libertarianism Political philosophy that stresses personal liberty. Lib¬ ertarians believe that individuals should have complete freedom of action, provided their actions do not infringe on the freedom of others. Liber-
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Liberty ► Libya I 1109
tarianism’s distrust of government is rooted in 19th-century anarchism. Typical libertarians oppose not only the income tax and other government impositions but also programs seen by many as beneficial, such as social security and the postal service. In the U.S. their views often crosscut tra¬ ditional party boundaries (e.g., libertarians oppose gun control, as do most Republicans, but support the legalization of prohibited drugs, as do some liberal Democrats). Among the thinkers embraced by libertarians are Henry David Thoreau and Ayn Rand.
Liberty, Sons of Organization of American colonists formed in 1765 to oppose the Stamp Act. The name was taken from a speech by Isaac Barre in the British Parliament that referred to American colonials who opposed unjust British measures as “sons of liberty.” The group agitated for colonial resistance and helped prevent enforcement of the Stamp Act. After the act’s repeal, the organization continued to oppose British mea¬ sures against the colonists.
Liberty Party (1840-48) U.S. political party formed by a splinter group of abolitionists. It was created by Arthur Tappan and Theodore Weld in opposition to William Lloyd Garrison, who scorned political action as a futile way to end slavery. At its first party convention in 1840, James Bir- ney was nominated for U.S. president. By 1844 the party had influenced undecided legislators in many local elections to adopt antislavery stands. In 1848 it dissolved when many of its members joined the Barnburners (see Hunkers and Barnburners) to form the Free Soil Party.
libido \b-’be-do\ Physiological and emotional energy associated with the sex drive. The concept was originated by Sigmund Freud, who saw the libido as linked not only with sexual desire but with all constructive human activity. He believed that psychiatric illnesses were the result of misdirecting or suppressing the libido. Carl Gustav Jung used the term more broadly to encompass all life processes in all species.
Libra (Latin: “Scales”) In astronomy, the constellation lying between Scorpio and Virgo; in astrology, the seventh sign of the zodiac, govern¬ ing approximately the period September 22-October 23. Its symbol is either a woman holding a balance scale or the scale alone. The woman is sometimes identified with Astraea, the Roman goddess of justice.
library Collection of information resources in print or in other forms that is organized and made accessible for reading or study. The word derives from the Latin liber (“book”). The origin of libraries lies in the keeping of written records, a practice that dates at least to the 3rd mil¬ lennium bc in Babylonia. The first libraries as repositories of books were those of the Greek temples and those established in conjunction with the Greek schools of philosophy in the 4th century bc. Today’s libraries fre¬ quently contain periodicals, microfilms, tapes, videos, compact discs, and other materials in addition to books. The growth of on-line communica¬ tions networks has enabled library users to search electronically linked databases worldwide. See also library science.
library classification System of arrangement adopted by a library to enable patrons to locate its materials quickly and easily. Classifications may be natural (e.g., by subject), artificial (e.g., by alphabet, form, or numerical order), or accidental (e.g., chronological or geographic). They also vary in degree; some have minute subdivisions while others are broader. Widely used systems include the Dewey Decimal Classification, the Library of Congress Classification, the Bliss Classification, and the Colon Classification; special libraries may devise their own unique systems.
Library of Alexandria See Library of Alexandria
Library of Congress U.S. library, the largest and one of the greatest of what may be considered national libraries. Founded in Washington, D.C., in 1800, it was housed in the Capitol until the building was burned by Brit¬ ish troops in 1814; it moved to permanent quarters in 1897. In addition to serving as a reference source for members of Congress and other govern¬ ment officers, it is outstanding among the learned institutions of the world, with magnificent collections of books, manuscripts, music, prints, and maps. It contains some 18 million books, 2.5 million recordings, 12 million photographs, 4.5 million maps, and more than 54 million manuscripts.
Library of Congress Classification or LC Classification Sys¬ tem of library organization developed during the reorganization of the U.S. Library of Congress. It consists of separate, mutually exclusive, special classifications, often having no connection save the accidental one of alphabetical notation. The arrangement roughly follows groupings of social sciences, humanities, and natural and physical sciences. It divides
the field of knowledge into 20 large classes and an additional class for gen¬ eral works. Each main class has a synopsis that also serves as a guide. The resulting order is from the general to the specific and from the theoretical to the practical. The LC Classification has largely replaced the Dewey Deci¬ mal Classification in university, special, and government libraries.
library science Principles and practices of library operation and administration, and their study. It emerged as a separate field of study in the second half of the 19th century. The first training program for librar¬ ians in the U.S. was established by Melvil Dewey in 1887. In the 20th cen¬ tury, library science was gradually subsumed under the more general field of information science. Today’s graduate programs in library and informa¬ tion science are accredited by the American Library Association (founded 1876) and prepare students for professional positions in other areas of the information industry as well.
Libreville Vle-bro-.viU City (pop., 1993: 362,386), capital of Gabon, located on the northern shore of the Gabon Estuary. Pongoue people first settled the region after the 16th century, followed by the Fang in the 19th century. The French built a fort on the estuary’s northern bank in 1843, and in 1849 a settlement of freed slaves and a group of Pongoue villages were given the name Libreville. In 1850 France abandoned its fort and resettled on the plateau, now the commercial and administrative centre of the city. It is well industrialized and is Gabon’s educational centre. Libre¬ ville was the capital of French Equatorial Africa from 1888 to 1904.