PowerPoint Presentation
Libraries have existed for thousands of years. From clay and
stone tablets, to modern publishing and electronic devices,
libraries have always played a vital role in preserving and
promoting human knowledge and wisdom.Lets look at how libraries
began, and how theyve changed over the centuries.
The practice of collecting written knowledge in some sort of
repository is a practice as old as civilization itself.The word
library derives from the Latin liber, book, whereas a Latinized
Greek word, bibliotheca, (or, a collection of books) is the origin
of the word for library in German, Russian, French, Italian, and
Spanish.
More than 5,000 years ago, Mesopotamia hosted the earliest known
library. About 30,000 clay tablets have been found, marking the
first known collection of ancient writing.Archaelogists have
uncovered papyrus scrolls from 1300-1200bc in the ancient Egyptian
cities of Amarna and Thebes and thousands of clay tablets in the
palace of King Sennacherib, Assyrian ruler from 704-681bc, at
Nineveh, his capital city.
As the centuries passed, new societies found their own ways of
giving order to the writings and artistic efforts of their time and
in doing so were able to improve on the institution. Two of the
first to make this effort were the Greeks and Romans.The Greeks
added order to libraries, dividing books into fiction and
non-fiction, created a system of organiztion, and began to include
poetry and philosophy into their collections.The Romans invented
the codex, a more efficient, long-lasting book which replaced more
fragile scrolls.
As the Roman and Grecian empires dissolved, major religions
stepped in to preserve and expand libraries.Islamic religions in
the middle east kept extensive libraries. The first libraries were
at Muslim mosques and the first book to enter was the Quran.
Muslims also imported new book-making techniques from China, and
expanded libraries greatly.Unfortunately, most Islamic libraries
were destroyed by Mongolian invasions.
In Europe, Christian monastery libraries developed, such as the
Abbey of Montecassino in Italy.Books were usually chained to the
shelves, reflecting the fact that manuscripts, which were created
via the labour-intensive process of hand copying, were valuable
possessions.When the books were lent out, they were paid for, and
lent in the expectation that they would be hand-copied and included
in other libraries.
The Renaissance brought the invention of the printing press in
the mid-1400s, which began to make books widely available for the
first time in history.In the modern age, lending libraries became
the province of governments and institutions of higher
learning.Formerly, libraries could only be afforded by the wealthy,
or higher classes, but as ideals of democratic government spread,
so to did reading and libraries for the common people.
If you think your school library has a lot of books, wait until
you learn about the worlds largest library. Its amazing collection
of books and resources will blow your mind!What library are we
talking about? The Library of Congress, of course! Built in 1800 in
Washington, D.C., its the largest library in the world in both
shelf space and number of books.
The Library of Congress holds much more than just books. Its
various collections include more than 150 million items on over 800
miles of bookshelves. These items include over 34 million books,
over 3 million recordings, over 13 million photographs, over 5
million maps, over 6 million pieces of sheet music and over 66
million manuscripts!
IN CONCLUSIONIn conclusion, libraries have always been valued by
higher civilization, and great pains have been taken to gather,
preserve, and promote books in every age, amongst all
nations.Formerly the right of kings and rulers, now libraries are
free and available to all people, everywhere, and their value and
worth to society is immeasurable.
A NUTSY THE SQUIRREL PRODUCTIONCOPYRIGHT 2016 OAK HILLS MEDIA
CENTERALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
BIBLIOGRAPHYhttp://www.britannica.com/topic/libraryhttp://www.history-magazine.com/libraries.htmlhttp://www.zencollegelife.com/the-history-of-libraries-through-the-ages/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_librarieshttp://wonderopolis.org/wonder/where-is-the-largest-library-in-the-world
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