Functions Of An Academic Libraries – Initially, libraries and academic institutions existed outside of each other for hundreds of years. It started at the time that the method of teaching revolved around a professional lecture and student recitation, though sometimes a lecture would be turned over to the university to be copied and purchased by students. As some lectures were copied and more copies of older lectures were reproduced, a storehouse for these materials took shape. By 1338, what was considered to be the first (ancient) academic library, the library at Sorbonne (University of Paris) contained over 1700 volumes of lectures.
As more writing became available, universities saw the value in having books that could not be included into the course of studies. Sir Thomas Bodley, a benefactor of the University of Oxford took it upon himself not to just fund the library collection, but to travel the continent to buy books on many subjects. By 1605, it was noted to have contained more than 5000 books and manuscripts.
The number of universities aided by the advent of printing continued to grow and their curriculum broadened, reflecting a rise in literacy and a trend towards scholarship.
It was during this period in the colonies that Harvard University was established. In 1638, John Harvard donated £800 and 300 books to establish what we know as the first state-side academic library.
In 1667, Harvard’s first librarian was appointed. The use of the library was limited to senior members of the university and the library was only open from 11am to 1pm. Access was limited as no catalogue system existed until 1723 and even then they were usually arranged by size or donor. By the beginning of 20th century, there was a shift from collection and preservation to utility. Academic libraries began granting more access to faculty and some to students.
The increase in use meant a need for more services, extended hours and more staff. As institution took a more active role in funding library collections and creating comfortable facilities, the library became less of a place to store dusty books and more of a place for dynamic learning.
Functions Of An Academic Libraries
An academic library typically comprises one or more physical library buildings open to you as a student, library collections, both physical and digital, and library staff, running a range of services designed to support study and research.
Academic Libraries are libraries attached to tertiary institutions of learning like universities and colleges. Primarily, the functions of an academic libraries is to provide literature support to the programme of parent institutions. For instance, academic libraries are expected to provide educational and information materials that are relevant to the curriculum and that can suit each level of the institution’s academic programme such as degree, diploma and certificate courses.
An academic libraries functions to enable general collection, from which you will be able to borrow books and journals (academic ‘magazines’). Academic libraries provide an increasing number of online resources, including access to databases, journals and eBooks. You’ll generally find these listed in the library catalogue, but you may also have direct links to them from electronic reading lists that are put together for your courses.
Access to ebooks through academic libraries is generally a little different from public library provision. In most cases, you can’t download to a kindle or similar e-reader; instead, you can either read the text online, download some form of pdf version as a loan or download an individual chapter, usually as a permanent file.
