Sarit Yahalomi: Libraries

Showing posts with label Libraries. Show all posts

Aug 1, 2015

The destruction of the Great Library of Alexandria

Alexandria, one of the greatest cities of the ancient world, was founded by Alexander the Great after his conquest of Egypt in 332 BC. After the death of Alexander in Babylon in 323 BC, Egypt fell to the lot of one of his lieutenants, Ptolemy. It was under Ptolemy that the newly-founded Alexandria came to replace the ancient city of Memphis as the capital of Egypt. This marked the beginning of the rise of Alexandria.

Yet, no dynasty can survive for long without the support of their subjects, and the Ptolemies were keenly aware of this. Thus, the early Ptolemaic kings sought to legitimize their rule through a variety of ways, including assuming the role of pharaoh, founding the Graeco-Roman cult of Serapis, and becoming the patrons of scholarship and learning (a good way to show off one’s wealth, by the way). It was this patronage that resulted in the creation of the great Library of Alexandria by Ptolemy.

Over the centuries, the Library of Alexandria was one of the largest and most significant libraries in the ancient world. The great thinkers of the age, scientists, mathematicians, poets from all civilizations came to study and exchange ideas. As many as 700,000 scrolls filled the shelves. However, in one of the greatest tragedies of the academic world, the Library became lost to history and scholars are still not able to agree on how it was destroyed.

An artist’s depiction of the Library of Alexandria. Image source.

Perhaps one of the most interesting accounts of its destruction comes from the accounts of the Roman writers. According to several authors, the Library of Alexandria was accidentally destroyed by Julius Caesar during the siege of Alexandria in 48 BC. Plutarch, for instance, provides this account:

when the enemy tried to cut off his (Julius Caesar’s) fleet, he was forced to repel the danger by using fire, and this spread from the dockyards and destroyed the great library.
(Plutarch, The Life of Julius Caesar, 49.6)

This account is dubious, however, as the Musaeum (or Mouseion) at Alexandria, which was right next to the library was unharmed, as it was mentioned by the geographer Strabo about 30 years after Caesar’s siege of Alexandria. Nevertheless, Strabo does not mention the Library of Alexandria itself, thereby supporting the claim that Caesar was responsible for burning it down. However, as the Library was attached to the Musaeum, and Strabo did mention the latter, it is possible that the library was still in existence during Strabo’s time. The omission of the library can perhaps be attributed either to the possibility that Strabo felt no need to mention the library, as he had already mentioned the Musaeum, or that the library was no longer the centre of scholarship that it once was (the idea of ‘budget cuts’ seems increasingly probable). In addition, it has been suggested that it was not the library, but the warehouses near the port, which stored manuscripts, that was destroyed by Caesar’s fire.

The second possible culprit would be the Christians of the 4th century AD. In 391 AD, the Emperor Theodosius issued a decree that officially outlawed pagan practices. Thus, the Serapeum or Temple of Serapis in Alexandria was destroyed. However, this was not the Library of Alexandria, or for that matter, a library of any sort. Furthermore, no ancient sources mention the destruction of any library at this time at all. Hence, there is no evidence that the Christians of the 4th century destroyed the Library of Alexandria.

The last possible perpetrator of this crime would be the Muslim Caliph, Omar. According to this story, a certain “John Grammaticus” (490–570) asks Amr, the victorious Muslim general, for the “books in the royal library." Amr writes to the Omar for instructions and Omar replies: "If those books are in agreement with the Quran, we have no need of them; and if these are opposed to the Quran, destroy them.” There are at least two problems with this story. Firstly, there is no mention of any library, only books. Secondly, this was written by a Syrian Christian writer, and may have been invented to tarnish the image of Omar.

Unfortunately, archaeology has not been able to contribute much to this mystery. For a start, papyri have rarely been found in Alexandria, possibly due to the climatic condition, which is unfavourable for the preservation of organic material. Secondly, the remains of the Library of Alexandria itself have not been discovered. This is due to the fact that Alexandria is still inhabited by people today and only salvage excavations are allowed to be carried out by archaeologists.

While it may be convenient to blame one man or group of people for the destruction of what many consider to be the greatest library in the ancient world, it may be over-simplifying the matter. The library may not have gone up in flames at all, but rather could have been gradually abandoned over time. If the Library was created for the display of Ptolemaic wealth, then its decline could also have been linked to an economic decline. As Ptolemaic Egypt gradually declined over the centuries, this may have also had an effect on the state of the Library of Alexandria. If the Library did survive into the first few centuries AD, its golden days would have been in the past, as Rome became the new centre of the world.

Featured image: One of the theories suggests that Library of Alexandria was burned down. ‘The Burning of the Library of Alexandria’, by Hermann Goll (1876).

By Ḏḥwty

References

Empereur, J.-Y., 2008. The Destruction of the Library of Alexandria: An Archaeological Viewpoint. In: M. El-Abbadi & O. M. Fathallah, eds. What Happened to the Ancient Library of Alexandria?. Leiden; Boston: Brill, pp. 75-88.

Haughton, B., 2011. What Happened to the Great Library at Alexandria. [Online]

Available at: http://www.ancient.eu.com/article/207/ [Accessed 8 May 2014].

Newitz, A., 2013. The Great Library at Alexandria was Destroyed by Budget Cuts, Not Fire. [Online] Available at: http://io9.com/the-great-library-at-alexandria-was-destroyed-by-budget-1442659066 [Accessed 8 May 2014].

Plutarch, Life of Julius Caesar, [Perrin, B. (trans.), 1919. Plutarch's Lives. London: William Heinemann.]

Wikipedia, 2014. Destructionn of the Library of Alexandria. [Online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destruction_of_the_Library_of_Alexandria [Accessed 8 May 2014].

Empereur, J.-Y., 2008. The Destruction of the Library of Alexandria: An Archaeological Viewpoint. In: M. El-Abbadi & O. M. Fathallah, eds. What Happened to the Ancient Library of Alexandria?. Leiden; Boston: Brill, pp. 75-88.

Haughton, B., 2011. What Happened to the Great Library at Alexandria. [Online] Available at: http://www.ancient.eu.com/article/207/

[Accessed 8 May 2014].

Newitz, A., 2013. The Great Library at Alexandria was Destroyed by Budget Cuts, Not Fire. [Online]

Available at: http://io9.com/the-great-library-at-alexandria-was-destroyed-by-budget-1442659066 [Accessed 8 May 2014].

Plutarch, Life of Julius Caesar,

[Perrin, B. (trans.), 1919. Plutarch's Lives. London: William Heinemann.]

Wikipedia, 2014. Destructionn of the Library of Alexandria. [Online]

Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destruction_of_the_Library_of_Alexandria [Accessed 8 May 2014].

May 8, 2014

11 Ridiculously Overdue Library Books (That Were Finally Returned)

By Mark Mancini

Have you ever had to bring back a library book two or three days past its due date? Well, at least you can take some comfort in the fact that it wasn’t nearly as tardy as the books on this list.

1. The Versatile Grain and the Elegant Bean: A Celebration of the World’s Most Healthful Foods by Sheryl and Mel London

Courtesy of Amazon

LOANED FROM: The Lawrence Public Library in Lawrence, Kansas
YEARS OVERDUE: 21

Last week, someone anonymously returned this fitness-friendly cookbook, which had been missing since September 24, 1992. The volume, published that April, contains over 300 recipes—and it’s probably safe to assume that the culprit had plenty of time to try out every single one of them.

2. The Real Book About Snakes by Jane Sherman

Courtesy of OpenLibrary

LOANED FROM: The Champaign County Library in Urbana, Ohio
YEARS OVERDUE: 41

Like the previous entry, whoever turned in this musty old field guide declined to reveal his name. But lest anyone question the man’s honesty, he also left the following note: “Sorry I’ve kept this book so long, but I’m a really slow reader! I’ve enclosed my fine of $299.30 (41 years, 2 cents a day). Once again, my apologies!”

3. Days and Deeds: A Book of Verse for Children’s Reading and Speaking compiled by Burton and Elizabeth Stevenson

Image courtesy of Amazon

LOANED FROM: The Kewanee Public Library in Kewanee, Illinois
YEARS OVERDUE: 47

According to Guinness World Records, the $345.14 fee paid by the borrower of this lyrical compilation stands as the highest library fine ever paid.

4. The Fire of Francis Xavier by Arthur R. McGratty

Images courtesy of Amazon

LOANED FROM: The New York Public Library, Fort Washington Branch, in New York City
YEARS OVERDUE: 55
T

his one was discreetly mailed in last year and the perpetrator was never brought to justice (be on guard, Big Apple bibliophiles!).

5. The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
LOANED FROM: The Rugby Library in Warwick, England
YEARS OVERDUE: 63

The item found its way home during an eight-day “fines amnesty period,” which shielded the guilty patron from a £4000 penalty. “It’s amazing to think how much the library has changed since that book was taken out in 1950,” said librarian Joanna Girdle.

6. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Image courtesy of Amazon

LOANED FROM: The Chicago Public Library in Chicago, Illinois
YEARS OVERDUE: 78

Mrs. Harlean Hoffman Vision found a rare edition of this novel nestled amongst her late mother’s personal effects and vowed to set things right. “She kept saying, ‘You’re not going to arrest me?’” recalls marketing director Ruth Lednicer, “and we said, ‘No, we’re so happy you brought it back.’”

7. Master of Men by E. Phillips Oppenheim

Courtesy of Amazon, public domain
LOANED FROM: The Leicester County Library in Leicester, England
YEARS OVERDUE: 79

Oppenheim was born in the surrounding region and, hence, the Leicestershire County Council was thrilled to reclaim this piece of their literary heritage after it turned up in a nearby house—even though the library branch it originally belonged to had shut down decades earlier.

8. Facts I Ought to Know About the Government of My Country by William H. Bartlett

Courtesy of Amazon, public domain
LOANED FROM: The New Bedford Public Library in Massachussets
YEARS OVERDUE: 99

Stanley Dudek of Mansfield, Massachusetts claims that his mother—a Polish immigrant—decided to brush up on American politics by taking this volume from the New Bedford Library in 1910. “For a person who was just becoming a citizen, it was the perfect book for her,” says Dudek.

9. Insectivorous Plants by Charles Darwin

LOANED FROM: The Camden School of Arts Lending Library in Sydney, Australia
YEARS OVERDUE: 122

Talk about a hiatus! An Australian copy of Darwin’s treatise on bug-eating flora was borrowed in 1889. After two World Wars, Neil Armstrong’s moon-landing, and the birth of the internet, it was finally returned on July 22, 2011.

10. The Ancient History of the Egyptians, Carthaginians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Medes and Persians, Macedonians, and Grecians (volume II) by Charles Rollin

LOANED FROM: The Grace Doherty Library in Danville, Kentucky
YEARS OVERDUE: 150 (approximately)

Last year, the tome was discovered at a neighboring school for the deaf, where it had presumably been stored since 1854 (as evidenced by a note written inside dating to that year). The library owns no records from this period, so exactly how long it was gone is anybody’s guess, but, says librarian Stan Campbell, “It’s been out of the library for at least 150 years."

11. The Law of Nations by Emmerich de Vattel

Lawbook Exchange
LOANED FROM: The New York Society Library in New York City
YEARS OVERDUE: 221

Five months into his first presidential term, George Washington borrowed this legal manifesto from the historic New York Society Library. For the next 221 years, it remained stowed away at his Virginia home, and organization officials wondered if they’d ever see it again. “We’re not actively pursuing overdue fines,” joked head librarian Mark Bartlett. “But we would be very happy to see the book returned.” His wish was granted when Mount Vernon staff finally sent it back in 2010 (luckily, they dodged a whopping $300,000 late fee).

March 18, 2014 - 12:45pm

Feb 13, 2014

An Online Gallery of 30,000 Items from The British Library, Including Leonardo da Vinci’s Notebooks And Mozart’s Diary

Posted: 13 Feb 2014 05:00 AM PST

(Click image to enlarge)

This past December, we wrote about the British Library’s releasing “over a million images onto Flickr Commons for anyone to use, remix and repurpose.” For those who enjoyed this treasure trove of historical content, we bring more good tidings: the British Library also has a freely accessible online gallery, numbering some 30,000 items.

The vast digital collection includes books, ancient maps, and priceless prints. Amid the countless virtual tomes, some of the more impressive holdings include Mozart’s musical diary from the last seven years of his life, and Leonardo da Vinci’s notebook (find both above) where the artist and inventor theorized about mechanics. Da Vinci also recorded riddles in his notes, including: “The dead will come from underground and by their fierce movements will send numberless human beings out of the world” (Answer: “Iron, which comes from under the ground, is dead, but the weapons are made of it which kill so many men”).

The online collection also contains a number of expertly curated exhibits by British Library staff, many of which are accompanied by a thorough introduction to guide readers through the material. I’ve always liked getting lost in old, detailed maps and particularly enjoyed the Crace Collection of Maps of London, which range from a 16th century “guide for cuntrey men in the famous cittey of London by the helpe of wich plot they shall be able to know how far it is to any street,” to a 19th century puzzle-type map, whose readers must find a particular route from the Strand to St. Paul’s.

The collection also contains a terrific selection of pre-printing-press-era illuminated manuscripts, deemed “illuminated” because they were meticulously decorated, often using gold leaf. Among these are the opening of St. Luke’s Gospel from the Lindisfarne Bible (below), one of the earliest surviving English language Gospels (circa 715 CE), and scenes from the life of St. Guthlac, which dates to the early 13^th century.

For more of the British Library’s Online Collection, head here.
Ilia Blinderman is a Montreal-based culture and science writer. Follow him at @iliablinderman, or read more of his writing at the Huffington Post.

Related Content:
The British Library Puts 1,000,000 Images into the Public Domain, Making Them Free to Reuse & Remix
The Getty Puts 4600 Art Images Into the Public Domain (and There’s More to Come)
The National Gallery Makes 25,000 Images of Artwork Freely Available Online
An Online Gallery of 30,000 Items from The British Library, Including Leonardo da Vinci’s Notebooks And Mozart’s Diary is a post from: Open Culture. You can follow Open Culture by signing up for our Daily Email. That is the most reliable and convenient option. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus.

Feb 3, 2014

Beautiful libraries we've ever seen

We won't all get to visit the most beautiful libraries, but thanks to photographer Will Pryce and architectural historian James Campbell we can all get a taste of what they look like.

The pair have spent the last few years photographing and studying over 80 libraries all over the world. Their book The Library: A World History shows the evolution of the library and features libraries from Trinity Hall in Cambridge to Utrecht University Library in the Netherlands. Here are a few of their breathtaking photos.

(Above: Queen's College, Cambridge)

Biblioteca Joanina, Coimbra University, Portugal

The Fisher Fine Arts Library, University of Pennsylvania, United States

The Grimm Center, Humboldt University, Germany

The library at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore

The Long Room at Trinity College, Dublin.

The Bibliothèque nationale de France

The bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève

The Archives Nationales (site de Paris)

Chetham's Library, Manchester

Linderman Library at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA

Bibioteca José Vasconcelos

Feb 2, 2014

Spread the Love: The Liverpool Book Swapping

May 25, 2013 by admin

The Edmund Wilson said once that “No Two persons ever read the same book”. If you look literally at this quote, the Edmund will be wrong thanks to the Liverpool Book Swapping. The book swap service is available at Liverpool park on the local tree that has been crafted into tiny library that allows people to exchange their books for new one they didn’t read. We think it is a great service and that there should be a lot more places like this around the globe. Enjoy in creative British education

10 facts about Americans and public libraries

January 24, 2014

By Lee Rainie 7 comments

Technology and the internet are changing Americans’ reading habits and also their relationship with libraries. Half of Americans now own a tablet or e-reader and libraries have responded by expanding their digital offerings.

But what hasn’t changed is Americans’ love for books. American adults still read about as much as ever and overwhelmingly say libraries play an important role in their communities. In advance of the American Library Association’s Midwinter Convention (#alamw14) in Philadelphia, here are some key facts and trends we have chronicled in our research on America’s public libraries.

1E-book reading is growing, but printed books still dominate the reading world.

28% of American adults ages 18 and older read an e-book in the past year, up from 17% in 2011. Still, 69% read a printed book, about the same as last year. Only 4% of readers are “e-book only” readers. The vast majority of e-book readers also read a printed book. (Report)

2The rise of e-book reading is tied to the steady increase in ownership of tablet computers and e-readers.

50% of adults now own either a tablet computer or an e- reader. Ownership of both devices jumped this year during the holiday gift-giving season. But people also read e-books on their cell phones (32% of e-book readers did that in the past 12 months) and on desktop or laptop computers (29% of e-book readers did that in the past 12 months). (Report)

3Americans appreciate libraries, especially for the role they play in communities.

90% of Americans say the closing of their local public library would impact their community and 67% said it would affect them and their families. (Report)

4Mothers love libraries. Mothers are more likely than fathers to read to their children every day (55% vs. 45%). Mothers are also more likely than fathers to have a library card and to have visited a library in the past year. (Report)

5Access to books, media, and quiet, safe reading places top the list of favorite library services. 80% of Americans say no-cost access to books and media is the most important service libraries provide, followed by librarian assistance (76%), having a quiet and safe place to read (75%) and research resources (72%). (Report)

6The public’s highest priorities for libraries center on kids and literacy. 85% of Americans say libraries “should definitely” coordinate more closely with local schools. And 82% believe libraries should provide free literacy programs to young children, which may include traditional reading, writing and comprehension as well as technology and new media literacies. (Report)

7 Library websites are catching on. 44% of those ages 16 and older have ever used a library website, up from 39% in 2012, and 30% used one in the past 12 months. Website users tend to be higher income and well educated. (Report)

8 Older teens and young adults are sometimes the most likely to desire new library technologies. 45% of young adults would very likely use a mobile GPS app to find material inside the library. They’re also the most likely to say they would use Redbox-style kiosks to check out library books or movies if they were placed around their towns. (Report)

9 One challenge libraries face is simply making people aware of all the services they offer. 30% of library users say they know little or nothing about the services their library provides. (Report)

10 Library use ebbs and flows for many Americans. 26% of library patrons say their use has gone up in the past 5 years; 22% say it has gone down. (Report) Just before the Public Library Association conference in March, the Pew Research Center will issue a special report on a survey of 6,200 Americans showing there are 7 distinct groups of library users and 2 distinct groups of non-users of libraries, each with its own habits, priorities, and demographic makeup. (Sign up to be notified of this report when it is published.)

Jan 24, 2014

Librarians Show Off Their Risqué Side Through Tattoos

Last fall, the Rhode Island Library Association (RILA) launched their first-ever Tattooed Librarians of the Ocean State 2014 calendar. Proving that librarians aren't just strict, buttoned-up middle aged women, this calendar features 12 librarian and library workers who are proud of their jobs and of their rebellious ink. Each photograph captures the models showing off not only their love of books, but highlights their tattoos as well.
This cheeky and fun calendar was for a good cause; It was a fundraiser for the RILA, and an entirely volunteer project for all involved. The light-hearted photographs caught the attention of major media outlets and sold out.
Today, libraries are more than just books. They are places where people can access technology, and programming for all ages.. The RILA explains the idea behind their calendar, writing, “Libraries are unique as they simultaneously foster the preservation of histories and traditions, while fighting censorship and fostering cutting-edge learning environments. Likewise, tattoos can also represent the preservation of history and resistance of the norm.”