Library (institution)

D

Research Libraries

Research libraries contain collections of unique materials to support the needs of advanced and highly specialized scholarship. These collections may include rare manuscripts and books, scientific documents, important printings of literary works, regional histories, genealogies, original musical scores, or other distinctive scholarly resources. Because these collections may contain many rare and valuable materials, their use is typically confined to the library buildings. Research libraries often publish scholarly studies of the materials in their collections, sponsor lectures and colloquia, and arrange exhibitions of their most important holdings.

Most colleges and universities have rare books or special collections departments in their libraries, and many maintain research libraries devoted entirely to such collections. For example, the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, maintains early manuscripts and rare books in the fields of literature, theology, history, and the natural sciences. Also notable is the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library at the University of Toronto. This library maintains diverse collections ranging from a 1789 bc Babylonian cuneiform tablet to British and French literature and to works by contemporary Canadian writers.

Many important research libraries are unaffiliated with a college or university. For example, the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., is an independent library that maintains the world’s largest collection of printed works by English poet and playwright William Shakespeare, in addition to books and manuscripts from the Renaissance on a variety of subjects. The Newberry Library in Chicago houses notable collections in history, literature, and the fine arts. The Library Company of Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania, specializes in American history from the 17th through the 19th century. The library of the American Philosophical Society, also in Philadelphia, is a center for research in the histories of science, medicine, and technology. The American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, Massachusetts, maintains collections in early American history. The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California, has an extensive collection of rare books and manuscripts of British and American history and literature. The Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, has the world’s largest collection of genealogical materials. It is operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Pierpont Morgan Library in New York City contains large collections of early printed books, medieval manuscripts, early book bindings, and American historical documents.

Although some research libraries permit only selected scholars to access their collections, many notable research libraries in the United States open their collections to the general public. The four research centers of the New York Public Library contain more than 40 million items, making it the world’s largest publicly accessible research library complex. Its research centers consist of the Center for the Humanities, housed in the Central Research Building of the library; the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, located in the Lincoln Center complex; the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, in Harlem; and the Science, Industry and Business Library, located in the Manhattan business district on Madison Avenue. The rare books and manuscripts division, housed in the Center for the Humanities, maintains a strong collection of Americana, especially books printed before 1801. Notable rarities include the only known copy of the 1493 Barcelona, Spain printing of the letter by Italian Spanish explorer Christopher Columbus announcing his arrival in the New World; the Bay Psalm Book, printed in 1640, which was the first book printed in what would become the United States; and a copy of the first printing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The division also has a complete copy of a Gutenberg Bible, printed sometime between 1450 and 1456, as well as impressive collections in the fields of English and American literature, children’s literature, and science fiction. The library’s manuscript holdings include British and American historical documents and excellent examples of medieval illuminated manuscripts.

---

---

The Boston Public Library, founded in 1848, also houses a vast research collection that is open to the public. The library’s holdings include more than one million rare books and manuscripts; maps; original musical scores by Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Russian composer Sergey Sergeyevich Prokofiev, and others; several first-edition folios by William Shakespeare; and the personal library of John Adams, the second president of the United States.

Many research libraries are members of organizations that allow them to jointly publish catalogs of their holdings, collectively purchase library materials, and share other resources. The Association of Research Libraries represents more than 120 libraries in Canada and the United States. The organization serves as a forum to address common concerns of research libraries, to forge coalitions among libraries, and to support innovation and improvement in library operations. The Center for Research Libraries in Chicago enables more than 160 member libraries in Canada and the United States to collectively store, preserve, and distribute infrequently used materials.

Most large research libraries in the United States publish descriptions and locations of their collections in catalogs compiled by online bibliographic programs such as the Online Computer Library Center or the Research Libraries Information Network. Smaller research libraries in the United States list their holdings in the National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections, a compendium of research library collections published by the Library of Congress. Scholars use all of these catalogs to locate materials in research libraries throughout the country.

E

Special Libraries

Many corporations, private businesses, government agencies, museums, religious institutions, hospitals, associations, and other organizations maintain their own libraries to serve the specialized needs of their employees or members. These libraries are commonly called special libraries, but they may also be called information centers, research centers, or technical libraries. The collections of special libraries depend on the specific needs of the organizations they serve. For example, a law firm may maintain its own library of legal documents for use by its lawyers and staff, while a hospital may operate a library of materials in the health sciences to serve its doctors and nurses. In addition to performing the same functions as other libraries, special libraries evaluate, package, and present information to users in ways designed to increase productivity and add to the efficiency of their parent organization. They achieve these goals by reducing the time that employees spend searching for data and by providing information that facilitates improved decision making.

Special librarians must be able to design and manage library collections and services to meet the specific needs of the individuals or organization being served. To do this, they require in-depth knowledge of the sources of information in specialized subject areas such as biology, business, and law. They often hold degrees in these subject areas in addition to master’s degrees in library or information science.

The Special Libraries Association represents special librarians from the United States, Canada, and other countries. The organization is divided into units of various fields of specialization, such as aerospace engineering, chemistry, law, and petroleum and energy resources. The Special Libraries Association facilitates interaction among special librarians in a given field, promotes continuing education among special librarians, and helps special librarians build problem-solving networks.

F

Government Libraries

Most governments of the world maintain libraries to serve the needs of elected officials and their staff members. Usually these libraries are open to the general public as well. The United States maintains government libraries at both the national and the state level. Canada has government libraries at the national, provincial, and territorial levels. In addition, most governments maintain national archives, which collect and maintain historical records, including government documents of enduring value.

A national library acquires, preserves, and promotes its country’s published heritage by acquiring copies of as many domestically created works as possible. In the United States, Canada, and most other countries, authors are required to submit copies of their published work to the national library in order to receive copyright protection for that work. By functioning as legal copyright depositories, national libraries collect and preserve their country’s cultural heritage. Most national libraries also create national bibliographies, which list information about every publication in their country.

Some of the largest and most prestigious national libraries in the world are the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.; the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris; the British Library in the outskirts of London; and the Russian State Library in Moscow. The following sections describe national libraries in the United States and Canada. For information on national libraries in other parts of the world, see the Libraries of the World section of this article.

F

1

National Libraries in the United States

The United States government maintains four national libraries, all based in or near Washington, D.C. These are the Library of Congress, the National Agricultural Library, the National Library of Medicine, and the National Library of Education.

The Library of Congress, established in 1800, is the largest and most comprehensive library in the world. It functions as the country’s national library and as the research arm of the Congress of the United States. With more than 130 million items (including more than 17 million books) and with services unmatched in scope by any other national library, the Library of Congress is one of the world’s leading cultural institutions. Its primary function is to serve the U.S. Congress and its staff, but it provides extensive services to the general public as well. The Library of Congress also serves as the official copyright agency of the United States. In addition, the library collects materials from throughout the world in more than 450 languages, maintains one of the world’s most comprehensive law libraries, and houses the world’s largest collection of maps, atlases, printed and recorded music, motion pictures, and television programs. It also serves as the national library for the blind and physically handicapped, sponsors exhibitions on a variety of topics, and is a research center for the preservation and conservation of library materials.

The National Agricultural Library is one of the world’s largest agricultural research centers. Founded in 1862 as the departmental library for the United States Department of Agriculture, it was declared a national library by the U.S. Congress in 1962. The National Agricultural Library now serves to increase the availability and utilization of agricultural information for researchers, educators, policymakers, consumers of agricultural products, and the public.

The National Library of Medicine is a division of the National Institutes of Health. It collects materials in all fields of the health sciences. With more than 5 million items in its collection, the National Library of Medicine is the world’s largest research library devoted to a single scientific or professional field. The library serves physicians, nurses, hospitals, government agencies, commercial and nonprofit organizations, students, medical schools, and other libraries. The library also publishes Index Medicus, a listing of articles from thousands of medical journals around the world. In addition, the National Library of Medicine maintains MEDLARS (Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System), a vast system of computer databases that allows users around the world to search lists of publications and to retrieve factual information on specific medical questions. See National Institutes of Health: National Library of Medicine.

The National Library of Education was established in 1994 as part of a school reform law entitled Goals 2000: Educate America Act. The National Library of Education is the central division of a national network of libraries, archives, and other providers of information in the field of education. Its primary function is to serve the staff of the U.S. Department of Education, but it also serves other federal employees, the Executive Office of the President, the United States Congress, schools, educational centers, the general public, and other libraries.

F

2

State Libraries in the United States

Most states also maintain libraries. As agencies of the state governments, the principal function of these libraries is to provide reference and loan services to governmental officials and staff. Most also offer limited services to the general public. In addition, they administer state and federal aid programs for all kinds of libraries, provide leadership and consultation for other libraries, and coordinate interlibrary lending networks for libraries within their given state. Most state libraries maintain archives divisions that collect and preserve official records and documents of state or provincial history.

	More from Encarta
	•  Presidential Myths Quiz •  Coffee break: Recharge your brain