Comparison 2 PART I: TYPE OF LIBRARIES

The primary function of school libraries is to support school curriculum and the informational needs of school children. Although they are financed from the local tax revenue, the same as for public libraries, public schools and their libraries are under the authority of the state educational department and organizationally independent from the public library system. The advances in computer technology fundamentally changed the traditional understanding of literacy and curriculum support. In order to follow this trend, school libraries during 1990s transformed themselves into library media centers. In addition to traditional printed material, they now offer a wide range of electronic resources and audio/visual formats (Scott, 2005). Although school liberties primarily serve the needs of students, teachers, and school administrators, they often cooperate with public libraries especially in the area of cataloging and database subscriptions. Special Library The special libraries work, as rule, in association with some other institution, like a large hospital or museum. Government departments may establish them to serve the needs of their employees and fulfill the mission of their department (Dowling, 2001). However many also provide public access to essential government documents and archives, like library of the patent office or th