library

library

US /ˈlaɪ.brer.i/ 
UK /ˈlaɪ.brər.i/ 

A room or building containing books that can be looked at or borrowed

library - کتابخانه
Persian equivalent: 
Example: 

Do you have any books to take back to the library?

Oxford Essential Dictionary

library

 noun (plural libraries)
a room or building where you go to borrow or read books

which word?
Be careful! You cannot buy books from a library. The place where you buy books is called a bookshop or a bookstore.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

library

library S2 W1 /ˈlaɪbrəri, -bri $ -breri/ BrE AmE noun (plural libraries) [countable]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Medieval Latin; Origin: librarium, from Latin liber 'book']
1. a room or building containing books that can be looked at or borrowed ⇨ bookshop:
a public library
school/college/university library
a library book
library staff
2. a group of books, CDs etc, collected by one person
3. a room in a large house where books are kept
4. a set of books, CDs, videos etc that are produced by the same company and have the same general appearance:
a library of modern classics
5. library pictures/footage British English film or pictures used in a television programme which are not recent
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
go to/visit the library I need to go to the library to return some books.
use the library You can use the library before or after school.
borrow something from the library/take something out of the library Books, CDs, DVDs, and magazines can be borrowed from the library.
return something to the library/take something back to the library Have you taken those books back to the library?
check something out of the library American English (=borrow a book etc from the library) You can check out up to ten books from the library.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + library
a public library (=a library that is supported by government money) Our public libraries need more support.
a school/university/college library She was studying at the college library.
a local library This information is available at your local library.
a lending library (=one that lends books) Lending libraries became increasingly popular in Victorian times.
a reference library (=one that does not lend books, so that you must read them there) The reference library contains a collection of documents relating to slavery.
a research library (=one that is good for doing research) The university has one of the best research libraries in the world.
a branch library (=a small library that is controlled by a larger library) There is a good children's section in the branch library.
a mobile library British English (=a small library inside a vehicle) A mobile library visits the village once a week.
■ library + NOUN
a library book She's gone into town to change her library books.
a library card (=a card that proves you are a member of a library and can borrow books) When you join the library, you will be issued with a library card.
a library user Library users have been protesting against plans to close the local library.
the library staff If you have problems finding a book, ask a member of the library staff.
library services Public library services are threatened by budget cuts.
a library catalogue Students need to be taught how to use the computerized library catalogue.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

library

li·brary [library libraries]   [ˈlaɪbrəri]    [ˈlaɪbri]    [ˈlaɪbreri]  noun (pl. li·braries)
1. a building in which collections of books, CDs, newspapers, etc. are kept for people to read, study or borrow
a public/reference/university, etc. library
a library book

• a toy library (= for borrowing toys from)

2. a room in a large house where most of the books are kept

3. (formal) a personal collection of books, CDs, etc

• a new edition to add to your library

4. a series of books, recordings, etc. produced by the same company and similar in appearance
a library of children's classics  
Word Origin:
late Middle English: via Old French from Latin libraria ‘bookshop’, feminine (used as a noun) of librarius ‘relating to books’, from liber, libr- ‘book’.  
Culture:
libraries
Almost every town in Britain and the US has a public library. Many older libraries were built with money given by Andrew Carnegie, a US businessman originally from Scotland.
Public libraries are often open until late evening during the week, part of Saturday, and in the US even on Sunday. Librarians manage the libraries and advise people how to find the books or information they need.
Public libraries contain fiction (= story books), non-fiction (= books containing facts), children’s books, and usually magazines, CDs, DVDs and videos and have computers with access to the Internet. Every library has a catalogue which shows where books on a particular subject can be found. Many US university libraries use the Library of Congress system for arranging books in order on the shelves. In Britain and in public libraries in the US the Dewey decimal classification system is the most used.
Libraries are often divided into a reference section and a lending section. Books from the reference section, e.g. dictionaries and directories, as well as newspapers and magazines, can only be used in the library. Books from the lending section can be borrowed free of charge for a period of two or three weeks by people who are members of the library. Anyone living in the local area can join a library and obtain a library card. If a book is returned late, after the due date, the borrower has to pay a fine. Public libraries are also a source of local information and a centre for community activities. Many have special programmes for children to help them feel comfortable using a library. In school holidays they organize storytelling and other entertainments.
Travelling libraries (= libraries set up inside large vans) take books round country areas for people who cannot easily get to a town. In the US travelling libraries are called bookmobiles. Schools, colleges and universities have their own private libraries for the use of students and teachers.
In both Britain and the US public libraries receive money from local and national government but, increasingly, they do not receive enough for their needs. In Britain some smaller libraries have had to close. In the US people believe strongly that information and education should be freely available. Libraries are important in achieving this but, as in Britain, they do not get sufficient money and depend on the help of volunteers who work without pay.
The biggest library in Britain is the British Library in London with over 150 million books, CDs, DVDs and tape recordings. Other important libraries include the National Libraries of Scotland and Wales, the Cambridge University Library and the Bodleian Library in Oxford. These libraries are called copyright libraries or legal deposit libraries and are entitled to receive a free copy of every book that is published in Britain. The largest library in the US is the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. 
Example Bank:
A number of councils operate mobile libraries.
Do you have any books to take back to the library?
Do you know about the other services available at your local library?
Everyone in the country should have access to a lending library.
How often do you go to the library?
I got this very interesting book out of the library.
I've been reading newspapers in the library.
In 1784 he established his first circulating library.
It is a copyright library and receives three copies of all books published in Britain.
She had built up an impressive library of art books.
Students are taught library skills in the first week of their course.
The family possessed an extensive library.
The library has an extensive collection of books on Chinese history.
The school has an excellent library.
a holiday programme for children at the local library
a personal library of over 1 000 volumes
a plan to provide mobile library services in rural environments
teaching library skills to schoolchildren
• the Herbert Hoover presidential library in West Branch, Iowa

• the need to improve library provision

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
 

library / ˈlaɪ.brər.i / / -brer.i / noun [ C ]

A2 a building, room, or organization that has a collection, especially of books, for people to read or borrow usually without payment:

a public/university library

a library book

a collection or set of books or other things, all produced in the same style or about the same subject:

the Penguin Shakespeare Library

© Cambridge University Press 2013

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

library

/laɪbrəri, AM -breri/
(libraries)

Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.

1.
A public library is a building where things such as books, newspapers, videos, and music are kept for people to read, use, or borrow.
...the local library...
She issued them library cards.
N-COUNT

2.
A private library is a collection of things such as books or music, that is normally only used with the permission of the owner.
My thanks go to the British School of Osteopathy, for the use of their library.
N-COUNT

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary: 

library

li·brary /ˈlaɪˌbreri, Brit ˈlaɪbrəri/ noun, pl -brar·ies [count]
1 : a place where books, magazines, and other materials (such as videos and musical recordings) are available for people to use or borrow
• I borrowed the book from the school library.
• a public library
• a library book/card
- see also lending library, reference library
2 : a room in a person's house where books are kept
3 : a collection of similar things (such as books or recordings)
• He has an impressive library of jazz records.
• a library of computer programs

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