SECTION 5. BOOKS AND LIBRARIES

Task 1

1.1. Read the article focusing your attention on the vocabulary to the topic ‘Library. Borrowing books’.

Borrowing Books

“Just stop buying books! We haven’t got the room and besides, it’s a waste of money,” said practical Mrs Johnston to her son David. “Why don’t you borrow books from the local lending library? There you can obtain everything under the sun — fiction, non-fiction, science fiction, detective stories, classics and even the latest bestsellers if you get on the right side of the librarian in charge of that particular section.”

Life is hard for a bookworm, who loves to read quietly and hates being nagged. The solution to this problem, David thought, is more frequent visits to the local library reading room, where you can browse among all kinds of periodicals: professional journals, weekly magazines, daily newspapers, comics, film reviews, even children’s magazines and art books. He had to admit that there was something in what Mother kept saying. There’s no sense in amassing expensive books like fat dictionaries, forty-volume encyclopedia, ‘Who’s Who’, various manuals, handbooks and reference books covering a vast range of subjects, when they are available in the reference library on open shelves. The trouble is that you can only look up general information but you can’t take these books home. If you want to borrow professional literature, they can order it for you through the inter-library lending scheme.

The main part of the library is, of course, the general section. Here you can look up the index number in the authors’ or subject catalogues and the librarian will lend you the book after you have filled in a slip. David soon found that Sheila O’Connor, the young librarian, who showed him how to fill in the form to obtain his membership card, was an additional excuse for going to the library and that is why he took his mother’s advice quite seriously.

He began to pay the librarian slight compliments to butter her up. He developed a new system. First he borrowed three thick novels at a time to save her bother. Later he found it more convenient to drop in more often and borrow one book only, not to be put to shame by receiving reminders from this attractive girl. Then somehow he found he had much less time to read.

1.2. Choose the right word or words.

1. Why don’t you .......... (lend / take in / borrow) books from the local library?

2. There you can obtain everything ......... (above / beyond / under) the sun.

3. In the reading room you can ............ (go through / browse among / look up) all kinds of periodicals and handbooks.

4. There was something in .......... (that / what / which) Mother kept saying.

5. If you want to ............ (lend / borrow / hire) ............... (specialized / professional / engineering) literature, they can order it for you.

6. They’ve got a lot of reference books covering a vast ........ (rank / extent / range) of subjects.

7. You must look ....... (in/ up / out) the index.

8. The young librarian ……….. (introduced / showed / initiated) him how to fill ... …. (up/ in / out) the form.

9. There’s no sense in ……... (collecting / amassing / accumulating) expensive books.

10. He did not want to be ......... (put / taken / made) to shame by ...... (obtaining / receiving / getting) ........ (remains / remembrances / reminders) from the librarian.

1.3. Read the following library rules and give a foreign student some advice concerning borrowing books from a University library in Ukraine.

HOW TO BORROW BOOKS

Registration: Undergraduates may use the Library as soon as they have registered as readers. A green card for this purpose is provided during registration, and should be completed and handed in at the issue desk in the Main Library. Readers undertake to obey the Library Rules, which are printed in the General Regulations and Information for Stu­dents, and are exhibited on the library notice board.

Upon graduation, membership of the Library ceases. Graduates who wish to continue to use the Library must apply for re-registration.

Borrowing books: Undergraduates and students for the Diploma of Education may borrow up to three books at a time by filling in a vouch­er in pencil for each book borrowed. A work in several volumes requires only one voucher. The period of loan is one week, and all books must be returned at the end and beginning of each term. Periodicals may not be borrowed by undergraduates.

Returning books: Return your books to the issue desk and wait for your vouchers as a receipt. If they cannot be found, make sure that the transaction is recorded, since you are liable for books issued in your name as long as the vouchers remain at the issue desk. Readers should never pass books on to the other people.

Renewing books: Books not required by other readers may be re­newed, except at the beginning or end of term.

Reserving books: You may reserve any book, except at the begin­ning or end of term. Lists of persons for whom books are available are placed on the notice-board every Tuesday and Friday. Books not col­lected within three days are returned to the shelves or allocated to the next reader on the list.

Reference and reserved books: These may be used in the library by filling in a yellow voucher at the issue desk. As these works are in de­mand readers are asked to return them promptly and not to leave them lying on the tables. They may be borrowed overnight after 9.00 p.m. pro­vided that they are returned by 10.00 a.m. the next morning.

Vacation reading: You may borrow three books for the whole of each vacation. Notices giving the date on which books may be borrowed for the vacation will be exhibited a few days before the end of each term.

Lost books: If you lose a book report it at once. If it is not found within a reasonable period you will be asked to pay the cost of replacing it. This sum will be refunded if the book is subsequently found.

Fines: The fine for not returning a book on time is $1 a day or part of a day. The fine on books not returned at the beginning or end of term is $2, a day or part of a day for each book. Reminders are not sent out until a book is three weeks overdue, and you are urged, in your own interests, to return or renew books promptly.

(From Students’ Guide to the University Libraries)

Task 2

2.1. Look at this list of topics.

І Library management

ІІ The history of libraries

ІІІ Library-user training

IV Financial problems for libraries

V The organisation of libraries

Which text (1-5) deals with which topic? Write the number of the text next to each topic. The first one has been done for you.

Text 1

The earliest libraries that we know about were different from present-day libraries, as their contents were mainly government records. Archaeological findings from ancient cities of Sumer revealed temple rooms full of records of commercial transactions, or inventories. Things were much the same in the government records of Ancient Egypt. The earliest private or personal libraries containing both non-fiction and fiction books appeared in classical Greece.

Text 2

Library materials such as books, articles and CDs are usually arranged in a certain order, according to a library classification system, so that you can find particular items quickly. In addition to public areas, some libraries have additional rooms where reference materials are stored. Often a professional librarian works from a reference desk or other central location, to help users find what they are looking for.

Text 3

Many visitors to a library do not know how to use the library effectively. This can be because they are shy and embarrassed to ask questions, or because they are not used to libraries. These problems were behind the library instruction movement in the U.S., which encourages library-user education. In fact, library instruction has been practised in the U.S. since the 19th century.

Text 4

Managing a library involves tasks such as planning what new books to buy, designing classification and borrowing systems, preserving materials (especially rare and fragile manuscripts) and developing library computer systems. Long-term tasks include planning library extensions and developing community services such as adult literacy programs.

Text 5

In North America, among other countries, libraries in poor communities are relatively expensive to run, but arguably less important to the community than essential services, such as police, firefighters, schools, and health care. At any rate, many communities are beginning to feel they have no option but to close down, or reduce their library services to balance their budgets.

2.2. Answer the following questions.

1. In what way were early libraries different from modern ones?

2. In what way do you think libraries in the future will be different from present-day libraries?

3. What are the main sections in the library? In what way are the books arranged?

4. Can you give some tips to those who want to use the library effectively?

5. What do you do in case the book you want is lent out?

6. What does managing a library involve?

Date: 2015-02-03; view: 1320