For some, the idea of using IT to eliminate the print-on-paper system was a positive and exciting new development, while for others it promised an intensely unappealing future. Many librarians viewed the emergence of the information revolution as the long-sought opportunity to transcend the limitations imposed on libraries by the print-on-paper system, while to others the much celebrated "death of the book" heralded little more than cultural decline. As a result, the last decade of the twentieth century was marked by heated and highly polemical arguments about the nature and extent of the information revolution and its implications for the future of libraries.
Types
While the digital revolution has forced an intensifying debate about the future of libraries, much, nevertheless, remains the same. For example, for several centuries the principal types of libraries have remained unchanged. What differentiates these library types is the nature of their clienteles; and thus governmental, public, academic, school, and special libraries are found, serving information-seeking patrons throughout the world.
The first of these types to emerge in time was the library serving government. From the beginnings of centralized civilizations some five thousand years ago, it was necessary for governments to collect and organize for efficient use, large (and eventually huge) amounts of information.
This is a free page. This page contains 185 words. This
article contains 4,725 words (approx. 16 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Article with our Libraries, Functions and Types Of Access Pass.
