individual in history to introduce librarianship as a profession. We know of at least one "keeper of the books" who was employed to oversee the thousands of tablets on Sumerian and Babylonian materials, including literary texts; history; omens ; astronomical calculations; mathematical tables; grammatical and linguistic tables; dictionaries; and commercial records and laws. All of these tablets were cataloged and arranged in logical order by subject or type, each having an identification tag. The Great Library of Alexandria , created by Ptolemy I after
#491508