Definition of Library

Library is a function (not a place) whose responsibility is to systematically collect information, classify it, store it and, upon demand, retrieve it and assist in adapting it to the user's requirements. For the National Library of Education, this definition is extended to include the analysis and synthesis of data and information to create knowledge products and to serve as a user-oriented "intelligence agent."

Much has been written about the virtual library. One of the most insightful books is The Evolving Virtual Library: Visions and Case Studies (Saunders, 1996). In an overview chapter written with Maurice Mitchell, Saunders explains that "The virtual library ...[is]... a metaphor for the networked library, consisting of both local and remote resources, in print, electronic, and multimedia formats." This chapter also includes a comprehensive definition:

The virtual library has been defined as the concept of remote
access to the contents and services of libraries and other information
resources, combining an on-site collection of current and heavily
used materials in both print and electronic form, with an electronic
network which provides access to, and delivery from, external
worldwide library and commercial information and knowledge
sources. In essence, the user is provided the effect of a library
which is a synergy created by bringing together technologically the
resources of many, many libraries and information services
(Galpen, 1993, p. 1).
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