Short answers, pulled from the story.
A library is a collection of books, and possibly other materials and media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Its collection can include periodicals, newspapers, manuscripts, films, maps, microform, CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray Discs, e-books, audiobooks, databases, table games, and video games. Libraries range widely in size, up to millions of items.
The oldest modern public library was the Zaluski Library, established in 1732 in Warsaw, Poland-Lithuania. It ultimately evolved into the National Library of Poland.
The first libraries consisted of archives of clay tablets in cuneiform script discovered in Sumer, with some dating back to 2600 BC. Private or personal libraries made up of written books appeared in classical Greece in the 5th century BC.
The main types include academic libraries on college and university campuses, public lending libraries, national libraries, reference libraries, research libraries, children's libraries, digital libraries, and special libraries. Special libraries serve institutions such as hospitals, law firms, museums, and government agencies.
Finland has the highest number of registered book borrowers per capita in the world. Over half of Finland's population are registered borrowers.
Desktop computers and the Internet led to electronic catalogue databases, often called webcats or online public access catalogues, known as OPACs. These allow users to search a library's holdings from any location with Internet access, replacing the cabinets of index cards that once filled entire rooms.