Special Library System And Information Services

Special libraries are distinguished from special collections, which are branches or parts of a library intended for rare books, manuscripts, and other special materials. All other libraries fall into the “special library” category. Many private businesses and public organizations, including hospitals, museums, research laboratories, law firms, and many government departments and agencies, maintain their own libraries for the use of their employees in doing specialized research related to their work. The history of the library began with the first effort to organize a collection of documents (recorded knowledge). It goes back to at least around 1200 BC. Using a retronym is often stated that libraries were born when people began to organize information and provide access to that information. The history of the library should not be confused with the history of library science which is an academic discipline of much more recent origin.