In
the traditional sense of the word,
a library is a collection of books
and periodicals. It can refer to an
individual's private collection, but
more often it is a large collection
that is funded and maintained by a
city or institution. This collection
is often used by people who choose
not to — or cannot afford to
— purchase an extensive collection
themselves. However, with the collection
or invention of media other than books
for storing information, many libraries
are now also repositories and access
points for maps, prints or other artwork,
microfilm, microfiche, audio tapes,
CDs, LPs, video tapes and DVDs, and
provide public facilities to access
CD-ROM and subscription databases
and the Internet. Thus, modern libraries
are increasingly being redefined as
places to get unrestricted access
to information in many formats and
from many sources.
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