Libraries: meaning, definitions and examples

General term used for institutions or rooms holding collections of books, documents or other informational materials, especially for public use.

• I borrowed this book from the public library.
• She spent the afternoon researching in the university library.

A place where books are stored, often used in the context of bookstores or warehouses for books, rather than a public or academic library.

• The book depository has multiple copies of the latest bestsellers.
• You can find out-of-print books in specialized book depositories.

A more scholarly or formal term for a library, often used in literary or academic contexts.

• The ancient bibliotheca housed many rare manuscripts.
• His bibliotheca includes some first editions of classic novels.

Use in general discussions about collections of resources, typically in programming or software development. It can also refer to traditional book collections in physical spaces.

• Modern programming often relies on various libraries to provide pre-written code.
• The libraries at the university are very well-stocked with research materials.

Specifically refers to a collection of pre-written code that can be used by programmers to simplify their development process. Common in software development contexts.

• The developer downloaded a code library to help with image processing tasks.
• Using a code library can save a lot of time when working on complex projects.

Used when discussing a group of functions provided together, often in the context of software libraries or modules. It’s more specific and technical compared to 'libraries'.

• The new API includes a robust function set for handling user authentication.
• Developers can rely on this function set to perform various mathematical operations.

Refers to physical structures or institutions where books, materials, and other resources are available for public use or borrowing. Used in a general or traditional sense.

• Many cities have historic libraries that contain rare books and manuscripts.
• Libraries offer a quiet place for students to study and access various educational materials.

Pertains to collections of digital objects, such as books, journals, and multimedia, that are accessible electronically. Often used in academic and educational contexts.

• The university's digital library has extensive archives of academic journals.
• During the lockdown, students relied heavily on the digital library for research material.

Typically used for a structured digital storage location where data, files, or digital objects (including scholarly works, software, and datasets) are kept and can be accessed remotely. Often used in academic, scientific, and professional contexts.

• Researchers uploaded their findings to the online repository for peer review.
• Open access to the online repository has increased collaboration among scientists.