Libraries, which typically have a reading room, workstation, desk, chairs, and other resources, can host literary workshops and host community events.
Library is a term that comes from the Latin bibliothēca , in turn coming from a Greek word. The first meaning included in the dictionary prepared by the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) refers to the entity dedicated to the purchase, safekeeping, analysis, exhibition and loan of books and other types of documents .
For example: “I'm going to go to the library to see if I can find the book they asked me to read in college , ” “My neighborhood library has a large collection of children's stories,” “I remember that novel, I read it a few years ago.” in the National Library .
What are libraries
In a broad sense, it can be said that libraries are institutions that facilitate access to books . Beyond their basic function, these organizations may also preserve other kinds of materials, such as historical documents, diaries, etc. It is also common for them to launch cultural activities, such as book presentations, poetry readings, concerts and other proposals.
To be able to function, a library must first have a collection of works , which it can build from acquisitions or donations. Once you have this collection, you have to organize it so that the books can be easily found and made available to users. Finally, you must define how it works: there are libraries that only allow the materials to be read in their facilities, while others allow people to take the works home and then return them.
A library card allows you to take advantage of the services of an institution of this type.
The Monastery of El Escorial
Literature lovers not only want libraries to have a great selection of books, but also to offer them a pleasant environment to enjoy them. One of the most beautiful buildings in the world is the Royal Library of the Monastery of El Escorial , founded by Philip II and created with the collaboration of various humanists of great importance who were looking for the perfect library.
In its impressive rooms you can see engravings, drawings, portraits, maps, replicas of animals and plants, scientific instruments and astrolabes, among other elements that enrich the readers' experience . Visiting it is like traveling back in time, to a time when people seemed to have more time and willingness to fill themselves with knowledge and travel to fantasy lands.
There are libraries that stand out for having rare books or some first editions.
Traveling libraries
Although its traditional definition always refers to a building in which the books are housed, there are also so-called traveling libraries , cars of different types that carry books on public roads so that more people can access them. In this case there is greater versatility in the structure , since it can be a bus, a van or a car pulled by another vehicle.
The traveling library is an invention that aims to maximize access to culture , in this particular case to books, to prevent those people far from the center or with reduced mobility from being left without this important ingredient of intellectual training.
Just as it happens with academic music, literature suffers from that cliché that presents it as an elitist discipline, which requires certain knowledge to enjoy it; Precisely, through movements such as the traveling library, we seek to leave these ideas behind and show people that literature is for everyone.
a piece of furniture
Library is also the name of the furniture used to store books on shelves and the name of the set of works kept by an individual or a building.
“When I graduated, my parents gave me a large oak bookcase.”, “I left the envelope in the living room, on the library.”y “The Peruvian writer decided to donate his library to the school in his hometown”son ejemplos de esta acepción.
The library at home
It is important that a home has a library with a wide variety of authors. Although librarians have specific knowledge to put together a catalog, everyone can use their own criteria to put together a library.
Having books available is important for learning . From an encyclopedia to a novel, including poems, stories and essays, all works can contribute to cultural development.
Of course, you can always go to a public library or bookstore to look for a specific book. But having availability at home is a plus point.
Nor can we fail to mention that, thanks to technology, today you can have a digital library on a computer with thousands of e-books. Computer science facilitates access to knowledge, although it must be considered that copyright laws exist.
The newspaper archives
Finally, it should be emphasized that newspaper archives are collections and archives of magazines and newspapers. Due to their characteristics, these files are similar to a library.
It is not common to have newspaper archives in a home, at least at a formal level. In any case, many people tend to save newspaper clippings of important news (such as a sporting triumph or a highly relevant musical show, to mention two possibilities).