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I'm VEERTA DEVI , the school librarian. I look after the school library.
Chapter-1 Library, Information and Society: Role and its implications
Introduction--
The information and knowledge are the driving factors in the development of the
society. The human is the most intelligent among all category of living world. It gathers
the information and converts them into knowledge and further used it to improve the
Living statndard of the people.
Definition of a Library-
The word “Library” means in English “a collection of books gathered for study, research,
reference and recreation”. It is being perceived that it has derived from a Latin word
‘liber’ which means ‘a book.
The Oxford Dictionary defines library as “a building or room containing collections of
books, periodicals, and sometimes films and recorded music for using or borrowing by
the public or the members of an institution”.
Functions of a Library--
(a) collect, maintain and make available the information sources to the people of the
society to help them to make them aware of the available literature and to think
and act independently;
(b) foster and promote the dissemination of information, education and cultural
heritage to promote enlightened citizenship and to enrich personal life;
(c) provide opportunity and facility for formal and informal life-long self-education to
the member of a community irrespective of age, caste, creed, colour, gender or
any other human characteristics .
Role of Library in the development of Modern Society-
Library and society is inter-linked and inter-dependable. This is the strong perception and realised truth that the development in the society is not possible without library. The society we live today has been termed as information society as maximum population is engaged in the profession where information and technologies are both raw as well as finished products of the human efforts. The present stage of the society is the result of the collective intellectual human endeavour for centuries.
The first phase is known as ‘agrarian society’. The main occupation was agriculture. Maximum population of the society was engaged in cultivation, fishing and mining using muscular energy.
Then, the second phase is called ‘industrial society’ as maximum population of the society become occupationally dependant on industries.
The third phase of the society is being termed as ‘information society’. The human quest grew more and people put more efforts in research and development. The information became the centre of economic, political and cultural activities.
Information and Library
Information has remained the changing force in the society from the foundation of civilization to the modern society. It has played defining role in the evolution process. Let’s discuss the concept of data, information, knowledge and wisdom, their association as well as their independent existence.
Information is a related concept. It gets created through processing and/or analyzing data and further creates knowledge. Hence data creates information, information creates knowledge and knowledge creates wisdom.
Knowledge can be viewed in different ways and can be categorised broadly as personal and public knowledge. The personal knowledge is the knowledge of an individual which may be communicated to others, through that individual only. The public knowledge is possessed collectively by the society.
Michael Polayani has given two categories of knowledge as tacit and explicit knowledge. Tacit knowledge is the knowledge of an individual which may or may not be expressed or shared while, explicit knowledge is that which is expressed to others.
Wisdom is the highest form of knowledge which can be acquired but not transferred. It is an individual trait or expertise acquired though the application of sound knowledge, ability to see far ahead in future and capability of selecting right things from the alternatives and taking right decision.
After analysis of Data, information, knowledge and wisdom, we can say that these concepts have well established relationship. In this series the data possess least value while the wisdom the highest one.
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