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Unit 2 Assignment

Libraries have existed since ancient civilizations organized clay tablets and papyrus scrolls, with the first libraries believed to be collections of these artifacts stored safely. Libraries became more common and advanced over time, transitioning from scrolls to codices and developing classification systems, and now incorporate digital formats and technologies. Libraries have played an important role in preserving knowledge and intellectual freedom throughout history.

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34 views3 pages

Unit 2 Assignment

Libraries have existed since ancient civilizations organized clay tablets and papyrus scrolls, with the first libraries believed to be collections of these artifacts stored safely. Libraries became more common and advanced over time, transitioning from scrolls to codices and developing classification systems, and now incorporate digital formats and technologies. Libraries have played an important role in preserving knowledge and intellectual freedom throughout history.

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alex
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Unit 2 Assignment: History of Libraries

Libraries have had quite an impressive impact on societies throughout the word for years.

Their history started with the very first effort of organizing and keeping documents during the

ancient civilizations. Thousands of clay tablets and papyrus scrolls from ancient Egypt and

Mesopotamia have been discovered and are believed to form a major component of the first

library. The tablet and scrolls were found in some safe places tailored to store them safely. Such

safe places were libraries given that classification, staffing and presentation criteria were

available just like in the current libraries.

After the safe scroll libraries, the ancient roman and classical Greek libraries stepped in.

Most of these libraries were private though by 296 B.C., public libraries came into existence.

The classification system started taking full effect in these libraries as per the designs of the

Greek scholar and Poet, Callimachus. With time, most of the Roman and Greek libraries became

community centered and eventually expanded to homes with the advancement of the Greek

culture and socioeconomic standing.

With time, libraries started changing from scrolls which had become common to more

appropriate codex format. Such codexes were developed during the 1st century by the Romans

from some wooden tablets. Religious convictions also played a part in the foundation of libraries

particularly in the Islamic nation. Mosques, acted as libraries during the 9th centuries, as they
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could be used to store Quran and other religious texts. The manuscripts from these books were

made from paper made after the Arabs learnt the skills of paper making from the Chinese.

After libraries became more fashionable in the Middle Eastern countries, leaders started

building some complex library structures which provided remarkable scenic quality in

comparison to the conventional structures. A number of them were surrounded by beautiful

garden, as well as, waterways, whilst others had hundreds of room which would accommodate

catalogues, seating areas, as well as, sections for copyists, and translators from Greek, Egypt and

Persia.

During the 17th century, the medieval libraries and chained libraries were introduced with

the intention of reflecting the manuscript’s value. Librarians in such libraries chained the books

to shelves and lecterns and would only lend them out if deposit or security was provided first.

However, overtime lending became an acceptable practice.

With time, digital libraries and card catalogues were formed to accommodate the various

technological forms, comprising of microform, prints and the internet. These technological

forms have aided the evolution of libraries from the use of manual search to automatic searching.

And as they evolve, so does the need for organization of book. Consequently, most of the

libraries today have various departments such as stack maintenance, reference, circulation and

technological services that aids in maintaining order.

Judging from the history of library, it is quite clear to me that, from time in memorial,

there have been a pressing need to preserve some artifacts for later use. In fact, the compilation

of written work in some sort of libraries is a practice old as the civilization itself. Amazingly,

libraries have a history of advancing intellectual freedom issue while at the same time educating

the masses. It is for this reason that, ethical use of libraries is emphasized in today’s academic
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world to guarantee preservation of published materials and libraries as fundamental institutions

in the rather democratic and civilized societies.

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