A Thirst for Knowledge

It's been said throughout the torrents of history the importance of a man could be measured by the number of books sitting in his library. Todays' library is a survivor of wars, pestilence and famine serving as a testament to the unique and human thirst for knowledge.

Libraries of the 21st century are now vast resources of information resources and services which no longer require a building. The internet continues to evolve as a repository for the written word creating virtual access to millions throughout the world. Many universities and other institutions have scanned their vast holdings placing the hard copies into climate controlled storage at locations offsite. Most reference materials are available online in large databases and can be viewed online by request or simply using a login.

Books scanned and placed in storage

The word "library" derives from the Latin "liber" meaning "book,” bibliotheca originates from the early Greek, Germanic and the languages of romance.

Founded 300 BC, the Great Library of Alexandria was the most famed repository of manuscripts and books in the ancient world. It was destroyed and untold volumes of history were lost! It's a shame we will never know what treasures lie inside, lost in the tombs of history.

The Great Library of Alexandria, O. Von Corven, 19th century

Archeologists in present day Iraq have found a number of rooms during excavations filled with clay tablets suggesting organized archives or libraries existed even in ancient Babylonia during the 3rd century BC. There have also been vast collections of Assyrian clay tablets dating from the 2nd century BC fount in Egypt. The last of the great kings of Assyria "Ashurbanipal" is known to have maintained an archive of some 25,000 clay tablets collected from temples throughout his kingdom. He is credited with assembling the first library in the Middle East located in Nineveh.

In Europe monastic communities began to spring up as early as the 2nd century AD declaring written manuscripts (books of their time) were necessary for spiritual growth. The Benedictine order was among the first organizations to recognize the importance of reading and study. They created the position of precentor whose duties were to issue the manuscripts and take daily inventory of them. The contents of these monastic libraries consisted mainly of the biblical scriptures and the writings of the early Church Fathers along with their learned commentaries.

The Writing Desk from South by East: Notes of Travel in Southern Europe
Author: Rodwell, G. F. Published in the U.S. before 1923 and public domain in the U.S.

Scriptoriums were then created for scribes in the monastic communities to copy manuscripts. Not all who worked in scriptorium were monks, there were scribes and illuminators from outside the monastic community aiding the clerical scribes.

It was during the 13th through 15th centuries that private book collections began to spring up. "Cosmio de' Medici" of Florence Italy was a great patron of the arts and encouraged learning of the classes. Florence at that time had become the epicenter of the book trade and the arts. The scholar "Niccolo Niccoli" became librarian to de'Medici and Cosimo had the Biblioteca Marciano convent of San Marco turned into a library of sorts. The great library of "Lorenzo the Magnificent" who was Cosimo's grandson was an even greater patron of learning and the arts. The "Biblioteca Laurenziana" was opened in 1571 in a building designed by none other then Michelangelo.

Cosmio de' Medici" of Florence Italy

Shortly thereafter the art of bookbinding emerged fostered by the growing demands of wealthy book collectors. The invention of the Gutenberg press widened the circle of available books even more to include merchants whose libraries contained herbals, books of law, and medicine.The entire Mideast and most of Europe were sacked to obtain the works of the great philosophers of Greece and Rome.

In Europe during the reign of King Henry VIII monasteries were suppressed and their written materials and treasures dispersed. Adding insult to injury Edward the Sixth in 1550 ordered a great purge of books containing the "old learning" of the Middle Ages in favor of the new teachings of the humanists.

During Elizabeth's the 1st reign the archbishop of Canterbury along with Elizabeth’s principal adviser William Cecil took the lead in seeking out and acquiring the dispersed and scattered manuscripts. Many other collectors were also active in the recovery effort and large portions of the manuscripts had been recovered by 1660. Most of these works are currently housed in the Corpus Christi College at Cambridge, the British Museum library (part of the British Library) and at Oxford University.

Books were chained to keep them from being stolen

The Reformation period also claimed a great many casualties including the destruction of countless books and manuscripts from Germany, Russia and Denmark.

It was during the 17th and 18th centuries the great national libraries of the world came into being and many continue to uncover long lost manuscripts from the ancient days.

Credit: Northern Illinois University Archives

The Library of Congress in the United States claims to be the largest in the world. Its holdings contain more than 38 million books and other printed materials, 3.6 million recordings, 14 million photographs, 5.5 million maps, 8.1 million pieces of sheet music and 70 million manuscripts, 5,711 incunabula (a book printed before 1501 or artifact of an early period) and 122,810,430 items in the nonclassified or special collections. The library's collections total over 164,000,000 items. It's use is restricted to the 535 members of the U.S. Congress including their staff, and members of the public by request. It's operating budget is $598,402,000 US dollars yearly with a staff of 3,224!

The Reading Room inside the Library of Congress

Al text owned by @mother2chicks