This depends on the type of library.

Public libraries will have children’s and teen

services but an academic library probably won’t. The typical library has the following
departments:

Circulation — common to most library types, this department manages the collection.
Circulation maintains the shelves and checks out and checks in the materials.

Reference — common to all library types. Reference Services is the research and
information department. This department answers questions and assists patrons with
research materials and strategies. Reference skills and tools are used in multiple public
service departments.

Serials — common to most library types. Serials manages all aspects of serial
publications (magazines, scholarly journals, etc)

Cataloging — common to all library types but becoming obsolete. This department is
responsible for deciding where in the collection to put the material. Cataloging assigns
the call number to books.

Acquisitions — common to all library types. This department purchases materials and is
often combined with cataloging or serials since the workflow is compatible with both.

Tech/Computer Services — Common to everything. The library’s IT department.

Administration — Common to larger libraries of any type. Somebody has to run things.
This is where the director and the financial manager and the rest of the power structure
resides.

Children’s Services — Common to public libraries. This department provides all-things

children. They do collection development, provide programming, reference services,
reader’s advisory for children from birth thru middle school. Big job!

Teen Services — Common to public libraries. This department does what children’s
services does — only for middle thru high schoolers. Reference services and
programming are very important and the collections often support not just the reading
needs of teens, but also their research needs.

Outreach Services — Found mostly in public libraries, outreach services can be as simple
as a single bookmobile or as extensive as taking library collections and services to
daycare centers, senior centers/assisted living/nursing homes.

I’m sure there are other departments in library types I’m unfamiliar with but the ones
above cover the basics.
ifferent Sections in the Library
For the functional convenience, the library is divided into 10 sections Circulation Section,
Acquisition Section, Classification Section, Catalogue Section, Periodical Section, Information
Technology Section, Reference Section, Stack Area, Theses/Dissertation Section and U.N.
Depository Section.
Circulation Section
The Circulation Section at the entrance of the Library is divided into three divisions viz.
 Property Counter
 Security Desk
 Circulation Counter
Property Counter
Members are advised to keep their personal belongings including handbags, hats, printed
materials, umbrellas, etc. in the property counter which is at the left side of the entrance.
Personal belongings kept in the property counter has to be taken on the same day itself
and if it is kept beyond one day, the staff of library will not held responsible for the
belongings.
Security Desk
Members have to show their membership identity card at the security desk and sign in the
gate register at the time of entering the library. Book(s) issued on loan and all permitted
materials like note books, files, etc. taken inside the library are to be given for inspection
by the security staff when leaving the library. Members are requested to enter the leaving
time in the gate register.
Circulation Counter
The circulation counter is automated. Members are requested to bring their Barcode
Membership Identity Card (single multipurpose card) whenever they visit the library.
Books are issued on loan and received back in this counter. The borrowers tickets method
is abolished and the members can borrow the books by producing the barcode
membership identity card. The maximum number of books that can be borrowed is
available in the Identity Card. Barcode scanners are used in the circulation counter for
issue/return of books. If the books are not returned by the members in time, the overdue
charge slip based be given to the members by the staff in the circulation counter.
Acquisition Section

Receiving requests from Heads of Departments for new books, duplicate checking, ordering,
accessioning of books and processing bills for payment are the main functions of this section.
Suggestions and recommendations for the purchase of new books can be submitted to this
section. All the books received from vendors/publishers and the donated books are physically
processed and accessioned in this section. The section also has the responsibility of scrutinising
and passing the bill for books received. Since this section is automated, the manual accession
register was discontinued and presently pre-printed accession register is used.

Classification Section

Dewey Decimal Classification scheme is used for classifying books according to the subject. Each
book is assigned a Call Number which consists of a class number and Book Number. Class
Number is assigned to a book according to its subject matter. Book Number individualises a book
among others having the same Class Number. The Call Number is written on the spine label of
the book.

Catalogue Section

The bibliographic details like edition, year of publication, subject, keywords, etc. are prepared by
this section. The details entered in this section are indexed on various fields like Author; Title,
Subjects, Classification Number, Keywords, etc., and can be retrieved through the OPAC service.

Periodicals Section

Both Indian and Foreign journals currently subscribed and journals received as gift are displayed
in the shelves in this section. News papers and popular magazines are also available for reading.
At present, 260 Indian and 283 Foreign journals are subscribed by the Library. ---- journals are
received as gratis. A journal, on completion of its volume will be processed for binding. After the
binding is over, the volume will be accessioned and added to the Back-Volume shelf. Necessary
reading tables and chairs are provided for reading and reference.

Information Technology Section

Automated and Digital Library Services are provided from this section. All sections of the Library
have been connected through LAN. Computer Data Base of the holdings of the Library has
already been created using the Library Management Software LIBSYS. Maintaining Hardware and
Software, Providing Internet Service, E-resources Access Services, WEBOPAC Service, Remote
Login Service Document Delivery Service, Maintaining Library Databases, Generating Bar-Coded
Identity Cards, Barcode Labels for books, etc., and Spine Labels for books, Creating Membership
Details, etc. are some of the activities of the I.T. section. The following Servers are maintained by
the IT section.

1. Library Management Server

2. Web Portal

3. Scifinder Scholar-NAT Server

4. EZ Proxy Server

5. Institutional Repository Server

Library is having more than 125 desktops to cater various needs of the users and Library staff.
More than 50 desktops are provided for the users for browsing the e-resources, 10 desktops for
OPAC service, 20 desktops for training and orientation and 3 desktops equipped with book
scanner and Audio/OCR software for Visually Challenged.

Reference Section
The library has a good reference collection consisting of various encyclopaedias, dictionaries, year
books, almanacs, atlases, biographies, etc. of the national and international coverage and other
reference books. Sufficient reading tables and chairs are provided to the members.

Stack Section

This is the most important section of the Library. Its function is the display and maintenance of
books that are issued on loan. The whole section is arranged in three floors. Members have the
facility of open access to most of the collection available in this section.

Books are arranged on the shelves according to Dewey Decimal Classification Scheme. Each book
is assigned a Class Number and Book Number. Class Number is assigned to a book according to
its subject and Book Number individualises a book among others having the same Class Number.
In this arrangement books on the same subject are kept together. Members are advised to check
the availability of the books through the Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) Service. After
obtaining relevant information through OPAC, the users can proceed to the respective stack area
to take the books of their choice.

U.N. Depository Section

Pondicherry University Library has been recognised by the United Nations Organisation, New
York, as its Depository. Publications of the United Nations are received by the University Library
and arranged according to the subject in this section. The documents are available for reference
only. The documents are available in CD-ROMs and On-line also.

Theses/Dissertation Sectiontygv6tygv6es and M.Phil. Dissertations of the University and affiliated

colleges are received and maintained by this section. The bibliographic details of the Theses and
Dissertations are available on OPAC. The required Theses/Dissertations could be searched
through OPAC and referred.