Academic/General Training Module by Adam Smith First Published in 2015

 IELTS
 JOURNAL 
 
10 
finding. You can now further practice the finding technique. Make sure you answer the 
questions below as quickly as possible within the time limit. 
Exercise 2: Finding Keywords 
Now that you have a map of the passage about libraries, read again as quickly as 
possible. Which sentence contains the information you need to answer the questions 
below? Write the number of the sentence from the passage to each question. 
Time limit: 2 minutes 
Libraries 
(1) Libraries are quite difficult to define. (2) If you ask most people to define a library, 
they will probably say that it is a building with a lot of books. (3) Strictly speaking, a 
library does not have to be a building: it can be a room, or indeed any area where 
material is kept. (4) Equally, a library is not merely a collection of books: there are 
journals, newspapers, CD-ROMs, microfilm, audio-visual materials and so on. (5) So, to 
be more accurate we can say that a library is a collection of information and material. 
(6) Libraries are organized in three ways. (7) Most libraries will use one or more of the 
three main classification systems that have been developed to detail the material in 
the collection. (8) They referred to as the Dewey Decimal System, the Universal 
Decimal Classification and the Library of Congress System. 
(9) Nowadays libraries are under threat for a number of reasons. (10) The primary 
challenge, as never before, is funding. (11) Hardware and personnel costs increase 
each time technology expands. (12) Equally there are challenges in the skills needed by 
users and resource professionals. 
(13) It is difficult to predict the future of libraries. (14) Our basic concept of libraries 
will almost certainly, it would appear, change dramatically in that we will not think of 
them (and access them) as physical places, which is the prevailing concept at the 
moment. (15) But beyond that, it is difficult to predict both usage patterns and 
preferred systems of data recording and retrieval. 
Questions: 
1. What kinds of materials does a library collect? … 
2. What is the most accurate way to define ‘library’? … 
3. What is the main problem that libraries are facing? … 
4. What aspect of libraries is sure to change? …