Talk:Library

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Chipbruce added an empty link to cybraries (should be cybrary) in the See Also section. Is this the same as a digital library? If no-one responds here, I'll go ask him... AdamRetchless 15:25, 2 Apr 2004 (UTC)

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locaton? Libraries can also be found in churches, prisons, hotels etc. Should there be any mention of this? --Daniel C. Boyer 20:38, 10 Nov 2003 (UTC)

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"Many persons do not know how to use a library effectively." and some others struggle with expressing themselves effectively? I thought in principle this kind of slightly paternalistic remark on the general population wasn't allowed? BozMo(talk)

Library instruction is an important subtopic and this introduction is fine for describing the status quo. It didn't announce that BozMo doesn't know how to use a library (now, everybody stare at BozMo!). :) It just implies to the reader that that if they feel intimidated or inadequate when looking for information a library, there is a significant but undetermined percentage of the population that also feels this way, and reassures them that there is help available. GUllman 17:31, 16 Apr 2004 (UTC)

Then please at least change the wording to "Many people...". As an attention seeker :) I suggest that now I know these two sentences are supposed to act as an invitation you word them more positively, rather than starting with an insult...say "It is much easier for the many people who find libraries bewildering or find it difficult to use them effectively to get assistance now that Library instruction is much more available ?BozMo(talk)

Improvements to the article

These are just some thoughts about how the article could be improved. I don't have time at the moment to make the changes, but wanted to get my thoughts down for the future.

Although the article makes mention lending libraries it does not describe what they are, how they operate. Currently no mention of mobile libraries. Maybe expand a bit on reference libraries. Contrast reference libraries with lending libraries. -- Popsracer 12:53, 2 Jul 2004 (UTC)

History of Libraries

More needs to be done about the history of the Islamic libraries and their role in introducing knowledge into Europe and their being a primary engine of the Renaissance. In the Interim I cleaned up the factually incorrect information about the libraries of the Islamic world only lasting a few centuries. It's just not true, and further, the depredations of the Mongols only affected libraries in Mesopotamia and even then not completely. For example, until the recent Iraq war, the National library in Baghdad still contained texts from the ancient and medieval period, including one of the world's great stores of medieval Torahs and Judaic texts.

In addition, I wasn't crazy about the wording relative to the medieval texts and chainig. The wording needed and still needs help. I added the explanation that the books of the pre-Gutenberg era were still manuscript in form which both explains how books were treated and how they were housed. The transformation wrought on libraries by the printing press was considerable and could be clarified further.

--Jack Bryar 9/10/05

I am interested in the history of libraries and particularly in which was the first public lending library. Two pieces of information relevant to this question are given in the article - specifically the St. Phillips Church library, South Carolina, est. 1698 and St. Mary's Church Library, England, est. 1701. I am interested in confirming this information but after doing a quick search on google for the St. Phillips library all I could find was mirrors of this article.

I have provided some more information I collected on the first public library with establishment dates before those of the libraries given in this article. I am also having some trouble getting good solid confirmation of these claims so I did not make the text sound too authoratitive. However, user RickK saw fit to mark the newly created article for deletion. He also reverted the edit I did to public library which provided a link to that article.

I welcome discussion here on information concerning the history of libraries and whether readers agree that the topic is an important one and should have it's own article.

I think the history of libraries is a significant and rich topic and information we already have should be collected and organised into one separate article. I now think the first public library article I created has too narrow an article title and the information should be merged into a general history of libraries page. This article would also include information on eclesiastical libraries, classical libraries (Alexandria), Muslim libraries, Eastern libraries etc. etc. Because this article could be potentially so rich in information I do not think it wise to simply make it a section under this article

-- Oska 12:24, Jul 15, 2004 (UTC)

I would suggest making a one-paragraph synopsis of library history for this article, then link to a history of libraries that goes into more depth, with sections on the first public lending library and so forth. In practice, it works better to develop content "breadth-first" rather than "depth-first" - create the overviews first, then elaborate on specific topics in the overview, instead of plunging directly into great detail on a narrow topic. It would be good to visit the library :-) and look for printed works - as you notice, the net is often lacking in real content. Stan 16:41, 15 Jul 2004 (UTC)

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I've been in large academic and public library systems for 30+ years in the U.S. and I've added bits here and there in this general article to fill gaps in coverage that reflect my own experience. I'd like to encourage other librarians of all flavors to do the same -- especially those experienced in special libraries and children's collections. --Michael K. Smith 21:37, 5 Aug 2004 (UTC)

Google Scholar?

What about adding a little thing about Google's initiative to create a digital library (Google Scholar)? Stale Fries

As I understand, the article is about ordinary libraries, no info about things like Gutenberg etc. Perhaps your link is suitable in the following article: Digital library. Cmapm 00:54, 31 May 2005 (UTC)

I agree that Digital library would be a better place. I think the correct link would be to Google Books (also known as Google Print and Google Print Library). Google Scholar is a search engine of scholarly literature on the web and in subscription bibliographic databases, not Google's own collection. Rlitwin 01:30, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

A Thought

Just wondered if it might be too controversial to mention that many educated Romans burned their own libraries in early Christian times, for fear of Christian reprisals against anyone owning non-Christian texts (Gibbon had a good line on this if I remember) Springald 19:37, 20 February 2006 (UTC)

I don't think it's controversial. On the other hand, is it something solid? Gibbon was one of the early historians of the empire. Since he wrote about it in the 18th century many ancient texts have been re-discovered and archeology became an exact Science. Put it in if you have something more recent to back it up. --AlainV 03:38, 21 February 2006 (UTC)

Crisis in libraries

Would there be a way to highlight the crisis caused by the loss of our libraries without it being considered a rant?

The problem with the text in this article as it stands is that it could be read as "defeatist" and that libraries are no longer affordable. The description of libraries as "expensive" is also a matter of opinion.

Sadly America is being seen in Europe and other parts of the world as culturally destructive because of the replacement of the sciences by fundamental religious theories and the reduced government investment in culture, education and literacy. This reduces the aspirations of the young and future generations.

In the UK cynical politicians are using Google as an excuse for reducing library funding. This is not something that its creators would personally condone. I would hate to see the bad example introduced in California to be repeated anywhere else in the world. What the local government saves on books it will have to spend on police.

Removal of link under the heading USA Library Campaigns

The link that was removed by Yinon was NOT spam. It is entirely relevant under the heading.

It was to the FOSPL (The Friends of the Salinas Public Library).

Please restore it.

desucetioning?

I am going to assume good faith here but that word doesn't show up in the OED. Would you care to define it for us? Otherwise I may have to revert. Nowimnthing 18:53, 9 June 2006 (UTC)

Corrected someone's misspelling. Rlitwin 22:20, 9 June 2006 (UTC)

Ok deaccessioning, but it seems that has more to do with museums, esp art museums. I've never heard in used in libraries. We use the term 'weeding'. Anybody else have any exp. of this term in libraries? Nowimnthing 01:04, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

I think of weeding as the informal term and deaccessioning as the formal term. I have certainly heard it used about libraries. Google deaccessioning library and you will find a lot. But I agree it needs another person to confirm. Rlitwin 01:52, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

Usually, it is said a librarian "weeds" the collection by looking through the books on the shelf and removing those that are no longer appropriate (due to outdated content or physical condition). The books are then given to a library clerk who "deaccessions" them (essentially the reverse of the acquisition process), which includes deleting the record from the catalog, removing any security features, and stamping the word "discarded" in the book. GUllman 06:06, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

Vancouver

Request Vancouver Central Library be included in section about libraries notable for their architecture, as the Seattle library has been.