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3000 BCE
Ancient Libraries
The first libraries held clay tablets with information imprinted into them. -
814
Medieval Libraries
Medieval libraries held some of the first actual books, and they were mainly in monasteries, as religious organizations found that keeping texts around was beneficial. -
1212
Libraries Started Lending Books
The Counsel of Paris made it so that anyone who was in need of the written word could not be denied it in a library. -
1300
University Libraries Start Appearing
More and more universities collected books as literacy rates grew higher. -
The Invention of the Printing Press
The printing press made it so books could be mass produced, so more and more libraries appeared and more libraries that already existed collected more books than what they had. -
Libraries in the New America
As soon as America was colonized, people were being taught to read, so they could be of help to this newfound society. -
Libraries Start to Become Public
Library companies, who sold stocks to keep their library open, started to pop up and make books more open to the public. This also made Louis Timothee the first librarian in America. -
Literacy Rates Increase Due To Libraries
From the 1600s to 1790, the rate at which men could write their names and become literate increased 30%. By 1790, 90% of men could write their names. -
The First Public Library Was Opened
Boston opened the first actual public library to their residents. -
Federal Funding Finds Libraries
President Lyndon B. Johnson signs an act that sends aid to libraries, so that people may have more easy access to books that contain useful knowledge about the world around them.