Page 10 - DLIS102_LIBRARY_AND_ITS_USERS

Unit 1: Changing Role of Libraries

the fourth century bc, the private library was more prevalent. Aristotle, for instance, amassed a Notes
large private collection. Ancient geographer Strabo said Aristotle “was the first to have put together
a collection of books and to have taught the kings in Egypt how to arrange a library.”

The Great Library
That library, of course, was the Great Library of Alexandria, a public library open to those with the
proper scholarly and literary qualifications, founded about 300bc. When Egypt’s King Ptolemy I
(305-282bc) asked, “How many scrolls do we have?”, Aristotle’s disciple Demetrius of Phalerum
was on hand to answer with the latest count. After all, it was Demetrius who suggested setting up
a universal library to hold copies of all the books in the world. Ptolemy and his successors wanted
to understand the people under their rule and house Latin, Buddhist, Persian, Hebrew, and Egyptian
works-translated into Greek.
The library’s lofty goal was to collect a half-million scrolls and the Ptolemies took serious steps to
accomplish it. Ptolemy I, for example, composed a letter to all the sovereigns and governors he
knew, imploring them “not to hesitate to send him” works by authors of every kind.
The Ptolemies engaged in some unorthodox acquisition methods. Some stories relate that they
confiscated any book not already in the library from passengers arriving in Alexandria. Another
story tells how Ptolemy III (246-222bc) deceived Athenian authorities when they let him borrow
original manuscripts of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, using silver as collateral. Ptolemy
kept the originals and sent the copies back, letting the authorities keep the silver. More traditional
means included book purchases from the markets of Athens, Rhodes and other Mediterranean cities.
Older copies were the favored acquisitions; the older the better, since they would be considered
more trustworthy. At its height, the library held nearly 750,000 scrolls. There must have been
duplicates since there weren’t that many works.
Much of what is now considered to be literary scholarship began in the Alexandria Library. Funds
from the royal treasury paid the chief librarian and his scholarly staff. Physically, books were not
what we think of today, but rather scrolls, mostly made of papyrus, but sometimes of leather. They
were kept in pigeonholes with titles written on wooden tags hung from their outer ends.
Fires and depredations during the Roman period gradually destroyed the Library. When Julius
Caesar occupied Alexandria in 48bc, Cleopatra urged him to help himself to the books. Obliging, he
shipped tens of thousands to Rome. Marc Antony was rumored to have given Cleopatra the 200,000-
scroll collection of rival library Pergamum to replace Alexandria’s losses.

Library in Rome

By the middle of the second century bc, Rome also boasted rich library resources. Initially comprised
of some scattered private collections, holdings eventually expanded through the spoils of war. Even
Aristotle’s famed collection was among the bounty.

Renaissance of Learning
As Europe emerged from the depths of darkness into the light of learning, its people began to look
to the Greek and Roman artistic and literary classics for inspiration. Many aristocrats of the period
were dedicated to developing their private libraries. Cosimo de Medici of the famous Florentine
family established his own collection, which formed the basis of the Laurentian Library. Also in
Italy, the Vatican Library opened in the 1400s. Accompanying the growth of universities was the
development of university libraries, which, in some cases, were founded on the basis of a personal
donation. For example, Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, donated his large collection to Oxford
University in the early 1400s.
Gutenberg’s movable type innovation in the 1400s revolutionized bookmaking. Printed books
replaced handwritten manuscripts and were placed on open shelves.

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