Comprehensive Design Proposal and Construction Management Expertise for the Academic Library.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1    Background of the Study:

 A libraryis an organized 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. The term library has itself acquired a secondary meaning; a collection of useful material for common use, and in this sense is used in fields such as computer science, mathematics and statistics, electronics and biology. Generally speaking, a library is a collection of information, sources, resources, and services. A library's collection can include books, periodicals, newspapers, manuscripts, films, maps, prints, documents, microform, CDs, cassettes, 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.(Gupta, 2002).

 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.(Halsey, et al., 2009).