HISTORY OF LIBRARIES

(OVERVIEW)
History of Libraries
❑ Antiquity Period
❖ The Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Egyptian,
❑ The Middle Ages
❑ The Late Middle Ages and Renaissances Period
❑ 1500- 1900 (Europe and America)
❑ Modern Era – The Twentieth Century
The first three kinds of writing:

1.Pictographic – representing an object

2.Ideographic – representing the idea suggested by the
object
3.Phonographic – representing the sound of the object
or idea.
 Sumerians
❑From about 3600 to 2357 B.C – the Sumerian civilization flourished in the
Tigris – Euphrates Valley
The system the writing of the Sumerians - perhaps their greatest
contribution to human culture.
System of Writing
❑ CUNEIFORM – which describes their style of writing is from
cuneus, the Latin word for wedge.
Writing Material/s Used

- the materials used were soft clay and a

wedge-shaped stylus of metal, ivory, or wood.

Form of Books

TABLETS– pieces of baked clay, small enough to held in

the hand
➢CUNEIFORM system of
writing

➢ Tablet – baked clay

Tigris – Euphrates Valley
Libraries Established

- Private, religious and government

▪ Library of Telloh over 3, 000 tablets excavated
at the ancient city of Lash or Telloh

Ancient City of Lagash

Babylonians
• until 689 B.C - Sumer’s culture passed to Babylonia in Lower
Mesopotamia.
System of Writing
• Babylonian cuneiform

Form of Books
• Books were devoted to gov’t,
law, history & religion
Libraries Established

• Library of Borsipa-tablets were

copied by scribed of king Babylonian Cuneiform
Assurbanipal
 Assyrian
• existed as the same time with the Babylonians
System of Writing

• Inherited the language and method of writing from the

Sumerians

Form of Books

• Clay Tablets
Libraries Established

Library of Nineveh
• The catalog was a
listing of the contents of
each alcove or cubicle,
painted or carved on the
entrance where the clay
tablets were arranged
according to subject or
type; each tablet had an
identification tag
 Important Literature/ Works/ People
Sumerians, Babylonians,
Assyrians

• Code of Hammurabi – notable codes of laws

– now located at the louvre Museum in
Paris; not written on clay but was carved on a diorite
cylinder (rock)
• Gilgamesh Epic – Babylonian story of the flood

• Behistun Inscription- key to cuneiform system of

writing; was deciphered by Sir Henry Rawlinson
Code of Hammurabi
Behistun Inscription
 Egyptians
System of Writing

- Hieroglyphics – for inscriptions to monuments

“Heiros”- Greek for “sacred”
“glyphiens” – Greek for “to carve”

Writing Material/s Used

Papyrus sheet
• Papyrus sheet
Brush like pen made by fraying the
edge of a reed
Form of Books

• Roll – made from

papyrus sheets pasted
end to end
• Religious, moral &
political subjects
▪ Little is known about Egyptian libraries. There may have been
private and temple libraries, as well as government archives may
have existed.
Library of Thebes founded by Rameses II
•Rolls were kept in clay jars or in metal cylinders with an
identifying key word on the outside or on the end, or they were
stacked on shelves
•Believed to have had 20,000 books & was called a “place of
Healing for the Soul”
Library of Gizeh
Library of Thebes
 Important Literature/ Works/ People

Prisse Papyrus- oldest Egyptian book known; now at

the Bibliotheque Nacionale in Paris

Harris Papyrus – longest Egyptian manuscript; a

chronicle of the reign of Rameses II

Rosetta Stone – key stone to hieroglyphic writing

 Phoenicians
System of Writing
• Developed a cursive from style of writing
Writing Material/s Used
• Papyrus sheets- traded by Phoenicians
Important Literature/ Works/ People
History gives them major credit for spreading the knowledge and use of the
alphabetic characters which had been developed in Egypt. (24 consonantal
alphabets)
Chinese
System of Writing
▪ Use of characters, mainly ideographic
Writing Material/s Used
• Bone, tortoise shell, bamboo stalks, wooden tablets, silk, linen.
Stylus, quill, brush pen

• Tablet and the Roll

 Greeks
System of Writing

• Linear A- cursive from of writing

• Linear B- 15th century BC
• Later on, the Greeks adopted the Phoenician
consonantal 22-letter alphabet
Writing Material/s Used

• Ancient Greece: leaves or bark of inscriptions and wax coated

tablets
• 6th century – Papyrus
• Hellenistic Greece-Parchment and Vellum
• Parchment- skin of animal (Sheep of calf)
• Vellum- skin of calves; heavier than parchment and more
expensive; the most beautiful and most lasting material
used for books
• Broad- pointed pen made from reed or a quill
Form of Books

• Roll, wax tablet, Codex

(papyrus of parchment is fastened together as in the modern book)

Codex
• Private, government and royal libraries
Library of Euripedes
Library of Alexandria (Egypt)
• Greatest library in the Antiquity
Museum – founded by Ptolemy
• an academy of scholars under royal patronage, consecrated to the
Muses & dedicated to learning. Part of the Museum is the Museion
(the library)
Serapeum – second library founded by Ptolemy III
Library of Pergamum
(Asia Minor)
• Second in importance to Alexandrian Library
• Founded by Eumenes II
• Outstanding for patronage of arts and letters and book
production
• Crates of Mallos became head of the school & librarian at
Pergamum
Library of Alexandria (Egypt)
•Greatest library in the Antiquity
 Important Literature/ Works/ People

Famous Librarians of the Alexandrian Library:

1. Zenodotus – said to be the first librarian
2. Callimachus- classified and cataloged the library collections
• Known for his Pinakes or “Tables of All Those Who
Were Eminent in Any Kind of Literature and of their
Writings”, the subject catalog of the holdings
 Romans
(Private libraries became an important feature of
Roman civilization when generals began to bring back
entire libraries as spoils of war from their campaigns in
Greece)
System of Writing

1. A system of writing unlike the ordinary cursive writing;

contains largely letters
2. Uncial script- use of large, somewhat rounded letters
Uncial script
Writing Material/s Used
Papyrus, parchment, vellum, wood tablets
coated with wax stylus, split-point reed,
split- feather quill

split-point reed split- feather quill

Form of Books

Roll, wax tablet, diptych (two boards hinged

together at one side with waxed surfaces on the
inside for writing), and the codex (Parchment
sheets were fastened & bounded together as in
a modern book) – the transition of roll to codex
has been called “ the most momentous
development in the history of book until the
invention of printing.
Diptych with stylus

codex
 Public libraries
Asinius Pollio – Established the first public library in Rome
• Palatine Library in the temple of Apollo
• Octavian Library in a temple dedicated to Jupiter and Juno
Ulpian Library – founded by Trajan; a scholarly collection housed
in 2 structures- One for Latin and one for Greek works; second in importance
to Alexandrian & Pergamum Libraries

Private libraries
•Collection from spoils of war
•Cicero-had a library in each of his villas
Asinius Pollio – Established the first
public library in Rome
Ulpian Library
 Important Literature/ Works/ People

Papyrus Ryland- earliest known fragment of

a manuscript book; a tiny piece of papyrus
leaf of the Gospel according to St. John

Codex Vaticanus- oldest extant

manuscript of antiquity
Byzantine and
Moslems
Imperial Library- founded by emperor Constantius
son of Constantine; contained Christian Greek and
Latin works.

Royal Library in Damascus- earliest major library

University libraries- Baghdad, Cairo, & Cordoba
 Important Literature/ Works/ People

Moslem libraries made a substantial

contribution to the preservation of
Western culture by preserving the
central world of western thought like
the works of Aristotle.
Monasteries

It was in the monasteries that

literature was preserved and
developed during the Middle
Ages.
Monasteries

Mission:
1. To provide a place for spiritual reflection
2. To archive religious texts

To reproduce religious and sometimes

secular text
Byzantine and
Moslems
System of Writing

Plain or dyed parchment or vellum

Quill pens, and many kinds of colored inks

Quill pens

dyed parchment
Form of Books
Rolls and codex

Libraries Established
Early monastic libraries were small
Has copies of the Bible, Service books of the church etc.
Books were kept in chests or cupboards, or they were brought out and
chained to desks for safety
Books were arranged by subject or kind – religious or secular, Greek or
Latin
 Important Literature/ Work People

Cassiodorus
• Established the monastic community of Vivarium
• Made the monastery the center for all studies and for the preservation of all
studies
• Established a library and a Scriptorium – a writing room, for the copying
of Christian and secular literature.
Irish Monasteries
• The development of manuscript books were begun at their Scriptoria
Alcuin
• Chosen by Charlemagne to direct his educational program
• Established educational centers and Scriptoria in monasteries
 Important Literature/ Work People

Book of Kells – a manuscript of

Gospels, written in the eight century
and believed to be the most richly
decorated manuscript ever produced
in an Irish scriptorium.
Universities
• 12th century in Europe
• Important Universities during that time
➢University of France of Bologna (Italy)
➢University of Salerno (Sooth Italy)
• A university during the middle ages is an
association of professor and students.
• University is from Latin word “Universittas”
• Books are lent by stationarri to students.
Universities
Paved the way for the establishment of universities:

1. Rise of cathedral schools

2. The study of Latin grammar
3. The appearance of writing in the vernacular
(language of the masses)
4. Favorable social & economic conditions
Form of Books
Rolls and codex

• There was little need for libraries since students rent

their books
• As the number of students increased, libraries were
established.
• Arrangement and description were the same as in
large monastery libraries except books were
arranged according to subject taught
 Important Literature/ Work People

Book dealers (stationarii) and their

scribes- appointment or controlled by
the university to guarantee the
authenticity of texts; they keep in stock
correct editions of books used for
instruction and rented them to students.
RENAISSANCE
Renaissance
1. Characterized by the unceasing search for missing ancient
Greek and Latin works
2. Printing
• The zeal of learning increased the demand for books, hence
the need for a new and faster medium for transmitting
knowledge
• Paper (first used in China) was manufactured in France and
Germany
• Material used for paper were linen rags
• Johann Gutenberg- born in Mainz, Germany; develop
printing with movable types
o “Gutenberg bible” – a 42-line Bible; first book printed
with movable types
• INCUNABULA – from the latin word, “incunabulum” or
cradle; term for first printed works
• “Recuyel of the Histories of Troy” – first printed in the
English language; William Caxton
 Gutenberg bible
Johann Gutenberg
 Important Literature/ Work People

Petrarch and Boccaccio- search

medieval monasteries old manuscripts
and long-lost Latin works.
1500 to 1900
16th- 17th century
• Periodicals were published
• Newspapers appeared
•Contents of books included religious, and
classical subject
 19th century

• Developments: stereotyping and cylinder press

• Linotype machine for printing was invented by
Ottmar Mergenthaler
• Wood came in to use as material for paper, book
were bound with cloth, and copyright legislation was
enacted
 IMPORTANT LIBRARIES
o ITALY – Laurentian Library (Florence), Ambrosian Librarian (Milan), Vatican Library (Rome)
o FRANCE – Bibliotheque Nacionale (Paris)
o Germany – Finest libraries of the 19th Century; state and university libraries were
outstanding for size, content and organization
o ENGLAND – Oxford University, Cambridge University, British Museum (The National
Library)
o AUSTRIA – Austrian Royal Library, Royal library of Brussels, University libraries of Ghent
and Louvain
o ITALY – Laurentian Library (Florence), Ambrosian Librarian (Milan), Vatican Library (Rome)

Laurentian Library
o ITALY – Laurentian Library (Florence), Ambrosian Librarian (Milan), Vatican Library (Rome)

Ambrosian Librarian (Milan),

o ITALY – Laurentian Library (Florence), Ambrosian Librarian (Milan), Vatican Library (Rome)

Vatican Library (Rome)

o FRANCE – Bibliotheque Nacionale (Paris)

Bibliotheque Nacionale (Paris)

ENGLAND – Oxford University, Cambridge University, British Museum (The National Library)

British Museum (The National Library)

AUSTRIA – Austrian Royal Library, Royal library of Brussels, University libraries of Ghent and Louvain

Austrian Royal Library

Royal library of Brussels
AUSTRIA – Austrian Royal Library, Royal library of Brussels, University libraries of Ghent and Louvain
 AMERICA
• Bay Psalm Book – earliest book known to have been
printed in the Colonial America
PRIVATE LIBRARIES – Elder Brewster of Plymouth, John Winthrop
and John Harvard
• SUBSCRIPTION LIBRARY/ SOCIAL LIBRARIES – established by
Benjamin Franklin and friends
•A voluntary association of individuals who contributed to a
common fund to be used for the purchase of books, which every
member has the right to use but ownership was retained by the
group.
 • COLLEGE LIBRARIES – Harvard, William and Mary, Yale and Princeton
→Began with or accompanied by gifts of books
→Most volumes were theology, classics and philosophical and literary
works
• After the Revolution:
Library of Congress – established to serve the needs of the
Congress
PUBLIC LIBRARIES – tax supported; became an established
institution by 1890
• American Library Association – organized in 1876 to
promote libraries and librarianship
• Melvil Dewey – Published the 1st edition of his Decimal
Classification
▪ Columbia University – the 1st library school for the
training of professional librarians with Dewey as the
director.
DEWEY DECIMAL 000 – 099 – GENERAL WORKS
100 – 199 - PHILOSOPY
CLASSIFICATION 200 – 299 – RELIGION
(DDC) 300 – 399 – SOCIAL SCIENCE
400 – 499 – LANGUAGE
500 – 599 – PURE SCIENCE
600 – 699 – APPLIED SCIENCE
700 – 799 – THE ARTS
800 – 899 – LITERATURE
900 - 999 – HISTORY
 Modern Era:
The Twentieth
Century
 In the twentieth century, all libraries have been
characterized growth by enormous in size and in
importance.
This growth has been made possible by increased local
interest, by recognition of the importance of libraries in
the educational, social, and cultural life of a democratic
society, and by the munificent gifts of private philanthropy.
• Andrew Carnegie – The greatest individual
benefactor (Philanthropy) of libraries

Other benefactors include the Rockefeller

and Ford foundation who have opened their
collections of rare books to the public.
 The Public library is now recognized as a valuable
complement to the public school in education for
democratic living. In carry out this function, it provides
special services for children and young people;
promotes educational, civic and cultural programs; makes
special materials available to the handicapped;
supplements school library collections; and carries library
materials to rural and isolated areas via the
bookmobile.
 In an effort to provide more better library services, state library
commissions are developing library systems.

These are cooperative endeavors in which a number of local

libraries join together to form a system. The resources of all
libraries in a system are available to member library.

Access by means of telephone, teletypewriter, photocopying, or

interlibrary loan.
 The Higher Education Act of 1965 provided
financial aid to libraries in institutions of higher
education for the acquisition of materials, for the
educational preparation of librarians, and for
research projects and demonstrations relating to
libraries, such as the use of computers in library
operations.
 Special libraries, which have as their sole purpose the
providing of information resources vital to the parent
organization’s specialized clientele, are developments of
the twentieth century.
The increasing importance and use of information is seen in the
rapid development of facilities, called “information center”. Special
libraries and information centers have pioneered in the
development and use of mechanization for the improvement of
library service in the field of information retrieval using electronic
computers.
 The form of the book in the last quarter of
twentieth century is no longer limited to the
printed form.
- films, filmstrip, disk and tape recording,
microform, and video tapes.
References:

Crawford, Alice (Ed). (2015). The meaning of the library: a cultural history. Crawford, Alice (Ed).Princeton University Press
Gates, Jean K. (1989). Guide to use of libraries and information sources. 5th edition. New York: Mc Graw-Hill Book Company
Shrivastava, A. (2021). Basic historical and bibliographical methods for librarians. Burlington, MA : Society Pub.
Young, D. (2020). Foundation of Library and Information Science. New York: Clanrye International