n. A place set apart for the keeping and use of books and other literary material; a room, set of rooms, or a building in which a collection of books for reading or study is kept.n. A collection of books, whether manuscript or printed, which may include also pamphlets, maps, and other literary material, intended for reading, study, or reference, as distinguished from a bookseller's stock, which is intended for sale.n. See the adjectives.n. Specifically, a collection or stock of books kept exclusively for lending out, as a private enterprise, either for a fixed payment on each or for a periodical subscription.