Libraries and bookstores. What's the difference?

Today I received many visits in the library. Everybody was looking for the bookstore to purchase uniforms and books. Sometimes I had to explain to my students the differences between library and bookstore and they understand the reasons. But now I can see the problem. Even the older people, parents and other persons, don't know anything about it and call a place like a library a bookstore. Now I understand. We must teach everything about everything. Knowledge doesnt occupy place in our heads. 

So I decided to share this article:

One of the frequent comments that people, particularly young persons, make in and about public libraries concerns the age and appearance of what is present on the shelf. Most often these complaints are about material appearing to be old and, well, not always new and current like what is available in a bookstore. It is important to understand that there are differences in the purposes and functions of a public library and a bookstore, although there is a growing blurring of distinctions between the two institutions. Both places are vastly different from the past, where they were once perceived as cold and impersonal, but now are seen as being friendly and inviting to visitors.

A library is responsible for serving the information needs of the community in which it is present, and this is a matter of serving an often diverse audience. The first thing that mosr people think about is the educational material used by children and adult students, and this is an important audience that is served. It is not the matter of school textbooks being carried, but the supplemental and additional resources as well. These include the various encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases and maps, directories, handbooks, and almanacs, as well as the works covering history, literature, drama, art and science. Frequently these are classic works that contain valid information, but are often out of print.

A bookstore is a for-profit business that is concerned with selling books and magazines, as well as various forms of media including music, DVD, and recordings of the spoken word. The inventory carried in such a business is often determined by consumer interest, and the likelihood of items being purchased. Similar to a library, there are various ways of determining what to make available to customers. Factors for analysis include records of past sales, customer feedback, and staying aware of forthcoming material and developing trends. While there is overlap between the audiences and customers served in a library and a bookstore, a bookstore usually serves a somewhat narrower audience.

The main difference between a library and a bookstore is that material belonging to the library is normally available for borrowing, free of charge, for a set period of time, after which it is to be returned. In a bookstore, the items selected are purchased outrightly from the store, and become the personal property of the customer. The goal of both places is to get people to read, and to keep them reading.