Ignou BLI011


1. What do you understand by a library? Explain the need and purpose of libraries.
Ans. A library is a collection of sources of information and similar resources, made accessible to a defined
community for reference or borrowing. It provides physical or digital access to material, and may be a
physical building or room, or a virtual space, or both. A library's collection can
include books, periodicals, newspapers, manuscripts, films, maps, prints, documents, microform, CDs, cassett
es, videotapes, DVDs, Blu-ray Discs, e-books, audiobooks, databases, and other formats. Libraries range in
size from a few shelves of books to several million items. In Latin and Greek, the idea of a bookcase is
represented by Bibliotheca and Bibliothēkē derivatives of these mean library in many modern languages, e.g.
French bibliothèque.
The first libraries consisted of archives of the earliest form of writing—the clay tablets in cuneiform
script discovered in Sumer, some dating back to 2600 BC. Private or personal libraries made up of written
books appeared in classical Greece in the 5th century BC. In the 6th century, at the very close of the Classical
period, the great libraries of the Mediterranean world remained those of Constantinople and Alexandria.
A library is organized for use and maintained by a public body, an institution, a corporation, or a private
individual. Public and institutional collections and services may be intended for use by people who choose not
to—or cannot afford to—purchase an extensive collection themselves, who need material no individual can
reasonably be expected to have, or who require professional assistance with their research. In addition to
providing materials, libraries also provide the services of librarians who are experts at finding and organizing
information and at interpreting information needs. Libraries often provide quiet areas for studying, and they
also often offer common areas to facilitate group study and collaboration. Libraries often provide public
facilities for access to their electronic resources and the Internet.
Modern libraries are increasingly being redefined as places to get unrestricted access to information in many
formats and from many sources. They are extending services beyond the physical walls of a building, by
providing material accessible by electronic means, and by providing the assistance of librarians in navigating
and analyzing very large amounts of information with a variety of digital resources. Libraries are increasingly
becoming community hubs where programs are delivered and people engage in lifelong learning. As
community centers, libraries are also becoming increasingly important in helping communities mobilize and
organize for their rights. The relationship between librarianship and human rightsworks to ensure that the
rights of cultural minorities, immigrants, the homeless, the disabled, LGBTQ community , as well as other
marginalized groups are not infringed upon as protected in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
2. Explain the different type of library models.
Ans. The different type of librare models are:
There are four major types of libraries:
1. Academic libraries serve colleges and universites.
2. Public libraries serve cities and towns of all types.
3. School libraries serve students from Kindergarten to grade 12.
4. Special libraries are in specialized environments, such as hospitals, corporations, museums, the
military, private business, and the government.
Academic libraries serve colleges and universities, their students, staff and faculty. Because larger institutions
may have several libraries on their campuses dedicated to serving particular schools such as law and science
libraries, academic librarianship offers a great opportunity to utilize subject expertise. Professional status
varies by institution, but many academic librarians have faculty status including tenure.
Public libraries exist in many countries across the world and are often considered an essential part of having
an educated and literate population. Public libraries are distinct from research libraries, school libraries, and
other special libraries in that their mandate is to serve the general public's information needs rather than the
needs of a particular school, institution, or research population. Public libraries also provide free services such
as preschool story times to encourage early literacy, quiet study and work areas for students and professionals,
or book clubs to encourage appreciation of literature in adults. Public libraries typically allow users
to borrow books and other materials, i.e., take off the premises temporarily; they also have non-
circulating reference collections and provide computer and Internet access to patrons.
 Academic libraries serve colleges and universities, their students, staff and faculty. Larger institutions
may have several libraries on their campuses dedicated to serving particular schools such as law and
science libraries. Many academic librarians become specialists in an area of knowledge and can have
faculty status.
For more information, visit the Association of College and Research Libraries' website.
 Public libraries serve communities of all sizes and types. Wherever you live, there's bound to be a
local public library nearby! As the name implies, public libraries serve the general public, "from cradle
to grave" as more than one public librarian has been heard to say. Public libraries often have
departments that focus on areas of service, such as youth, teens and adults.
For more information, visit the Public Library Association's website.
 School libraries are usually part of a school system, and serve students between Kindergarten and
grade 12. Many are called media centers, and librarians are often required to have a second degree in
education or a certificate in school media.

For more information, visit the following websites:
 American Association of School Librarians'
 Consider a Career as a School Librarian
Developed by the University of South Carolina School of Library and Information Science
 Special libraries offer unique opportunities to work in a specialized environment of interest, such as
corporations, hospitals, the military, museums, private businesses, and the government. Special
libraries can serve particular populations, such as the blind and physically handicapped, while others
are dedicated to special collections, such as the Library of Congress or a presidential library.

For more information, visit the following websites:
 American Association of Law Libraries
 American Theological Library Association
 Art Libraries Society of North America
 Medical Library Association
 Music Library Association
 Special Libraries Association
 There are also other options to consider in pursuing a library career. These include library and
information science instruction and research; a huge range of vendors, publishers and consultants who
provide goods and services to libraries; as well as international opportunities.
3. Describe the different type of libraries.
Ans. Types of Library:
According to the mode of services rendered to the readers; libraries are broadly divided into four types:
1. Academic Library,
2. Special Library,
3. Public Library, and
4. National Library.
1. Academic Library:
Academic library is the library which is attached to academic institutions like schools, colleges and
universities. An academic library serves more specifically the students, research scholars, teachers and
staff of the academic institution. Main objective of an academic library is to give maximum learning
materials to its clientele so that they may be fully educated in their respective level. Academic libraries
are categorized into school libraries, college libraries and university libraries.
A. School Library: A school library is a learning laboratory, providing a variety of instructional
media, essential for optimum support of the education programme. The purpose of the school library is
to attain the objectives of the educational programme. It concerns with the development of effective
methods of thinking, inculcation of social attitudes, acquisition of important information and promoting
growth and development among the children. The function of the school library is to help the students
in the process of their self-discovery, to adopt high ideals in life, improve scholastic efficiency through
self-study and to develop the capacity for critical thinking.
B. College Library: College performs an important function in educational process. A college without
a library is like a tree with no roots. The status of every college is measured through the position of the
library that it maintains. Hence every college library should become a teaching instrument in itself. A
college library is expected to support the objectives of the college. Thus, the basic function of a college
library is to assist its parent body to carry out its programmes.
C. University Library: A library is more important in a University, because a library can do without a
University where as a university cannot function without a library. A university library is an integral
part of the institution. It is primarily maintained for the benefit of students, officers, faculty members
and for those who are engaged in research work. It plays a very important role in the national life of the
community by acquiring material for educational use for the benefit of students and teaching
departments.
2. Special Library:
Special library became popular since the beginning of 20th century. A special library is one which
serves a particular group of people, such as the employees of a firm of government department, or the
staff and members of a professional or research organization. Such a library deals essentially in
information (Krishan Kumar; 1987; 72)
3. Public Library:
A public library (also called circulating library) is a library which is accessible by the public and is
generally funded from public sources (such as tax money) and may be operated by the civil servants.
Taxing bodies for public libraries may be at any level from local to national central government level.
The public library is an excellent model of government at its best. A locally controlled public good, it
serves every individual freely, in as much or as little depth as he or she wants. (Wikipedia)
4. National Library:
A national library is a library specifically established by the government of a country to serve as the
preeminent repository of information for that country. Unlike public libraries, these rarely allow
citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valuable, or significant works. A National
Library is that library which has the duty of collecting and preserving the literature of the nation within
and outside the country, Thus, National Library are those libraries whose community is the nation at
large.
4. Explain the different roles and responsibilities of library professionals in changing environment.
Ans. The ultimate objective of a library is to provide maximum service to its users. Library professionals
constitute an important component of the library trinity. It is generally observed that organizations are built
from top to bottom, i.e. in the beginning the top executive is appointed, to be followed by the appointment of
additional staff. Unfortunately, in India, the university libraries grow from bottom to top. Hardly any example
exists where the university librarian is among the very first officers of the university who is appointed to build
up the university library structure.
Library Professionals or Librarians in higher education make an important contribution to the academic
community in which they practise. In the libraries, their essential role is considered to be most important as it
is concerned with the ongoing need for access to learning resources for teachers and faculty members as well
as to the students and research scholars.
Experienced librarians may take administrative positions such as library or information center director.
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 the organization served by a special library). In smaller or

specialized libraries, librarians typically perform a wide range of the different duties. Sometimes depending
upon the nature of work they had to perform, they may be named as Cataloguing Librarian ; Metadata
Librarian ; Application Specialist ; Collections Librarian ; Electronic Resources Librarian ; Research
Instruction Librarian ; Reference Librarian ; Legal research Law Librarian ; Prospect researcher ; Information
broker ; Records manager ; Archivist; Indexer ; Information architect; Curator; Teacher-librarian ; etc. But in
higher educational institutions specially in university libraries the whole staff may be divided in the following
three categories as mentioned below : i) Professionals ii) Semi Professionals iii) Non Professionals
Library professionals need to understand how any changes, in the way the library provides services will affect
all stakeholders. Sometimes they focus on the needs of one group and ignore the fact that the changes that will
benefit one group will not benefit another. With any change, librarians or professionals should create a list of
all of the different stakeholders and actually discuss how it will affect each of them. Here “stakeholders”
means not only the users of the library but also the staff, and administrators. If staff or administrators do not
support a project that has been implemented in library, the possibility of success is poor. For that a continuous
analysis, investigation and assessment is needed to understand the users needs and stakeholders needs. Then
accordingly they can design and deliver specialized value added information products and services. Time to
time they can evaluates the outcome of the use of library and information resources and services for which
they can conduct research to find solutions to the identified information management problems.
5. Explain the principles of organising a structural pattern.
Ans. The organizing process can be done efficiently if the managers have certain guidelines so that they can
take decisions and can act. To organize in an effective manner, the following principles of organization can be
used by a manager.
1. Principle of Specialization
According to the principle, the whole work of a concern should be divided amongst the subordinates
on the basis of qualifications, abilities and skills. It is through division of work specialization can be
achieved which results in effective organization.
2. Principle of Functional Definition
According to this principle, all the functions in a concern should be completely and clearly defined to
the managers and subordinates. This can be done by clearly defining the duties, responsibilities,
authority and relationships of people towards each other. Clarifications in authority-responsibility
relationships helps in achieving co-ordination and thereby organization can take place effectively. For
example, the primary functions of production, marketing and finance and the authority responsibility
relationships in these departments shouldbe clearly defined to every person attached to that
department. Clarification in the authority-responsibility relationship helps in efficient organization.
3. Principles of Span of Control/Supervision
According to this principle, span of control is a span of supervision which depicts the number of
employees that can be handled and controlled effectively by a single manager. According to this
principle, a manager should be able to handle what number of employees under him should be
decided. This decision can be taken by choosing either froma wide or narrow span. Principle of Scalar
Chain
Scalar chain is a chain of command or authority which flows from top to bottom. With a chain of
authority available, wastages of resources are minimized, communication is affected, overlapping of

work is avoided and easy organization takes place. A scalar chain of command facilitates work flow in
an organization which helps in achievement of effective results. As the authority flows from top to
bottom, it clarifies the authority positions to managers at all level and that facilitates effective
organization.
Principle of Unity of Command
It implies one subordinate-one superior relationship. Every subordinate is answerable and accountable
to one boss at one time. This helps in avoiding communication gaps and feedback and response is
prompt. Unity of command also helps in effective combination of resources, that is, physical, financial
resources which helps in easy co-ordination and, therefore, effective organization.
6. Explain the selection criteria for acquisition of documents in a library.
Ans. Libraries exist for readers and serve them with information and knowledge sources that they need. Not
only libraries serve information needs of the present generation but even of the future generations as well. To
meet and fulfil their mandate, libraries build up collection through a well defined process of selection and
acquisition of information materials. Acquisition is defined as employment of a range of methods to provide
users resources for access to the information.
Libraries are categorised as public, academic and special library, depending upon which type of user
constituency constitutes the majority user group in a library. These different types of libraries differ in their
information needs and the literature needed to satisfy their needs. Therefore, the first step to start the
acquisition process in a library is to ascertain the needs of its user community. The next step is to select
documents that have potential to satisfy their needs. Document selection is done from out of the publications
that publishers and other commercial firms, institutions, organisations and government bodies publish every
year both in print and in electronic format.
Acquisition Routines and the Changing Acquisition Scenario Until the closing years of the 19th Century
library collection consisted mainly of only books – printed and manuscript. However, the 20th Century
witnessed non-book materials also becoming part of the library collection. These included audio- visuals such
as slides, gramophone record and microfilms. Microfiche, micro card and other microforms started becoming
part of the solution to ease space problem in libraries created by steep growth in their serials collection. The
multi-media developments in libraries as stated above, however did not impact much the acquisition routines
of libraries. But the e-resources becoming part of the library collection coupled with developments in ICT did
influence the acquisition character and its routines in a big way. The e-resources, unlike print materials and
other multi-media non-book materials, Library Routines 8 9 quite often do not become part of the library
property. Libraries only get access rights to e-resources and not their ownership and that too, under negotiated
licensing terms and conditions. Therefore, the team that is to be constituted for the selection of resources must
include not only information technology experts but even persons with legal expertise. Furthermore, steep rise
in the subscriptions to e-serials has led to libraries to forge closer cooperation in acquisition. Cooperative
acquisition took the form of consortium.
7. Describe the process of acquisition of serials in a library.
Ans. Library acquisitions is the department of a library responsible for the selection and purchase of
materials or resources. The department may select vendors, negotiate consortiumpricing, arrange for standing
orders, and select individual titles or resources.[1]
Libraries, both physical and digital, usually have four common broad goals that help dictate these
responsibilities. These goals are significant to libraries in order to maintain the basic principle of access.
1. To acquire material as quickly as possible
2. To maintain a high level of accuracy in all work procedures
3. To keep work processes simple in order to achieve the lowest possible unit cost
4. To develop close, friendly working relationships with other library units and vendors
There are generally five steps taken in order to acquire material for a library collection,
whether physical or digital.
1. Request processing
2. Verification
3. Ordering
4. Reporting (fiscal management)
5. Receiving orders
There are eight types of acquisition methods followed by libraries:
1. Firm orders – Orders that are determined by name specifically. For example, a specific book,
textbook, or journal that the library wants.
2. Standing orders – Open orders for all titles that fit a particular category or subject. For example,
these are usually developed for serials and the library knows that it will want anything published in
that particular series. A benefit to this style of ordering is that it is automatic--the acquisitions
department does not have to order the next in series.
3. Approval plans – Similar to standing orders except they cover quite a few topic areas, are sent from
the vendor, and the library is only charged for the specific titles that they accept into their collection.
Under these circumstances the library is free to return anything it does not wish to add to its
collections. A benefit to this style of ordering is that the acquisitions department can sometimes make
better decisions with the materials in hand versus an order form.
4. Blanket orders – Largely a combination of both a firm order and an approval plan. Blanket orders
are the library making a commitment to purchase all of something. For example, a library makes a
contract with a certain publisher or vendor and will purchase everything that this publisher or vendor
has available in regards to a topic. A benefit to this style of ordering is an automatic acquisition of
materials for a particular field, which can be especially beneficial to specialized or academic libraries.
8. Explain the advantages and disadvantages of stock verification in libraries.
Ans. Advantages and Disadvantages of Stock Verification
Some of the advantages and disadvantages of stock verification are listed in this section.
Advantages
• By revealing the number of books lost in a library it helps to replace the lost books.
• Gives an indication of books popular with readers although often in academic libraries such books are not
necessarily those recommended in the course.
• Enables the library staff to get a better acquaintance with the books, which is very necessary for the
maintenance staff.
• Ensures thorough dusting, cleaning and rearrangement.

Facilitates identification of worn-out books for mending, repair and binding.
• Helps to keep the library catalogue and other stock control records up-to-date.
• Gives an indication of the efficiency of the library staff with reference to vigilance and carefulness in
maintaining the collection.
Disadvantages
• Regular routine of library work gets disturbed
• Inconvenience to readers is caused;
• Considered to be a waste of time, energy and money by some;
• May turn out to be a futility since the reality may never be revealed for various reasons.
Part 2
1. College library
Ans. An College library is a library that is attached to a higher education institution which serves two
complementary purposes to support the school's curriculum, and to support the research of the university
faculty and students. It is unknown how many academic libraries there are internationally. An academic and
research portal maintained by UNESCO links to 3,785 libraries. According to the National Center for
Education Statistics, there are an estimated 3,700 academic libraries in the United States. The support of
teaching and learning requires material for class readings and for student papers. In the past, the material for
class readings, intended to supplement lectures as prescribed by the instructor, has been called reserves. In the
period before electronic resources became available, the reserves were supplied as actual books or as
photocopies of appropriate journal articles.
2. Stock maintenance
Ans. Stock maintenance is the function of understanding the stock mix of a company and the
different demands on that stock. The demands are influenced by both external and internalfactors and are
balanced by the creation of purchase order requests to keep supplies at a reasonable or prescribed level. Stock
management is important for every other business enterprise.
Stock maintenance in the retail supply chain follows the following sequence:
1. Request for new stock from stores to head office,
2. Head office issues purchase orders to the vendor,
3. Vendor ships the goods,
4. Warehouse receives the goods,
5. Warehouse stores and distributes to the stores,
6. Shops and/or consumers (e.g. wholesale shops) receive the goods,
7. Goods are sold to customers at the shop
The management of the inventory in the supply chain involves managing the physical quantities as well as the
costing of the goods as it flows through the supply chain. In managing the cost prices of the goods throughout
the supply chain, several costing methods are employed:
1. Retail method
2. Weighted Average Price method
3. FIFO (First In First Out) method
4. LIFO (Last In First Out) method
5. LPP (Last Purchase Price) method
6. BNM (Bottle neck method)
3. Office management
Ans. Office management is a profession involving the design, implementation, evaluation, and maintenance
of the process of work within an office or other organization, in order to sustain and
improve efficiency and productivity.
An office manager is responsible for monitoring and reviewing systems, usually focusing on specific
outcomes such as improved timescales, turnover, output, sales, etc. They may supervise or manage a team of
administrators, allocating roles, recruiting and training, and issuing assignments and projects. As such the role
is varied, often including responsibilities across a diverse range of functions such as:
 Bookkeeping
 Business process mapping
 Cost accounting
 Customer service
 Database management
 Facility management
 Design of form or document templates
 Human resources
 Management information systems
 Management consulting
 Occupational safety and health
 Payroll
 Project management
 Purchasing
 Records management
 Recruitment
 Report writing
 Risk management
 Sales and marketing
 Security management
 Space management
 Systems analysis
 Website maintenance

Personal competencies useful in the role are: problem solving skills, good decision making abilities, integrity,
resourcefulness, creativity, assertiveness, flexibility, time management skills and the ability to cope with
pressure.
4. Staffing pattern of libraries
Ans. Staffing Pattern of the Library: The staffing is an assessment of the staff which is meant to give the
library a competent staff in all the different categories and to get the best out of them. According to Evans,
“staffing is the function by which a manager builds an organization through the recruitment, selection and
development of individuals as capable employees. The staffing in libraries consists of the different categories
of person with experience and expertise. The library staffs provide materials, they also provide the services of
specialists who are experts in finding, organizing and interpreting information needs.
5. Accession policy
Ans. ACCESSION POLICY
Mission
The Accession Policy Directorate provides advice and support on policies and programs pertaining to the
recruitment and accession of both officer and enlisted personnel, enlistment standards and screening tools,
recruiter access to colleges and high schools, analysis of recruiting resources and sustainment of the all-
volunteer force.
Responsibilities
Responsible for Policy, Planning and Program Review of Active and Reserve Personnel Procurement and
Processing Develop, Review, and Analyze Policies, Resource Levels, and Budgets for Enlisted Recruiting
and Officer Commissioning Programs
FU N C T I ON S
 Officer Commissioning Service Academies, ROTC, OCS, Direct Appointments
 Enlisted and Medical Recruiting and Advertising
 Enlistment Standards and Processing Age, Aptitude, Citizenship, Education, Conduct (DoDI 1304.26),
Physical Fitness
 Personnel Selection and Job Classification Enlistment Testing Policy
 Evaluation and Oversight of Enlistment Options and Incentive Programs Enlistment Bonuses; Education
Benefits
 Analysis to Determine Youth Attitudes Toward Military
 Evaluation and Reporting of Recruiting Results Congress, Senior Oversight Committees, Public (Press
Releases)
 Policy Analysis (Volunteer Force, Conscription, National Service) DoD Liaison with Selective Service
System
 Joint Recruiting Facilities Program
 Oversight of U.S. Military Entrance Processing Command (USMEPCOM)
6. Need for library records
Ans. Library Records is an independent record label founded in Melbourne, Australia in 1998, and focusing
mainly on indie pop. It is run by Bart Cummings from The Cat's Miaow.

Artists who have released recordings on Library Records include:
 Bart & Friends
 The Cat's Miaow
 The Sound of Music
 Huon
 Other People's Children
 The Shapiros
 Sleepy Township
 Stinky Fire Engine
 Sweet William
 Tugboat
In addition, Library has released a number of compilations, including Indie Aid Abroad, to raise funds for
reconstruction in East Timor, and Pacific Highway, a compilation of live recordings from the eponymous

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