The Role of Libraries in Education

Libraries-Origin
The origin of the first libraries can be traced to human efforts in the document collection.
Favorite topics would depend on accessibility, acquisition, identifying the tools for arrangement
in appropriate order, the trade in books, getting hold of materials, their physical properties, their
language and its distribution, the part they play in education, the level of literacy and the
finances. Other factors would include the areas of staffing, targeting special audiences, its
inseparable role in the development of the cultural heritage of the country involved, not to speak
of the involvement of private sponsorship, the Church or the government in its affairs.
Digitization and computerization started playing a major role since its advent in the 1960s.

The earliest library records could be traced to cuneiform script 2600 BC clay tablets, the papyrus
temple records from ancient Egypt, the Nippur libraries of 1900BC and the thirty thousand clay
tablets from 700 BC in a classified library system in Nineveh, highlighting the scrupulous work
on religion, administration and literary skills of the Mesopotamian scholars that will mesmerize
the modern enthusiasts. Among these tablets was also Enuma Elish" or the Epic of Creation"
that presents the Babylonian concept of the Epic of Gilgamesh."

Evolution of Education with Libraries

The inseparable relationship between the libraries and education started way back in the
Byzantium or Constantinople (the ancient city of Thrace in modern Turkeys Istanbul that, the
Greeks founded in the seventh century). Monks wrote incessantly in Scriptoriums (Rooms in
monasteries earmarked for manuscript writing), to preserve and accumulate the results of their
Hellenistic thoughts on what became large libraries that were solely devoted to the monks
education in spiritual advancement. Throughout Europes dark ages, most of the Greco-Roman
classics were preserved by these monastery scriptoriums, reviving in its wake, the tradition of
orthodox libraries and education models that, in turn, were instrumental in the progressive
development of libraries and intellectual culture and learning that were inevitable with the vast
resources at hand. 18th century history, educational materials and Buddhist scriptures, stored in
Pitakataik" a library that founded by King Mindon Min during the pre-colonial era as one of the
eight structures that were established in honor of naming Mandalay as his capital), further
reinforced the destinies of libraries with education. Library and education thus became
symbiotically and inexorably dependent on one another. Over the years, we have learned that the
library; education, literacy and national development always went hand in hand and have
influenced everyone from the primary school students to the highest levels of education, not to
speak of the informal medium of adult literacy.
How Library Aesthetics affects Student Behavior
The Role of Libraries in Education
Libraries-Origin
The origin of the first libraries can be traced to human efforts in the document collection.
Favorite topics would depend on accessibility, acquisition, identifying the tools for arrangement
in appropriate order, the trade in books, getting hold of materials, their physical properties, their
language and its distribution, the part they play in education, the level of literacy and the
finances. Other factors would include the areas of staffing, targeting special audiences, its
inseparable role in the development of the cultural heritage of the country involved, not to speak
of the involvement of private sponsorship, the Church or the government in its affairs.
Digitization and computerization started playing a major role since its advent in the 1960s.
The earliest library records could be traced to cuneiform script 2600 BC clay tablets, the papyrus
temple records from ancient Egypt, the Nippur libraries of 1900BC and the thirty thousand clay
tablets from 700 BC in a classified library system in Nineveh, highlighting the scrupulous work
on religion, administration and literary skills of the Mesopotamian scholars that will mesmerize
the modern enthusiasts. Among these tablets was also Enuma Elish" or the Epic of Creation"
that presents the Babylonian concept of the Epic of Gilgamesh."

Evolution of Education with Libraries

The inseparable relationship between the libraries and education started way back in the
Byzantium or Constantinople (the ancient city of Thrace in modern Turkeys Istanbul that, the
Greeks founded in the seventh century). Monks wrote incessantly in Scriptoriums (Rooms in
monasteries earmarked for manuscript writing), to preserve and accumulate the results of their
Hellenistic thoughts on what became large libraries that were solely devoted to the monks
education in spiritual advancement. Throughout Europes dark ages, most of the Greco-Roman
classics were preserved by these monastery scriptoriums, reviving in its wake, the tradition of
orthodox libraries and education models that, in turn, were instrumental in the progressive
development of libraries and intellectual culture and learning that were inevitable with the vast
resources at hand. 18th century history, educational materials and Buddhist scriptures, stored in
Pitakataik" a library that founded by King Mindon Min during the pre-colonial era as one of the
eight structures that were established in honor of naming Mandalay as his capital), further
reinforced the destinies of libraries with education. Library and education thus became
symbiotically and inexorably dependent on one another. Over the years, we have learned that the
library; education, literacy and national development always went hand in hand and have
influenced everyone from the primary school students to the highest levels of education, not to
speak of the informal medium of adult literacy.
How Library Aesthetics affects Student Behavior
ors, good lighting and good ventilation will go a long way in promoting the adaptability and
flexibility for posterity. Today, aesthetics are always built more around the personality of the
people who will use it. In other words, people take priority over structures, unlike the earlier
times when the collection of works in the library was considered paramount.

A beautiful building housing a library will rekindle the passions of the students, and entice their
elements to experience the library in its new glory as a resourceful learning space in place of an
outmoded structure that hardly offers them the atmosphere or environment for advancement in
their own special disciplines. Though a conclusion is yet to come on the benefits of space well
designed and its effects on the student population, indications are very much leaning to the
affirmative.

Library Resources and Their Role in Education

Educational efforts over several years have seen the positive involvement of libraries in
education by offering their referral services, information and teaching resources. Individual
tutoring programs and educational classes, besides their outreach to specific peoples groups
with educational handicaps taken up now by libraries, alludes to their active and enhanced
involvement in education. Distribution of resource materials to institutions, including hospitals,
prisons, homes for the disabled and aged, rehabilitation centers and groups with education
related problems and adolescents involved in crime, unemployment and the like, makes a visible
impact on their education.
Now a days, some libraries invite uneducated parents to learn interactive language skills that
help them to teach their young ones, while others invite whole families for book talks and
reading classes.

From the dawn of civilization to the contemporary age, the accumulation of information is a
direct result of mans insatiable pursuit of knowledge, and ever since the invention of writing
paper and the advent of the computers, Libraries have taken on an aggressive role in the
preservation of information written by wise men, with a vigor and enthusiasm in furthering the
cause of academic research and education, and catering to the needs of millions of aspirants for
information.

Library and Higher Education and Role in External Study Mode Perspective

A librarys role is always shaped on the institutions like schools, colleges and other professional
and non-professional organizations, the needs of which it services. Mostly these services are
inadequate for the role proposed for it at a particular level of education. The concept is gaining
ground that libraries must match their objectives, and therefore, both libraries and their librarians
must involve conscientiously in the exercise to improve their contribution to the education cause
with more serious insight into development resulting from scrupulous planning.
In countries like Australia, external study modes have yet to be applied to libraries catering to
higher education for external students in large countries with sparse population in pockets. This
involves very strenuous arrangements to meet the information requirements of such facilities,
and libraries, the world over are striving to meet such requirements and put the educational
experiences of the external students on par with those of the internal students on the same
campus, to prevent an anomaly that could arise in their qualifications.

Library and Education Inextricably Tied Up

1) The library represents a structure that houses a collection of services and resources and
sometimes alludes to an alternative meaning of an aggregation of useful material, published,
unpublished, or audiovisual content that serves common use, be it in the field of biology,
mathematics statistics or computer science. They must have certified staff for interpretation of
data and explain it to those who are researching on educational inputs, information or even
recreational information. In other words, they are tools in learning at all levels and an agency for
selection, collection of knowledge, preserving and disseminating it to those aspiring for it.

Education, on the other hand, represents a congregation of processes that enhances the positive values of a society,
by imbibing knowledge, abilities and attitudes in a controlled environment like a school, leading to individual
development and social competence arising from an amassing of experiences and observations.

The interesting fact that comes out in this analogy is that, while the library plays the enviable
part of the knowledge source and its dissemination and protects knowledge and its storage,
education cannot exist on its own without a library support, and a library is redundant if it cannot pass on
education.

2) A good library is like a solid rock on which people build their base for self-advancement and
works for the general good of the community as a whole, and the nation in its entirety. A library
is an indispensable embellishment to a school, university, museum, organization or institution,
without which, any teaching institution will find it hard to impart education sans the knowledge
accruing from it.
A good education is imperative to impart to a human being, perfect and adequate knowledge in a rational and civic
manner, withdrawing him from the realms of ignorance into the glow of enlightenment, a path of useful and factual
information leading to self- education, thus leading him to enjoy intellectual self reliability that enhances his inner
vision on factors like behavior, attitude, character, conduct and outlook. He will learn all aspects of knowledge,
differentiate between the right and the wrong, the good and the bad, and in general, set him apart from meager men.

3) The connotation of the word," Library", goes far beyond the realm of just a compilation of
books. It is a treasure house of information and knowledge that employs trained librarians to
preserve, systematize and administer, so that they can contribute successfully to the continuing
education and self improvement of men, women and children by providing meaningful
assistance to identifying, extracting and disseminating proper information from the maze of
material available in its resources. A research scholar will find the expertise of the scientific/
 information officer on specific subjects and his ability to narrow down the search, invaluable not
only in his search for facts but also on the precious time saved.

In the matter of education, the library officer is best placed to guide you on the best available resources in the
library, including the notations in elusive magazines and periodicals, rare books, manuscripts and microfilms,
abstracts, indices and bibliography (Catalogues) which a research scholar will be hard put to find on his own. Most
researchers appreciate the invaluable role of a professional librarian in advancing their quest for knowledge and
the education that comes with it.

4) The libraries offer immeasurable scope for education and study, and are categorized into the
three following types to further the learning curve of the aspirants.
The Special Library
A special library has information on a particular group of subjects, and caters exclusively to the
resource requirements of a specific organization, company or a department of the government.
One of its principal aims is to save the time of the staff members and researchers of such
institutions. Libraries that are very special, like those pertaining to business Administration, for
example, must cater to information on statistics, accountancy, economics, and banking.
With a clear mandate for direct access to the needed information only, researchers will find them more
accessible, corporeal, down- to- earth and a great time saver in their interaction for specific information and
education in whichever organization that houses them.
The Public Library
The Public or Professional libraries, also sometimes called a Peoples University," plays the
role of a nodal point in assimilating informal or formal information of local learning content and
co-relating it to knowledge and information from global resources. Public libraries, therefore,
will wear the mantle of an important constituent in the future of the lifelong continuous learning
process and education by donning their contemporary thinking cap on how to improve evolving
tasks, demands and working environments. They will also have to bring about change in the
perception of the responsibilities of the librarian in pursuit of a more useful library system in
tune with the new demands of the users. The public libraries and their expert librarians offer not
only wide access to information from a global network, thanks to the development of the
networks as a result of the advancement in technology and communication, but also offer their
expertise in areas of information sourcing and their quality rating. In other words, a public
library is an indispensable pillar of democratic knowledge.
Public libraries now certainly play a more strategic part in establishing lifelong learning tools in a meaningful
effort to become dynamic collaborators in the systems of education. Several factors contribute to the librarys efforts
in this regard, including assimilation of information and the study of the best practices in bringing about change of
networking, library design and the interaction on matters of mutual educational interests on both furthering
especially, the work- related education. Their focus on using communication technology and networking in their
efforts to reach out to the educational institutions is another feather in promoting a lifelong learning process.
The Academic Libraries
Academic libraries cater specifically to the educational needs of a school, college or university
where it is located, for the convenience of the students and teachers. However, in the case of a
university, they will have more focus also on information related to research and projects.

The Academic librarys trump card is that, notwithstanding the situation, it supports a powerful
educational system, and this facet of its identity is often relegated to the realms of the ignored or
the forgotten. The Academic library has the utmost potential to develop into the best learner-
centered facility among all campuses. The view is growing stronger that those who inherit the
control of Academic libraries must appreciate that, though the educational fabric of these
institutions are inextricably tied to their parent institution, they are indeed self-contained
educational establishments that can shape the educational destiny of students and even others
who come into contact with them. These facts belie the headline given to an article called
Academic library autopsy report 2050 by librarian Brian Sullivan of Alfred University who
wrote that The academic library has died.
In terms of educational benefits, the Academic libraries are fully and comprehensively equipped to meet the varying
demands of the students for their references and research on all subjects that form part of their curriculum.
5) A library accounts for storage of knowledge and information that help men in their pursuit of
excellence and in generating new schools of thought, making innovative discoveries, and
generally contributing to adding to world information and knowledge. Experts opine that
accumulated knowledge leads to new and innovative ideas that are passed down for the benefit
of the generations that follow.
As part of the education, it is the librarian and his assistants that disseminate the compilation of such knowledge
after revitalizing it, to the young men and women who will be the leaders of tomorrow in diverse fields like,
research. A librarys undisputed link as an aid in this learning curve cannot be challenged, and instead, becomes
the focal point that triggers forays into the multifarious areas of engineering, know-how and skill. The library
stands as a permanent resolute pillar in promoting the process of culture and education.

6) Integrating the backdrop of information between libraries and education

Analyzing the role of a 21st century library from the perspectives of its chief librarian, and its
efforts in education and research with a longstanding obligation to motivate improvement and
preserve records of the development is part of the evolution process. The developments of the
not too recent past, after the advent of IT, have pushed the way we communicate, learn and
work, into one with a revolutionary pace. New business infrastructures, healthcare, academic
research, economic development and social interaction have sprung from the arrival of
networking, data storage, new innovative software and microprocessors, thus providing for direct
access to all information, eliminating the legendary intermediary, and thus gaining on space and
time.
Such serious changes can be brought about only by stringent planning and the active involvement of the librarians
in this changing education scenario. The PC now became an awesome tool in the hands of a user and virtually all
knowledge could be assessed at the click of a mouse.
Role of Libraries in Amalgamating Information Literacy and Health Professionals
A scheme is under way to find a common ground for integrating the competence of the
Academic librarians with the relentless work put in by the health educators using a trans-
disciplinary method for enhancing information literacy with education on public health.

The role of libraries in educating people with HIV/AIDS

Libraries are found to play an important part in the education, development and promotion of
community health in the life of people with HIV/AIDS

Role of Public Libraries in Society Education

A public library is a non-profit institution, usually funded by public resources and the
government for use by the public. The uniqueness of a public library is that it is free from the
harnesses of race, culture, age, religion, gender, language, disability and status of employment
and economic condition. Information here is for the public, including storytelling, workshops,
community services, updating language skills, seminars and what have you. Though the
institution of public libraries can be traced back to the ancient Greek and Roman era and the
Middle East, these surfaced in Europe and America only in the 18th/19th centuries.
In those times, and even now, the concept of a public library as a community welfare center still
exists. By imparting education, inculcating culture and distributing information, these venerable
places became a true center for spreading of informal education, even contributing to the
construction of schools and putting in serious efforts at illiteracy elimination and promoting the
reading habit.
Audio-visual aids like exhibitions, lectures, motion picture screening and book weeks, newsreels and music in
tandem with extension services play a great part in the role of the libraries, including mass education for the
illiterate, in promoting adult education. You must also have heard of libraries on wheels that travel to distant
pockets to impart knowledge, information and education to the remotest corners of the world that failed to thrive in
the absence of reading material and an overview of national/international evolution. Seminars held on these
subjects help to analyze data from the project and use the recommendations on how to effectively reinforce the role
of public libraries in an easier pursuit of learning and education. This could be done by reviewing the educational
policy vis--vis the policy of education, cooperation between the two, the need for change on professional profile
and internal change required in libraries.
The Role of Libraries in Education of the Poor
It therefore goes without saying that the utility of the libraries goes far beyond its basic function
as the custodian of information and has a major role to play in educating the citizens of the
world, not only from the advanced nations, but also, especially those poor aspirants from the
developing countries that are aspiring for a more promising tomorrow. In such circumstances,
where poverty precludes them from buying books, libraries are their only solace for a good
education in their hope to try to achieve parity with their contemporaries from the more fortunate
strata of the society.

Librarys Role in Distance Learning

The involvement of libraries in correspondence-education, merits discussion as more and more
students and working men and women are opting for distance learning using tutorials with screen
capture or Screen cast that mount educational information using a bevy of tools like multi-modal
media in lieu of physical classrooms, to gain student course contentment.

The libraries who prepare the correspondence courses, mail it to the students, but in many cases,
reference access to library support is unavailable, except those accessible in the regional centers.

The past years have seen a radical shift to the OER or Open Educational Courses that have
brought about a deep-seated transformation in the educational system the world over and the
university libraries are striving hard to remove the vestiges of the challenges in the system in
their legal, technical and political aspects. Harnessed properly, the OER is certain to deliver its
benefits of aspiring students and employed people who find it difficult and inconvenient to attend
regular classes.

The Role of E-Learning in Education

Electronic learning, or e-learning, refers to computer-enhanced learning. It also refers to
research, learning, and teaching in the digital environment. Higher education is growing more
dependent on e-learning for its advantages of convenience, flexibility and the option to work
from any point with internet availability at your own pace.

E-learning or electronic learning is a computer based learning that uses a digital environment to
teach and learn.

The concept of libraries has undergone a revolution with the advent of the Information and
Communication Technology. Now, a digital library is equipped with storage of digital
collections, infrastructure and services to sustain lifelong learning, protection of recorded
information and intellectual communiqu.
We are fast progressing into the realm of visual learning. Digital technology is changing the way
we read. Digital libraries with its perception on visualization are the need of the hour for schools,
colleges, universities and even for higher education. Textbooks, audio lessons, videos and
tutorials in digital formats can radically transform the educational system in both rural and
suburban areas, by leaps and bounds. Advanced digital technologies throw open the door for
educators to reinvent visual learning. Educators can now integrate visual education with digital
learning by a useful merger of the teaching process with image technologies. Charts and digital
images now play an important role in creating an information platform.

With the advent and advancement of the E-libraries, education is set to become even more
accessible resourceful and quality oriented to students using computers or tablets.