Muslim Today

LIBRARY

A library is a collection of sources, resources, and services, and the structure in which it is organized for use and maintained by a public body, an institution, or a private individual. A library is the collection, the building that houses such a collection, or both.

Thus, modern libraries are increasingly being redefined as places to get unrestricted access to information in many formats and from many sources. In addition to providing materials, they also provide the services of librarians, who are experts at finding and organizing information and at interpreting information needs.

ISLAMIC LIBRARY

Upon the rise of Islam, libraries in newly Islamic lands knew a brief period of expansion in the Middle East, North Africa Sicily and Spain. Like the Christian libraries, they mostly contained books which were made of paper, and took a codex or modern form instead of scrolls; they could be found in mosques, private homes, and universities. In Aleppo, for example the largest and probably the oldest mosque library, the Sufiya, located at the city's Grand Umayyad Mosque, contained a large book collection of which 10,000 volumes were reportedly bequeathed by the city's most famous ruler, Unfortunately, modern Islamic libraries for the most part do not hold these antique books; many were lost, destroyed by the Mongols, or removed to European libraries and museums during the colonial period.

A number of distinct features of the modern library were introduced in the Islamic world, where libraries not only served as a collection of manuscripts as was the case in ancient libraries, but also as a public library and lending library, a centre for the instruction and spread of sciences and ideas, a place for meetings and discussions, and sometimes as a lodging for scholars or boarding schools for pupils. The concept of the library catalog was also introduced in medieval Islamic libraries, where books were organized into specific genres and categories.

The contents of these Islamic libraries were copied by Christian monks in Muslim/Christian border areas, particularly Spain and Sicily. From there they eventually made their way into other parts of Christian Europe. These copies joined works that had been preserved directly by Christian monks from Greek and Roman originals, as well as copies Western Christian monks made of Byzantine works. The resulting conglomerate libraries are the basis of every modern library today.

But as today, I’ll like to share with all the Muslims about one of the greatest library that exist today. So that, we as a Muslims can learn from their system because I’m sure that our Islamic libraries need a lot of improvement especially due to the digital era.

NAME OF THE LIBRARY:

FIVE ADVANTAGE ABOUT THE SYSTEM THAT PROVIDED BY THE LIBRARY:

1. Queens Library, offered online catalogue to the library user

2. Good services... (E-Newsletters, job information, wireless network, community database)

3. Provide the user with update events

4. Provide the user with all sorts of books.

5. The information are well organised and have systematic arrangement

More advantages..

• To familiarize students with their neighbourhood branch
• To get library cards for students
• To enjoy a program presented by the librarian tailored to students age and interests. These include picture book times and bookstalls for older classes.
• To borrow library materials
• To help students learn about the Library's Computer Catalogue and access to the Internet.

• Provide students with annotated reading and web finding lists
• A wide variety of curriculum related materials for children and teens.

QBPL Librarians can also:

• Arrange to visit classes at your school to introduce books and stories
• Present presentations for your Parents Association or faculty groups.

FIVE DISADVANTAGE ABOUT THE SYSTEM THAT PROVIDED BY THE LIBRARY:

1. Not attractive

2. Information is not update

3. Too much information

4. Have a problem in accessing and retrieving the right information

5. User cannot write and share comment to other users due to some problems they faced.