Factual Passage for Class 10 – Reading Comprehension Practice – SET 1

Comprehension

Libraries

1. Libraries are buildings filled with stacks of books and resources. Modern day libraries also consist of electronic resources. Libraries offer wealth of knowledge, resources, space and environment to discover the world of books and enjoy studying or just reading for pleasure. The benefits of libraries are countless as they play a vital role by providing access to information, knowledge and entertainment resources.

2. Virtual libraries provide immediate access to a wide range of books and resources. Libraries provide materials in all formats such as books, periodicals, magazines, videos, audios and digital media. The resources are tailored to meet the needs of the learner community. The wide range of resources meets the needs of diverse users. Whether in an educational or public library, people benefit from the assistance of librarians and staff members. There is a head librarian in every library and a team of professional staff who help people with queries and recommend books as per their interest. Libraries are always catalogued by trained staff. They are catalogued to meet the needs of the community. The catalogue is also entered and stored in computers so that it becomes easy for the users to search. Libraries have a positive impact on the development of our society. They open a world of books and sources of information and knowledge to people for free.

3. Libraries require a lot of staff and real estate to house various books and resources. It becomes really expensive to maintain libraries and the library staff. Since they are not seen as crucial, they are likely to bear budget cuts. Since a wide range of books and resources are to be maintained and updated in old libraries, the useful resources may be limited due to the time it takes to update. So, the libraries may not sometimes have access to the current information. Some limited edition books and journals from centuries ago may not be available in every library. People looking for such resources must visit traditional libraries for the same.

4. Some argue that there is technology to read online and do research so what is the need to visit a library. Yet libraries have served the communities for centuries by providing original and quality resources. People who have the habit of visiting and using libraries understand the value and importance of libraries. In addition to it, there are people who love reading but cannot afford to buy many books. They can get easy access to valuable resources in libraries.