-
3000 BCE
Ancient Libraries
As soon as people started saving information form someone had to assume the responsibility of managing the storage and retrieval of the information. Libraries and archives date back to the ancient world, some as early as 3,000 BCE. Not much is known about our ancient professional ancestors except for what can be deduced from archaeological excavations. -
800
Medieval Libraries
Greece and Rome were the first literate Western societies, and libraries during the classical period flourished. But litericy plummeted during the Middle Ages and as a result books and libraries all but disappeared. However, one institution survived that was devoted to the preservation of the written word: the Catholic Church. Monasteries were established throughout Western Europe, where monks spent their days copying Christian text. -
1300
University Libraries
As literacy and education became secularized in the 13th and 14th centuries, and higher education became formalized into universities, book collections began to grow outside the confines of the monastery. As early as 1300, the Sorbonne had amassed an extensive collection of library books on religion, science, medicine, and law donated by theologians and their supporters. Other universities, such as Oxford, Heidelberg, and Trinity Colleges, also began developing collections for students to use. -
Books and Libraries in Colonial America
Many immigrants were religious refugees, who were educated and fairly well off. They brought with them a value system that stressed the importance of reading and writing, which would have a significant impact on the history of libraries in America. -
Libraries and the Invention of Printing
Gabriel Naude published one of the earliest textbooks on collection development. Naude believed a royal library should contain books covering every field in human study. He urged nobility to make their books available to the public. -
Books and Reading Before Public Libraries
Through-out the 1700's, wealthy statesmen, merchants, and professionals-such as Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Rush-continued to collect books. In 1751, Quaker merchant James Logan used his 4,000 volume collect to start a public library in Philadelphia. -
Public Library Movement in the US
In 1854, the City of Boston, after a considerable debate, opened up the first modern public library in America, and the BPL became the prototype for the rest of the country to emulate. -
Professionalization of Librarianship
The history of American librarianship as an organized profession began in 1876, when Melvil Dewey put out a call to librarians to meet in Philadelphia as part of the Centennial Exposition of 1876. The American Library Association and the periodical Library Journal were thus founded. At the ALA convention, Charles Cutter presented rules for a dictionary catalog and Dewey introduction his classification system. -
The Williamson Report
By the early 1900's, the ALA recognized librarianship needed to rise above this paraprofessional level. In 1921, the Carnegie Corporation funded a major study. The William Report urged that professional education be reformulated and become university based. Librarianship must require a college degree, like other professions. A PhD in library science should be developed to raise academic credentials and promote research in the field. -
Digital Library
Library of Congress launches American Memory project to make audio and visual materials accessible electronically and National Digital Library.
