European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine ISSN 2515-8260 Volume 7, Issue 8, 2020
HISTORY OF LIBRARY – A PANORAMIC VIEW
1Dr. N Rajesh and 2Dr. K. Balamurugan 1Librarian, SKSS Arts College, Thirupanandal, TamilNadu 2Professor Department of Science & Humanities, BCET, Karaikal , Pondicherry UT
Abstract - This paper flashes a light on the history of library and the concept of library. It is not a writers’ write but an edit from some select reliable sources. It starts form the concept of library and probes further from first print and paper print to modern library. The reader can also have a wide idea of some important libraries to be visited inside India and outside India as well. Needless to say the paper is only an introduction and it can very well be followed with volumes. Keywords: List of Library, library concept, author note, first paper book
AUTHOR NOTE Dear readers it is better, read the conclusion first and start reading the paper. You will have the idea of the very purpose of this writing. If you consider this paper as a good beginning and we are sure you ll end up towards a good ending in the history of libraries at your continuous, furtherance, reading the same of it widely in various sources prompted or indexed in our paper. We would rather appreciate you that if you are able to appreciate the aim and approach of this paper. Thanks and thank you very much.
INTRODUCTION TO LIBRARY A library is a curated collection of sources of information and similar resources, selected by experts and made accessible to a defined community for reference or borrowing, often in a quiet environment conducive to study. It provides physical or digital access to material, and may be a physical location or a virtual space, or both. The word for "library" in many modern languages is derived from Ancient Greek βιβλιοθήκη (bibliothēkē), originally meaning bookcase, via Latin bibliotheca. The first libraries consisted of archives of the earliest form of writing—the clay tablets in cuneiform script discovered in Sumer, some dating back to 2600 BC. Private or personal libraries made up of written books appeared in classical Greece in the 5th century BC.
Tablet from the Library of Ashurbanipal, Upper Mesopotamia Ashurbanipal's Library gives modern historians information regarding people of the ancient Near East. In his Outline of History, H. G. Wells calls the library "the most precious source of historical material in the world. Over 30,000 clay tablets from the Library of Ashurbanipal have been discovered at Nineveh. There is also evidence of libraries at Nippur about 1900 BC and those at Nineveh about 700 BC showing a library classification system.
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European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine ISSN 2515-8260 Volume 7, Issue 8, 2020
The Library of Alexandria, in Egypt, was the largest and most significant great library of the ancient world. It flourished under the patronage of the Ptolemaic dynasty and functioned as a major center of scholarship from its construction in the 3rd century BC until the Roman conquest of Egypt in 30 BC. The library was conceived and opened either 6 Libraries of the past during the reign of Ptolemy I Soter (323– 283 BC) or during the reign of his son Ptolemy II (283–246 BC). An early organization system was in effect at Alexandria. INDIA; THE STORYOF LIBRARY In ancient India knowledge was disseminated one to one like from a teacher to a group of students; on the other hand the teacher has received it from his master. It had a long teaching culture this way. In modern India, the rich culture was affected by various western battles and looting by foreigners; to the most, the reason goes to British. In the 800million population about 50 percent only remained literate. It is slightly increased now and then, now. In medieval times, India’s rulers and elites became caught up in a love for books-primarily manuscripts, mostly illustrated, and often written in oriental languages. They amassed monumental libraries, of which quite a few are still accessible to researchers. Librarianship began to be considered a mission with the arrival of the British in India; librarians came to be viewed as integral to the process of education, and education was the principal forerunner of modernization. Library development was placed on the agenda of nationalist movements and was accepted as the people’s movement. It was not merely by coincidence that the annual meetings of All India Public Library Association (AIPL) used to be held in conjunction with sessions of the Indian National Congress. EVER FIRST PAPER BOOK IN LIBRARY By the 8th century first Iranians and then Arabs had imported the craft of papermaking from China, with a paper mill already at work in Baghdad in 794. By the 9th century 13 Phillips, Heather A.,”The Great Library of Alexandria?”. Library Philosophy and Practice, August 2010 ˆ{http://unllib.unl.edu/LPP/phillips.htm} China bibliography: a research guide ... – Google Books. , , 1995 8 Libraries of the past public libraries started to appear in many Islamic cities. They were called ”halls of Science” or dar al-’ilm . They were each endowed by Islamic sects with the purpose of representing their tenets as well as promoting the dissemination of secular knowledge. The 9th century Abbasid Caliph al- Mutawakkil of Iraq, ordered the construction of a ”zawiyat qurra” – an enclosure for readers which was ”lavishly furnished and equipped”. In Shiraz, Adhud al-Daula (d. 983) set up a library, described by the medieval historian al-Muqaddasi as ”a complex of buildings surrounded by gardens with lakes and waterways. The buildings were topped with domes, and comprised an upper and a lower story with a total, according to the chief official, of 360 rooms.... In each department, catalogs were placed on a shelf... the rooms were furnished with carpets”. The libraries often employed translators and copyists in large numbers, in order to render into Arabic the bulk of the available Persian, Greek, Roman and Sanskrit non- fiction and the classics of literature
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European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine ISSN 2515-8260 Volume 7, Issue 8, 2020
Renaissance: Reading room of the Laurentian Library, Florence, Italy 1535 AD
LIST OF LIBRARIES IN THE WORLD 1. The British Library, United Kingdom. ... 2. Library of Congress, United States. ... 3. Shanghai Library, China. ... 4. New York Public Library, United States. ... 5. Library and Archives Canada, Canada. ... 6. Russian State Library, Russia. ... 7. Royal Danish Library, Denmark. ... IN IDIA 1. The National Library of India, Kolkata: 2. Delhi Public Library: ... 3. Saraswathi Mahal Library or Tanjore Maharaja Serfoji's Sarasvati Mahal Library, Tamil Nadu: ... 4. Anna Centenary Library, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. 5. Krishnadas Shama Central Library, Goa. ... 6. Allahabad Public Library, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh CONCLUSION Just we tried a bit to cover how the history of library goes around the world; awesome, plenty of source available in both book and site form in the internet, dear readers!. It is only an index we have tried here. If any who are fond of libraries and who like to know of it may just see the picture of the library building available in the net to the name of the library given here in the list. We are sure, you will have an idea how it works—style and ambience for preserving and reading books there. Again just we say, this paper only a miniature in attempt; long way to go in actual three sixty degree view about libraries and its history. Have a pleasure of reading. Thanks. Works Taken for Edition a. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library b. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20027402?seq=1 5683
European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine ISSN 2515-8260 Volume 7, Issue 8, 2020 c. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Introduction_to_Library_and_Information_Sc ience.pdf
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