The History of Books & Libraries Written by : Denise Phillips
(Ulleo, 2017)
Introduction This e-book will take you through the history of books and libraries from ancient times to the modern era. The definitions of the books and libraries have changed over time. We can’t have a library without our books, so let’s begin by defining what a book is. A book is a group of printed or handwritten sheets of paper that are bound together. Usually, the pages are tucked inside a front and back cover which can be soft or hard cover. With the advancements of new technology books can now be in a digital format. The definition of a library according to Samuel Johnson & Schrettinger (as cited in Valentine) is a large collection of books, public or private that begins to recognize organization and purpose. A library is more than a place; it is a social organization, a response to the growth of recorded writings, and a place for people to search for knowledge� (2012, p23).
Introduction Continued
There were many different kinds of libraries, which were located in different places that ranged from public to private. The most important thing to remember about libraries is that: “A library without readers is not a real library at all” (Valentine, 2012, p26). Library history incorporates many different themes a few are place, service, and people. The library is a place where patrons are provided services and where they can research ideas. Let’s take some time to look into some of the libraries of the past.
(Pcdazero, 2012) “Today’s scholars and librarians are descendants of tablet writers and scribes who wrote, preserved, and passed along early written records and inscriptions. Technology and culture interact in complex ways and not all pathways and connections remain visible even if they once were common” (Valentine, 2012, p11). We can study the history of books and libraries, but we may not see all the events that happened in our history. By studying books, old library buildings and the community we can learn a lot about the history of the library. This will lead us to insight about the history of the people and their culture. It’s always important to research the topic completely to find out as much as you can before making assumptions about the past. “Libraries collected, stored, and organized materials with the future in mind, not just the past” (Valentine, 2012, P 24).
(Humble, n.d.)
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Library of Mesopotamia “ The Libraries have always played an important role in helping human beings to meet his basic needs of survival and self realization” (Khan, 2011). Mesopotamia is no different, “The first libraries in Mesopotamia grew out of temple and royal archives when works of scripture (hymns, laments, poems) were added to the records of deeds, taxes, and royal correspondence” (Valentine, 2012, p26). There were many other libraries in Mesopotamia including the Sumerian library. The Sumerians developed cuneiform writing and the knowledge was recorded on clay tablets. The Sargon libraries built in Atruk and were created from old temples that were repaired to establish more libraries. Sargon was one of the oldest libraries in the ancient world. These libraries eventually started collecting literature, religious, and professional information. There were many different libraries in Mesopotamia some like those mentioned above were discovered while others are still waiting to be discovered. (Taken, 2016)
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Library of Alexandria
(Song, 2010)
“Alexandria grew to house an enormous collections of Greek literature. Approx. 700,000 scrolls, it included seminal works in astronomy, mathematics, philosophy, and medicine” (Howard, 2009, p 20). Ptolemies would go on book hunts to search for new books. When found he would take and copy the books right away giving the copy to the owner with compensation (El- Abbadi, 2017). Unfortunately, the Alexandria library was destroyed by a few fires some people believe it was at the hands of Julius Caesar and again later by another Roman emperor. The library was probably destroyed because of some Christians did not approve of its collections. The library also seemed to have books stolen from it as well (Valentine, 2012). According to Lyons, the most celebrated library of the ancient world was established in Alexandria, Egypt, in the first half of the third century BCE (2011, p 26). “A new library of Alexandria, intellectually if not architecturally based on the original, has recently (1989-2001) been built in Cairo” (Valentine, 2012, p 29). Valentine, also wrote that this library has inspired many people and it also inspired the concept of the universal library (2012). 4
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Ancient Rome “The Romans inherited much inspiration from the Greeks, including the love of books and desire to have libraries” (Valentine, 2012, p 29). Therefore, “Literacy was not confined to a special class in Rome, as it was in most other ancient civilizations. It was not unusual for common Roman soldiers to be literate, but female literacy was probably low under the Republic”. Women were able to read and write but many times they were not formally taught, so that is why their literacy was low. Augustus had some public libraries as well as some private collections.
(Woeterman 94, 2012)
Augustus had some public libraries as well as some private collections. The library in Rome, itself was more reader friendly because they had tables for reading and books were kept in small indentations around the room. In the time period of AD 400 there were many public libraries, but each of the buildings that had libraries in them were not exclusively for the library. Many times the building held many other places in them as well. This is unlike many of our libraries today, where the building that holds the library is exclusively for the library. “By the third century, the great Roman libraries of the past had ceased to exist” (Lyons, 2011, p 29).
(Jackmac 34, 2017)
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Scribes
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Monastic Libraries
(Smith, 2007) According to Lyons, In the earliest monasteries, there was no special room set aside as a library, but from the sixth century onwards libraries became an essential component of the monastic life in Western Europe (2011, p 38). The books were put into the librarian’s hand to supervise the people using them. A second responsibility of the librarian was to take care of the books. In some of the reading rooms, books were chained to the shelves because they were so valuable. The library had sections of books that were available for patrons to borrow. Reading was so important that St. Benedict had a rule that the people were required to read three hours of per day. During Lent they had to read an entire book.
Scribes were an important part of culture and book’s history. Books were not just delivered to people, scribes travelled to other monasteries to find the text they were looking to study. Monks would sometimes buy these books and other times they would have to sit and copy the manuscripts so that they could have a copy for their own library (Lyons, 2011). When copying down the book, scribes had to write the text using the same size so that it would be readable and uniform. Scribes wrote on different types of materials like animal skins, papyrus, and paper just to name a few (Valentine, 2012). “Scribes usually copied three to four pages per day, but they were prone to human error, and even a good scribe could be expected to make at least one mistake per page ( Lyons, 2011, p.42)
(Le Tavernier, after 1456)
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Circulating and Lending Libraries “As new books remained expensive in the nineteenth century, private circulating libraries and public lending libraries allowed larger number of readers access to reading material” (Lyons, 2011, p147). Serving their community is one of the most important jobs of the library. Publishers sometimes offer circulating libraries discounts because they saw libraries as reliable customers. When libraries circulate books this gives the author more readership. “Britain had a head start in lending library provisions. Since 1850, local authorities had been permitted to levy local taxation to finance libraries, and the rate was doubled in 1855” (Lyons, 2011, p.148). This taxation gave the libraries more funds to purchase books so that more patrons would have access to the materials that they wanted and needed. In other parts of the world, private enterprises were able to provide patrons more access to books. Libraries today lend out more than just books. You can borrow cd’s, videos, Ipads, puppets, cake pans, and many other objects from a library. People around the world have even build their own lending libraries and posted them outside their house for other to give a book and take a book. This is a great way to build community in the neighborhood.
(Rutter, 2014)
(Bol, 2011)
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Public Libraries in the United States
According to the American Library Association, today there is an estimated 119,487 libraries in the United Stated (2015). People have fond memories of public libraries including their library cards, searching the stacks, and getting their books stamped when they are being checked out. According to Bouchot, Nearly every city has its own public library funded by small taxes. The first to be established and was founded in 1732 by Benjamin Franklin in Philadelphia, and still exists as the Library Company (1887).
(Episcopal Church, 1803)
Another public library is “The Astor Library and the Lenox Library of New York were both founded and endowed by the families whose names they bear” (Bouchot, 1887, p 303). Lyons also shared information about how Andrew Carnegie helped finance 1,600 new public libraries between 1886 and 1917. There were some people that didn’t appreciate having a public library in their neighborhood because it would bring in the working class citizens and African Americans into their community (2011, p 149).
(Democracy Chronicles, 2014) 8
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Children’s Books & Print On Demand “ Between 1890 and 1930, children’s literature became an essential component of the book market. Publishers established children’s editors, and public libraries opened rooms devoted to children’s books (Lyons, 2011, p 188). Children’s books were published initially to teach children educational concepts. Then they began to write books to entertain children as well as to teach important lessons with book like fairytales and fables. “Pop- up books, books with multiple alternative endings and books with sound and texture have all interested child readers” (Lyons, 2011, p189)
(“Alice in Wonderland.” 2012)
(Dvortygirl, 2008) Many bookstores have closed and merged with larger stores. These stores can’t possible hold all the needed books on hand. The ”print on demand (POD), or sometimes called print to order (PTO)—the ability to print single copies of books from a virtual library of titles in response to an order— has transformed the way publishers think about physical books” (Gallagher, 2014, p 244). This new way to get books faster will make a huge difference in bookstores and libraries. People can oder the book and if there is a printer in the library the patron can wait for the printed copy. Sometimes you can order a print on demand book and have it shipped to your house. This new print on demand will be able to serve the consumers of today. New technologies will be coming there is no doubt about that. 9
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Digitization (E-Books) Technology has improved the way people get and share information. The Internet has given people a way to access information quickly to be able to find choices/ options when needed. Electronic books (e-books) are easy to downloaded on iPads, tablets, and/or phones and they look like traditional books. These devices are definitely easier to carry around which makes them more accessible. As e-books increased in popularity people found ways to make the traditional e-book better. This new kind of e-book is called an interactive e-book. This new e-book allows the reader to listen to or read the story through multiple modalities. “One of the more intriguing aspects of an e-book, especially an EPUB file, is its flexibility. It is a form built to quickly share information across several devices, much like PDFs, and a form compact enough to sell as a marketable unit, comparable to most print books in the way they linearly display content� (Grover, 2016, p.185)
(Myriams, 2017)
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In Conclusion
(Geralt, 2016)
“Digitization and the Internet have made the Gutenberg system obsolete but not the printed book” (Epstein, 2008, p 10). “We may have an infinity of media and new forms, but the serious stuff will remain in books, unthreatened by the disruptive influence of new forms and genres” (Maxwell, 2013, p. 46). Libraries and books have changed throughout history, but one thing remains the same and that is: “History of libraries is at the same time more than a “history of the book” as it focuses on the social activity and utility of librarians and libraries in preserving, transmitting, celebrating, and encouraging the use of written records” (Valentine, 2012, p 25). As a final thought: “Whether one is reading old scriptures or love notes, the writing of yester-year still calls to us today. Books preserved these thoughts and libraries preserved these books” (Valentine, 2012, p1).
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References: [Alice in Wonderland Central Park NYC.] [image/jpeg]. (2012, October 18). [photograph]. Retrieved from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Ali ce_in_Wonderland_Central_Park_NYC.JPG Bol, T. (photographer). (2011, December 2). Little free library [image/jpeg]. Retrieved from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Littl efreelibrary.JPG Bouchot, H. (author), & Bigmore, E. C. (translator). (1887). Chapter IX: Libraries. In H. Bouchot, The printed book: Its history, illustrations, and adornment: From days of Gutenberg to the present time (299-304). New York, NY: Scribner and Welford. Retrieved from https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/44890 [Carkeys]. (2007, July 23). Easy Bookbinding Project for Children [YouTube video] retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfPq1_wsl6I&feature=yo utu.be Davortygirl (Photographer). (2008, February 23). On demand book printer 1 [image/jpeg] Retrieved from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/On _demand_book_printer_1.jpg
Democracy Chronicles. (2014, December 25). Benjamin Franklin on renewing high school [image/jpeg] Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AThe_book_of _common_prayer%2C_and_administration_of_the_sacrame nts%2C_and_other_rites_and_ceremonies_of_the_church% 2C_according_to_the_use_of_the_Protestant_Episcopal_ch urch_in_the_United_States_of_America-_(14783269805).jp g Dewitt, L. (2011, September 19). Librarary Vending Machine [YouTube Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2KU_lrPSCQ&feature= youtu.be Episcopal Church. (1803). Stamped image of a New York Library book [digital image] Retrieved from: https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8675/15916443668_ce03b704a b_b.jpg El-Abbadi, M. (2017). Library of Alexandria [website]. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Library-of-Alexandria Epstein, J. (2008). The end of the Gutenberg era. Library Trends, 57(1), 8-16. Doi:10.1353/lib.0.0024 Gallagher, K. (2014). Print-on-demand: New models and value creation. Publishing Research Quarterly, 30, 244-248. doi:10.1007/s12109-014-9367-2
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References Continued: Geralt (2016, August). [image/jpeg] retrieved from https://pixabay.com/en/silhouette-head-bookshelf-know-163 2912/ Grover, A. (2016). E-books and non-interactive textual compositions: An argument for simplicity over complexity in future e-books formats. Publishing Research Quarterly, 32(3), 178186. doi:10.1007/s12109-016-9470-7 Hallmark channel (2017, Jan 19). How to Ken Wingard’s DIY neighborhood lending library [YouTube]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QjdcFzqxO4&feature=y outu.be Howard, N. (2009). The book: The life story of a technology. Baltimore, MD: The John Hopkins University Press. Humble, L. (photographer). (n.d.) Young readers [digital image] Retrieved from http://www.freeimages.com/photo/young-readers-1457598
Khan, M. F. (2011). Ancient libraries of Mesopotamia. Pakistan Library & Information Science Journal, 42(1), 7-11. Lyons, M. (2011). Books: A living history. Los Angeles, CA: The J. Paul Getty Museum. Le Tavernier, J. (After 1456). Scribe in the Monastic Library [digital image]. Retrieved from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Esc ribano.jpg Pcdazero (photographer). (2012, Feb 24). Heiroglyphs, Writing [digital image] Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/en/hieroglyphs-writing-egyptian-scribe541146/ Pellerin, B.. (2015, May 12). Scribes explain how they write Magna Carta [YouTube video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9FgVaozoO4&t=2s Rutter, C. (photographer). (2014, March 22). Manchester Central Lending Library [digital Image] Retrieved from: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/Ma nchester_Central_Library_2014_re-opening_Lending_librar y_7932.JPG
Jackmac 34 (photographer). (2017, May 22). Rome, R oman, Antique, Soldier [digital image]. Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/en/rome-roman-antique-soldier-helmet -2350633/
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Reference Continued Maxwell, J. W. (2013). E-book logic: We can do better. Papers of the Bibliographical Society of Canada, 51(1), 29-47. Myriams (photographer). (2017, July 8). Ebooks [digital image]. Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/en/ebook-e-book-electronic-book-248530 4/ Number of Libraries in the United States (2015). Retrieved from www.ala.org/tools/libfactsheets/alalibraryfactsheet01
Ulleo, (photographer). (2017, July 13). Book- read- literature [image/jpeg]. retrieved from: https://pixabay.com/en/book-read-literature-book-pages-25 07807/ Woeterman 94. (photographer). (2012, November, 10). Map of Ancient Rome [digital image]. Retrieved from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4 /47/Map_of_ancient_Rome.jpg/1024px-Map_of_ancient_R ome.jpg Valentine, P.M. (2012). Early books: Beginnings to circa 1450. In P. M. Valentine, A Social History of books and libraries from Cuneiform to bytes (pp.1-32). Lanham, MD: Scarecrow.
Smith, C. (Photographer). (2007, June 10). Chained Library [digital image]. Retrieved from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/Chain ed_Library%2C_Chelsea_Old_Church_-_geograph.org.uk_-_4 93693.jpg Song, B. L. (Photographer). (2010, June 21). Facade of the Celsus [digital image]. Retrieved from https://media.xogrp.com/images/8a6ef90e-b413-44a0-993e-3 63a1e74d0ea~rs_840.h Taken (photographer). (2016, Oct 9). Cuneiform [digital image] Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/en/cuneiform-script-ancient-archeology-1 781019/ 14