The History of Libraries

Great Library of Alexandria

300 BCE

The Great Library of Alexandria was founded on the notion that it would become a universal library to hold copies of all the books in the world. The library made Alexandria the intellectual capital of the world. At its peak it held about 750,00 scrolls. The library was eventually destroyed due to fires in the Roman period.

Libraries in the Eastern Empire

500

In the eastern empire, monastic communities emerged with small and theological libraries. With spread of Christianity, the eastern half of the empire did much to foster the use of libraries.The capitol of Constantinople had three major libraries: the university library, the library for the royal family and civil service and a theological collection.

World's Oldest Library

1359

Al-Qarawiyyin library in Fez, Morocco opened in 1359 AD, inside the world's oldest university, which was built in 859 AD and bears the same name. It's still running today and the home of 4,000 rare books.

The Vatican Library

1451

Originally separate pieces scattered across Europe, the Vatican Library was re-established at the Vatican in hopes of making Rome look like a place for scholarship. Pope Nicholas V combined works from his predecessors with his own collection to start off the library. It didn't officially become a public library until 1475.

America's First Subscription Library

1731

Subscription libraries - where member dues paid for book purchases and borrowing privileges were free - debuted in the 1700s. In 1731, Ben Franklin and others founded the first such library, the Library Company of Philadelphia. It's still in operation today.

The Library of Congress

1800

The Library of Congress was established when President John Adams approved legislation that appropriated $5,000 to purchase “such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress.” The first books arrived in 1801 and were stored in the U.S. Capitol, the library’s first home. The first library catalog, dated April 1802, listed 964 volumes and nine maps. These were eventually destroyed when the British invaded.

First US Public Library

1833

With immigration came the philosophy of free public education for children. This philosophy encouraged the spread of public libraries across the United States. The first public library in the country opened in Peterborough, New Hampshire, in 1833.

The Burning of Library of Congress

Dec 24, 1851

A fire at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., destroyed about two-thirds of its 55,000 volumes, including most of Thomas Jefferson’s personal library, sold to the institution in 1815.

The Carnegie Influence

1881

Philanthropist Andrew Carnegie helped build more than 1,700 public libraries in the US between 1881 and 1919. In total, Carnegie gave away $350 million dollars to fund libraries.

Segregated Libraries

1930

Daring individuals started testing the boundaries of Jim Crow laws by requesting library cards or slipping into reading areas meant for “whites only.” In the 1950s and ‘60s, emboldened by highly publicized protests at lunch counters and on public transportation, as well as with the ruling on Brown v. the Board of Education, increasing numbers of organized sit-ins were held and law suits were filed to integrate local libraries.