Well..I went to the library today in the afternoon and borrowed a few books and cds...just then a thought struck me...just like the 'apple' hit newton...and i wondered.."how did libraries come into existence"...was it that paper came first or the library...who , what , when , why....
Of course one would agree that they r the greatest source for knowledge of all kinds..More recently, libraries are understood as extending beyond the physical walls of a building, by including material accessible by electronic means, and by providing the assistance of librarians in navigating and analyzing tremendous amounts of knowledge with a variety of digital tools. I did some 'g'search and found this interesting article in wikipedia...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library -
A library is a collection of information, sources, resources, books, and services, and the structure in which it is housed: it is organized for use and maintained by a public body, an institution, or a private individual.
In the more traditional sense, a library is a collection of books.
The term can mean the collection, the building that houses such a collection, or both.
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.
However, with the collection of media other than books for storing information, many libraries are now also repositories and access points for maps, prints, or other documents and various storage media such as microform (microfilm/microfiche), audio tapes, CDs, cassettes, videotapes, and DVDs. Libraries may also provide public facilities to access CD-ROMs, subscription databases, and the Internet.