Definition

1. Noun:
   • A building or room containing collections of books, periodicals, and sometimes films and recorded music for people to read, borrow, or refer to: A place dedicated to the storage and use of informational materials.
   • (Computing) A collection of standard programs, subroutines, or software components that are stored and available for immediate use: A reusable set of code or resources in programming.
   • A collection of books, documents, or records kept for reference or borrowing: The assembled materials themselves, not necessarily the physical space.
   • A series of related books issued by a publisher: A set of books with a common theme or design.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Physical Place):
  • I borrowed three novels from the public library.
  • The university has a magnificent library with over a million volumes.
• Noun (Collection of Materials):
  • He has a vast personal library of science fiction books.
• Noun (Computing):
  • The programmer imported a graphics library to simplify the development process.
• Noun (Publisher's Series):
  • This classic is part of the Penguin Modern Library.

Advanced Usage

• "to be a walking library": To possess or have memorized a vast amount of knowledge.
  • Professor Jones is a walking library on medieval history.
• Institutional Use: The term can refer to specialized collections beyond books.
  • The library of Congress houses an immense collection of American historical documents.

Variants and Related Words

• Librarian (n): A person who manages or works in a library.
  • The librarian helped me find the research papers.
• Library Science (n): The professional study of managing library services.
• Digital Library (n): A library in which collections are stored in digital formats and accessible by computer.

Synonyms

• Archive: A collection of historical documents or records.
• Repository: A place where things are stored and can be retrieved.
• Collection: An accumulation of objects gathered for study, comparison, or exhibition.

Related Phrases

• Reference library: A library where books can be consulted on the premises but not taken away.
  • I spent the afternoon in the reference library.
• Lending library: A library from which books can be borrowed by the public.
• Library card: A card identifying the holder as a member of a library, allowing them to borrow materials.

Idioms

• "Every library should be a living room.": A metaphorical expression suggesting libraries should be welcoming, active community spaces for learning and interaction, not just silent repositories.

Noun

1. a building that houses a collection of books and other materials
2. (computing) a collection of standard programs and subroutines that are stored and available for immediate use
3. a depository built to contain books and other materials for reading and study
4. a collection of literary documents or records kept for reference or borrowing
5. a room where books are kept
   • they had brandy in the library