Library: an Unquiet History by Matthew Battles Presented by Madison Gailus and Emily Fardoux Libraries & Books: he word

book !omes "rom the #n$lo-%axon word "or &bee!h' (bo!)* whi!h was the wood used "or early book ar!hety+es su!h as the wax tablet, -ha+ter .: /eadin$ the Library - # librarian would ne0er be able to read all the books* there"ore must examine them to sele!t the most a++ro+riate and authoritati0e texts as sour!es o" in"ormation, - Discussion Question - Library: An Unquiet History will examine 1+oints o" trans"ormation* those moments where readers* authors and librarians question the meanin$ o" the library itsel",2 (Battles* 3.) o #s stated in !ha+ter 3* what library readers and book !olle!tors needed and en4oyed stood the test o" time and were +reser0ed des+ite ram+ant destru!tion o" books throu$hout the early !enturies o" libraries, What do you think about this? - Discussion Question - 5hat meanin$s does a library hold in your 0iew 6 both +ersonally and +ro"essionally7 Giuse++e #r!imboldo* The Librarian* !a, .899, he librarian is $reater than the sum o" the books in his library library as a $rowin$* breathin$ or$anism library is not a model F:/ the uni0erse* but is a model :F the uni0erse its books hold a !om+lete re!ord o" all human ex+erien!e - Discussion Question: o 5hat other ways !an you think o" to des!ribe the library in a meta+hysi!al way7 (exam+le: library as an es!a+e me!hanism "rom daily li"e) -ha+ter 3: Burnin$ #lexandria he #lexandrian em+ire was res+onsible "or the destru!tion o" unknown numbers o" texts* in!ludin$ some written by histori!al "i$ures su!h as #ristotle* Plato* %o!rates and #r!himedes, his destru!tion o!!urred "or many reasons 6 o"tentimes when an area o" a di""erent reli$ion was !onquered* all reli$ious texts were destroyed lest that reli$ion remain in the belie", Most o" these texts were written on +a+yrus* 0ery di""i!ult to +reser0e re$ardless o" intera!tion with "lame, o Biblio!lasm /e0ision o" history or reli$ion #ttem+t to remo0e a +re0ious sour!e o" authority "rom +ubli! knowled$e - -hinese Buddhist libraries o"ten had !ar0ed reli$ious sutras on library walls* whi!h the +ubli! !ould 1+ermanently !he!k out2 by takin$ a rubbin$, ;n this way* billions o" !hea+ly made books were +rodu!ed, - <ulius -aesar en0isioned a +ubli! library mu!h like what we ha0e today* but was assassinated be"ore it !ould be built= his su++orter* #sinius Pollio* took u+ !onstru!tion and de0elo+ed /ome's "irst +ubli! library around >?B-, he /oman +ubli! library* e0en a"ter !han$e in leadershi+* remained "o!used on a!!essibility to its !iti@ens, For exam+le* it had two readin$ rooms* Latin and Greek* allowin$ !iti@ens to read in their nati0e lan$ua$e, - 1Libraries are as mu!h about losin$ the truth 6 satis"yin$ the inner barbarians o" +rin!es* +residents and +retenders 6 as about dis!o0erin$ it,2 (Battles* >.) -ha+ter >: the House o" 5isdom - Medie0al trends in librarianshi+ o -assiodorus* a /oman nobleman and a de0out -hristian* did not want the destru!tion o" the /oman libraries to o!!ur a$ain and be$an workin$ to +reser0e* translate* and !o+y materials, His library was !alled the Ai0arium and he wrote an en!y!lo+edia about medie0al Euro+e, - Muhammad was illiterate* but used that to his ad0anta$e by +la!in$ $reat im+ortan!e on the litera!y o" his "ollowers* so that they would write down and later read his tea!hin$s 6 both so that they would deri0e ins+iration and belie" in the Bur'an* but that they would enhan!e their own litera!y o Ea$er to learn "rom those they !onquered* Muslims $athered books "rom other !ultures rather than abandonin$ or destroyin$ them,

Muslim !ulture was 0ery im+ortant durin$ the rise o" #rab !i0ili@ation be!ause o" their !ontributions to libraries and "o!us on edu!ation and litera!y House o" 5isdom was a library* s!hool and resear!h !enter "or boys and men only hose in +ower held the authority o" what was able to be tau$ht and resear!hed 6 intelle!tual mono+olies, -ontrollin$ mass amounts o" knowled$e was a +ower"ul new sour!e o" authority, -alli$ra+hers and illustrators took books to the next le0el and be$an illuminatin$ them* to trans"orm the written word into 1thin$s o" beauty2 "or the students o" the House, o Fall o" Muslim libraries at the hands o" the Mon$ols* urks and -rusaders in the .>th and .8th !enturies 6 ideals o" the Muslim library were not u+held a"ter its destru!tion, -ha+ter C: the Battle o" the Books - Librarians o" authority stro0e to +rote!t the authority o" s!ienti"i! in"ormation as mu!h more was +rodu!ed D dis!o0ered in the .9th and .Eth !enturies, - Edu!ational "o!us was !lassi!al, - %ir 5illiam em+le o Modern learnin$ relied too hea0ily on analy@in$ an!ient books when it should be treatin$ them with re0eren!e, o Fid not like modern writin$* be!ause he "elt !lassi!al works were written by men o" reason= these books !ould be used as $uides "or li0in$- he !onsidered them s!ri+ture, (+,G?) - 5illiam 5otton o #d0ent o" +rintin$ +ress & in!reased a0ailability o" books is a !hallen$e "or the better - /i!hard Bentley o Pro +rintin$ and !o+yri$ht law o ;deali@ed 0iew o" the library as an intelle!tual hub o" learnin$ "or so!iety - /oyal Library -o+yri$ht re$istrar 6 +rinters had to +ro0ide !o+ies o" their works to the library - Battle o" the Books +aintin$ o <onathan %wi"t o Fysto+ian library where the dis+ute is between modern and an!ients o Books "i$ht o0er +la!e on the shel0es 6 their ob4e!ti0e is to stand the test o" time* remain im+ortant and +rominent o E0en the library !annot +rote!t itsel" "rom the test o" time (;r0in$ story): 1 he library is unlimited and !y!li!al,2 6 <or$e Luis Bor$es -ha+ter 8: Books "or #ll - ;n the Middle #$es* a!!ess to books and litera!y was on a need-to-know basis and most +eo+le did not need to know, - ;t be!ame im+ortant in the late Middle #$es to kee+ all knowled$e in one +la!e, his !han$ed the "undamentals o" books and readin$* a!!ordin$ to Battles, - ;n the .?th !entury* the librarian !eased to be a kee+er o" books and be!ame a 1!are$i0er2 o" the books and their readers, (.3H) -ha+ter 9: Inowled$e on Fire - Festru!tion o" books in the .?th and 3Hth !enturies was "or many similar reasons as in the an!ient world 6 !ensorshi+ o" in"ormation* remo0al o" 1una++ro0ed2 texts* and !ontrol o" in"ormation $i0en to the +ubli!, - Ja@is were so determined to !ensor readin$ and destroy una++ro0ed books that they !om+letely disre$arded any notion o" the book as rare* 0aluable* or im+ortant* i" the book !ontained somethin$ unsuitable to their 0iews, o Ja@is burned o0er .HH million books, Lists o" banned books were not released to the +ubli!* and many Germans would burn their own books* "ear"ul that they would be !au$ht with them and ha0e a title on the banned list and be +unished, Ja@is rede"ined the library on their own terms: 1#s de"ined by the /ei!h* the 4ob o" the library would be to !ontrol the dan$erous* the bour$eois* the e""ete and dissi+atin$ ener$ies o" readin$* to hel+ the Volk "ind use"ul in"ormation without de$radin$ its &s+irit,'2 (Battles .E.) o -ensorshi+ is a hu$e "o!us o" the !ha+ter, - <im -row laws e0en a++lied in libraries, 1Ksome +eo+le were unsuited to be readers2 o

%ome lay+eo+le* like -assiodorus in the /oman Em+ire* did all they !ould to +rote!t texts* e0en riskin$ their own li0es to sa0e books, -ha+ter E: Lost in the %ta!ks - Model o" library as #meri!a= sel"-su""i!ien!y and inde+enden!e o" readers 6 1dreamers and doers2 - Fi$ital text - 1Unlike the +ri0ate book* whose "un!tional use ends when it is read and +la!ed on the shel" "or the last time* a library book may !ontinue to o+en doors,2 (Battles* .>H) - 1# librarian should be unwillin$ to allow an inquirer to lea0e the library with his question unanswered as a sho+kee+er is to ha0e a !ustomer $o out o" his store without makin$ a +ur!hase,2 (Battles* .8.)

:r$ani@ation o" the library - ;nitially 0ery broad !ate$ories in!ludin$ what was most im+ortant to the so!iety at the time o i,e,: reli$ion* histori!al "i$ures asso!iated with lo!al !hur!h and library* - Aati!an Library or$ani@ational s!heme is symmetri!ally hierar!hi!al (draw dia$ram o" tables) (E?) o :r$ani@ation dire!ted at makin$ it easier "or the +atron to "ind books 0isually sin!e there was no o""i!ial !atalo$in$ s!heme in +la!e - %wi"t's library ado+ts this idea as well* albeit a bit more sel"ishly stru!tured to makin$ a $ood im+ression o" %wi"t himsel" to his library's 0isitors - Euro+ean +ri0ate library owners +rided themsel0es on whi!h books were in their !olle!tions= ke+t a $enealo$y o" book users and owners on the inside !o0er - ;n the late Middle #$es* the %orbonne Uni0ersity Library in Paris be$an al+habeti@in$ its books, - .CHHs 6 s!ri+tores were s+e!ialists in Greek* Latin or Hebrew who !om+iled the most a!!urate library !atalo$ thus "ar in the world, he !atalo$ !ontained ea!h Aati!an Library book* listed in al+habeti!al order, - .Eth and .Gth !entury 6 ad0ent o" the !ard !atalo$* the "irst was by Edward Gibbon on the ba!k o" +layin$ !ards, - ;n the .?th !entury* #ntonio Pani@@i used &+ressmarks' to indi!ate +hysi!al lo!ation o" a book on the shel" as basis "or his !atalo$, his or$ani@ation style !reated an inde+endent reader, - 1 he "irst and !hie" ob4e!t o" a !atalo$K is easy a!!ess to the works whi!h "orm +art o" the !olle!tion, his is not a tool "or librarians* moreo0er* but an instrument that the +ubli! has the ri$ht to ex+e!t in su!h an institution,2 (Pani@@i* .>H) - Mel0il Fewey o Library !au$ht "ire* Fewey attem+ted to res!ue books* de0elo+ed a se0ere !ou$h and was $i0en a two year limit on his li"e, his limitation ins+ired Fewey to ada+t time-sa0in$* e""i!ient re"orms into all the work he did, o Fewey "elt Pani@@i's !atalo$in$ system was absurd* be!ause it required !om+lete re!lassi"i!ation o" the !olle!tion when one new book was added to the shel0es, He and other librarians determined that or$ani@in$ books by their sub4e!t was the most lo$i!al +ro$ression o" !atalo$in$, o Hel+ed "ound #L#* dis!ussed +ro"essionalism both inside and outside the library* and standardi@ed or$ani@ation o" all libraries e0en down to the "ont and si@e o" the !ards in the !atalo$, o Pioneered allowin$ women into the +ro"ession be!ause he thou$ht it would humble the +ubli! 0iew o" the institution* makin$ it more a!!essible and wel!omin$ "or anyone to walk throu$h the door, E0aluation o" Battles' 5ritin$ %tyle :r$ani@ation - E0olution o" the +hysi!al book o -lay o Pa+yrus s!rolls o %ilk D bamboo (-hinese) o 5ood and wax tablets (;slam) o Pa+er o -odex #ddenda -ontext

/elaxed* !on0ersational* storytellin$ o ;n the "irst +ortion o" book* this tone is unhel+"ul to the reader be!ause o" his la!k o" !ontextuali@ation o" the history dis!ussed, He introdu!es histori!al "i$ures by name and o!!asional date only* assumin$ that the reader knows not only about the "i$ure but about the time +eriod and so!iety in question, o %e!ond +ortion o" the book is mu!h more +hiloso+hi!al in nature* and this relaxed storytellin$ tone lends itsel" to the reader's understandin$, Point o" Aiew #uthority - Battles ne0er a!tually identi"ies himsel" ex!e+t as ha0in$ worked at Har0ard's 5idener Library 6 this $i0es him no a!tual authority on the sub4e!t matter as +resented,

one -