History of Libraries

Ebla Library

2000 BCE

Over 15000 tablets were found neatly categorized in jars and on tables in a ruin found in Ebla. Among the tablets, there was information ranging from historic dates and events to references of books.

Cataloging

800

Monastery libraries became large enough that catalogs were created to remind librarians of what the library contained. This is a process still used today.

Inter-library Loans

1200

Monastery libraries began sharing books with each other, loaning books from one library to another, creating a larger base of books that the public could access. This is like Mel Cat books.

School Libraries

1300

Libraries began forming in schools such as Oxford, Heidelberg and Trinity Colleges. This gave the public a larger platform to gain knowledge in their area.

The Death of Thomas Bray

1730

Thomas Bray created a wave of libraries during his lifetime, however after his death in 1730 another library was not created in the south until the 1900's.

The First Librarian in the Country

1733

The Library Company of Philadelphia started by Benjamin Franklin and some of his colleagues hired a librarian in 1733. His name was Louis Timothee and is considered the first librarian in the United States of America.

Redwood Library

1747

In 1747 46 wealthy people donated books and money toward the Redwood Library, which was later built in 1750. The Redwood Library is still used today and still has 90% of its original books.

Public Access

1800

Books were seen as only for the wealthy throughout the 1500's and 1600's, even with the increase in the amount of books this was true. In the 800's books became more commonly saw as for the general public rather than the rich.

Boston Public Library

1854

The Boston Public Library was the very first Public Library in the United States of America. This was a debated topic, but ended with the library being built to create a larger access for the common person. A mechanic or the common hard worker would now be aloud to go to the library other than wealthy people and scholars. Also this is a very beautiful building.

The Growth of Public Libraries in America

1920

Following Boston's lead, many other locations started creating public libraries. In fact, by the mid 1920's nearly 6000 public libraries were created. This caused public libraries to be given the consideration and respect that they deserved. The surge of public libraries created a large increase in the amount of people able to become educated outside of a standard education, as well as creating a platform that made public libraries more known and taken more seriously than they were previously.