Salutations!

Going back through some old discussion board posts, I found that my INFO 5000 Introduction of Information Professions in Fall 2022 really opened my eyes to all that is within this varied world of library-ness. Below are the highlights from a historical examination of libraries that were quite interesting or unknown to me at the time. There were so many intriguing bits and bobs highlighted by Rubin and Rubin (2020) in Foundations of Library and Information Science that I am tempted to make an outline or two for some historical fiction I want to write someday centered on female librarians throughout history, such as what it must have been like to work in a special library in the 1920s learning to use microfilm as new technology (p. 41). My Top 3 new-to-me, curious, and/or surprising things from Chapter 2 are the Alexandrian Library in Egypt, the illuminated manuscripts of Scriptures in the Middle Ages, and the social libraries that went West.

I was first intrigued that the Alexandrian seems to be the historically and scholastically agreed-upon “first institution to embody the idea of systematically organized, collaborative, encyclopedic research” (as cited in Rubin & Rubin, p. 26). Honestly, I was floored to learn that the Library in Alexandria, Egypt — that iconic, legendary library, of which memes exist in droves it seems — was actually the brainchild of Greek military leaders wanting Alexandria to be the cultural hub for their empire. Previously, I had always assumed one Egyptian dynasty came up with the idea as a means by which to record the history of the world power known as Egypt and their daily life routines and belief systems up to that current reign with subsequent rulers merely adding to the growing body of knowledge. I also appreciated the fact that the Museum/Library as a combined institution housed together was focused on bringing to light all the world’s knowledge at the time into one physical place, so it would ambitiously “be a ‘universal’ library that promoted Greek language” while also including “Near Eastern traditions, including some of the great works of the Jews” (Rubin & Rubin, p. 27). However, I do not approve of the aggressive collection methods which saw fit to confiscate original on incoming trade ships for the purposes of copying them, only to return the copies back to their owners! I found the inclusion of systematic author and subject cataloging within the acquisition and processing details given by Rubin and Rubin’s citation of Wilson’s 1980 work to be interesting, and I especially enjoyed the mention of their ongoing conservation program (pp. 26-27). 

Secondly, not exactly having to do with the roles or functions of libraries as used by people per say, I relished the inclusion of illuminated manuscripts produced during the Middle Ages in monastic libraries. Any illuminated manuscripts of Scriptures have always fascinated me, especially those I saw during my visit to the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. last year. When thinking about the monks pouring over pages and ink for hours to result in these works of art, I definitely see the reverential intention to “reveal the beauty of God,” since I am a devout Christian myself, and understand that the mostly meticulous work “reflected the copyist’s realization that he was representing sacred words from Scripture” (as cited in Rubin & Rubin, p. 33). I found it amusing and encouraging that Clanchy’s 1979 work is quoted as mentioning the fact that visible use and display of these illuminated manuscripts “might have also been  inspirational to the laity and might have even served as an early incentive for literacy” (as cited in Rubin & Rubin, p. 33). Sometimes, seeing someone else with the book you want to understand is all it takes for you to do whatever you have to so you can access what that book has to offer.

Thirdly, I will always have a soft spot in my heart for the Westward Expansion period, thanks to a happy childhood reveling in the works and world of Laura Ingalls Wilder, so I perked up a bit when reading migrants West “took the social library model with them, which resulted in a wide variety of libraries — YMCA libraries, agricultural libraries, ‘ladies’ club,’ mechanics’ and mercantile libraries — all developed to meet the special interests of their particular constituencies” (as cited in Rubin & Rubin, p. 39). The entire concept of the social library was completely new to me. Previously, I had always considered all libraries, even if it was merely a physical location where small, select groups of people seemingly swapped purchased books routinely, would be free to any individual who wished to use the materials offered within said library spaces. If I have connected the dots properly regarding the progression, I understand social libraries to be an interesting precursor to circulating libraries, which, in turn, fostered public libraries as we know them today. I enjoyed the directory of various social libraries established after settlers moved into the wilds of the West, especially the ladies’ club libraries and the mercantile libraries. Who knew shopkeepers and general store owners needed their own specialized little libraries in territories past the Mississippi River and Rockies Mountains? I hadn’t considered it before, and similarly found, in the previous section documenting the types of 1876 libraries, the inclusion of saloon reading rooms, sewing circle libraries, and railroad libraries (as cited in Rubin & Rubin, p. 38) to all be amusing and thought-provoking from an author’s standpoint. For example, were the railroad libraries about railroads and equipment maintenance or was it for travelers to “take a book, leave a book” from stop to stop when riding the rails? Did sewing circle libraries branch out topically to include knitting? What items were available and used in the saloon reading rooms?

RLGing,

Sarah Hope

Reference: Rubin, R. E. & Rubin, R. G. (2020). Foundations of library and information science (5th ed.). ALA Neal-Schuman.