History of LibrariesAn Overview of the Library Mission

Presented by Cynthia NadenProfessor Steve Tash

Libr200-11April 16, 2011

I. Earliest Mission: Maintaininga Records Archive

A. Exact date libraries were established is unknownB. Two significant factors in archive development

1. Invention of writing2. Rise of commerce

C. Earliest written records form Samaria and Mesopotamia dated 3000 BC

II. Religious and Practical Missionsof Egyptian Libraries

A. Earliest association of libraries - temples as historical archives & places of learning

B. Libraries notable for medical collections & pharmacological information

C. Egyptian Royal Library - first effort to build a reference & research library

D. As many as 20,000 scrolls existed in private collections among Egyptian royalty & wealthy Egyptians

III. Mission of Scholarshipand Research

A. 8th Century BC Assyrian King expanded his library at Nineveh, Mesopotamia

1. Contributed to the education of future generations2. Included as many as 30,000 Sumerian and Babylonian tablets

on literature, history, omens, astronomy, mathematics, grammar, linguistics, dictionaries, commercial records and laws

3. “Keeper of Books” was first librarian and played significant role in library activities

4. Concerted effort to acquire vast materials to translate and systematically organize

5. First attempt to build a reference & research libraryB. One of the notable contributions of Greek libraries was

advancing the scholarly mission1. Private libraries developed by scholars & aristocrats to help

them achieve social & political success

III. Mission of Scholarshipand Research—cont’d

B. One of the notable contributions...—cont’d2. Philosophical schools of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle made

reading and writing more commonplace in the 4th century BC3. Value of reading & maintaining written records spread with the

expansion of the Greek empire under Alexander the Great4. Following his death, the Macedonian general Ptolemy

encouraged scholars to immigrate to Alexandria, Egypt, a center for culture and learning

a. Ptolemy and son Demetrios founded the Alexandrian Museum and Library

b. Purpose was to collect the entirety of Greek literature

III. Mission of Scholarshipand Research—cont’d

B. One of the notable contributions...—cont’d4. Following the death of Alexander the Great,…—cont’d

c. Items collected from throughout the worldd. Cargoes of books often confiscated from ships to copy,

organize, edit and translated into Greeke. Entire collection stored in two buildings—the

Brucheion for research and the smaller Serapeum for students and the public

IV. Mission of Personal Statusand Public Use

A. Following conquest of Greece, libraries were plundered by the Roman Empire

B. Romans considered possession of a library as a symbol of status, rank & personal pride

1. 1st century AD - numerous private libraries i.e. Aristotle, Cicero, Lucullus & other aristocrats

2. Julius Caesar had major works in Greek & Latin, believing literature should be made public

a. Planned & began construction of a major libraryb. Passed away before library was completed

3. Emperor Augustus, built two additional libraries

IV. Mission of Personal Statusand Public Use

B. The Romans considered possession—cont’d4. 29 public libraries in Rome associated with Roman temples by

the 4th century a. Included religious items, public records & general

literatureb. History & accounts recorded on papyrus scrolls

C. 4th century AD, Roman Empire & its libraries in decline1. Most of Western Europe in political, economic & social chaos2. Scholarly mission of libraries maintained by monastic libraries

of Western Europe, Byzantine and Moslem libraries in the East

V. Maintaining the Scholarly Mission

A. 353 AD Byzantine Emperor Constantine founded the Imperial Library in Constantinople

1. Library - home of the university library & the library of the Eastern Church leader

a. Housed Christian, Latin and Greek worksb. By 450 AD collection grew to 100,000 c. Mission - scholarly & religiousd. Sustained roots of Western societye. Renaissance would not have been possible without the

preservation of Western materials in the library

V. Maintaining the ScholarlyMission—cont’d

B. 650 – 1000 AD libraries found in private homes, royal palaces & universities throughout Moslem Empire

C. 70 libraries throughout Spain1. With 36 libraries, Baghdad became a cultural center for the

study of Greek medical, scientific & philosophical works2. Libraries were found in every important city in Persia 3. Earliest major library - Royal Library in Damascus 4. Research & learning were advanced in the large university

libraries in Baghdad, Cairo and Cordobaa. 200,000+ volumes housed in University library in

Cairo b. 400,000 – 600,000 volumes housed in University

library in Cordoba, larger than library in Alexandria

V. Maintaining the ScholarlyMission—cont’d

B. Libraries were common in private homes, royal palaces and universities—cont’d

6. 70 libraries throughout Spain7. Like libraries in the Byzantine Empire, Moslem libraries

contained Arabic works, Persian literature, Greek & Latin philosophy & scientific works

8. Moslem libraries made a significant contribution to Western culture by preserving the works of Western thought such as Aristotle

9. Decline of the Moslem Empire resulted in the decline of libraries

VI. The Religious Mission

A. Middle Ages - monastic libraries survived fall of Roman Empire

1. Social & economic instability prevalent throughout Western Europe, resulting in the decline of libraries

2. 500-550 AD Christian monasteries provided a means of isolating Christian believers spiritually, geographically & from chaos spreading across Europe

B. Mission of the libraries –three fold1. Provide a place for spiritual reflection2. Archive religious texts3. Copy & reproduce religious and secular texts in a room called

the scriptorium

VI. The Religious Mission—cont’dB. The mission of the libraries—cont’d

4. Monasteries in Italy, Ireland, England, Scotland, France and Switzerland regarded the copying of tests differently

a. Purpose of copying religious texts was to derive inspiration

b. Illuminated manuscripts were created to reveal the beauty of God

C. Monastic libraries preserved the writings of antiquity

VII. Educational Mission of Libraries

A. 800-1200 AD - educational mission of libraries changed due to improved economic & social conditions

1. Growth of cities & towns2. Improved trade3. Improved intellectual climate

B. Cathedral & university libraries in the late Middle Ages were larger than those in monasteries, & supported cathedral educational programs

C. Larger cities had a middle class that did not rely on church teachings to guide intellectual pursuits

VII. Educational Missionof Libraries—cont’d

D. Academic centers were created in Bologna, Paris and Oxford in cooperation with religions sects, such as the Dominicans and Franciscans, supporting classical & professional instruction in philosophy, medicine & law

E. Mid-13th century, University of Paris established the first university library, followed by Oxford & Cambridge Universities

F. Mission of small libraries less than 1,000 items was to support & expand the university educational mission, & support the transition from the domination of the medieval church to the Renaissance

VIII. Humanistic Mission and the Reemergence of the Personal Library

A. Centered in Florence & Venice, the period following the Middle Ages was a time of economic, social and political ferment

B. Factors included 1. Rise of secular monarchies, 2. Increased sense of nationalism, 3. Increase in literacy, 4. Renewed interest in natural sciences & secular

politics, 5. Reawakening of philosophical traditions of the ancient Greeks and Romans and 6. Decline in the power of the church

VIII. Humanistic Mission—cont’d

C. Renaissance evolved into a revival of humanism1. Increased enthusiasm from the Aristocracy2. Developed great private libraries by leading literary

figures i.e. Petrarch and Boccaccioa. Sponsored by popes, dukes & passionate book collectors

for personal vanity & a genuine interest in secular learningb. Agents sent throughout Western Europe to locate and

recover manuscripts in deteriorating monastic libraries3. Libraries were richly appointed, filled with beautifully

illuminated textsa. Libraries served as places for scholarshipb. Places where aristocrats could display their sensitivity to

classical Latin

IX. The Printing Press: Making the Modern Library Possible

A. 1454, invention of the printing press in Mainz, Germany had a profound affect on all libraries

1. Books were available to the masses for the first time2. There was an increased desire for learning

B. The invention of the printing press resulted in numerous changes

1. Production of exact copies of manuscripts became possible

2. Volume of printed materials increased dramatically3. More titles & copies were produced4. More subjects were covered, i.e. bibles & prayer books,

grammatical & scholastic works, papal bulls & indulgence certificates & vernacular works

IX. The Printing Press: Making the Modern Library Possible—cont’d

B. Invention of the printing press—cont’d5. New techniques for the organization of published

materials were created6. Literacy & education for the general population was

stimulatedC. Invention of the printing press coincided with the

reawaking of secular and scientific interests during the Renaissance, forming a foundation for the growth in the number and size of libraries

X. National Libraries and Promoting National Pride

A. The emergence of the National Library coincided with the growth of secular monarchies & nationalism

1. National libraries were created in England, France, Germany, Denmark & Scotland in the 17th century

2. In the 18th & 19th centuries, national libraries emerged in Austria, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Greece, Spain & Iceland

B. National libraries had a special mission of preserving the cultural heritage by developing a comprehensive collection of materials by & about their respective countries through books, documents, manuscripts & other records

X. National Libraries and Promoting National Pride—cont’d

C. Depository Right - law passed in some countries requiring at least one copy of each item to be deposited in that country’s national library1. In the United States, the depository right is held by the

Library of Congress2. Library of Congress is not the official national library of

the United States but a close approximation

Thank you for your attention.