A History of the Library

From Privatized to Public

From a small collection of cuneiform tablets to the legendary Library of Alexandria to the creation of Gutenberg Press and the mass production of written works, the concept and physical abstract of a library has been ever-changing and evolving. Unfortunately, the library industry would not become a reality for several centuries, as written works and especially books were a sought after commodity and not often left in the hands of common people.

"Up until roughly the 18th century, virtually all books were considered valuable. Paper was expensive, and because much of the population was illiterate, books were nowhere near as commonplace as they are today. (...) This led monasteries and libraries to store their books in locked chests [and] cupboards or chained to desks or shelves." (Mitchell, J.D., 2020).

After the fall of the Alexandria Library and the loss of countless irreplaceable tomes, studies and manuscripts, the concept of a “library open to the public” would become far from reality and create a divide between scholars and the general population. This desire to keep educational and academic materials in a privatized collection would be a problem throughout history and for several decades, many institutions both Private and Public would suffer at their hands.

Chained to The Private Library. Courtesy of L.D. Mitchell of The Private Library.

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History of Libraries Presentation: The History of the New York Public Library

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History of Libraries Presentation: Speakers Notes

Exploring the History of A Public Monument

One of the most notable Public Libraries in the world today is the New York Public Library, not only for its physical size and surmountable collection, but it’s deep history in establishing the concept of a Public Library and the betterment of New York.

“By the second half of the 19th century, New York had already surpassed Paris in population and was quickly catching up with London, then the world's most populous city. (…) counted among its citizens [were] men who foresaw that if New York was indeed to become one of the world's great centers of urban culture, it must also have a great library.” (New York Public Library, n.d.).

Upon his death in 1886, Samuel J. Tilden, a man who had been a governor of New York donated a large portion of his wealth to a foundation that would establish and maintain a library free to all New York residents. In the years that followed, the Astor and Lenox libraries, both of which had been established years previous to Tilden’s death were facing financial implications as the city of New York refused to fund private libraries that held non-circulating or restricted collections.

This issue would force the hands of the boards associated with the two failing libraries and in 1892, a deal would be struck to combine their collections of the non-circulating libraries with several other pre-existing collections with the money left in Tilden’s trust fund to establish the first New York Public Library. Finally, in 1911, the library would be built and receive public and private funding, cementing them as one of the first open collections available to all; something that would change the world of information forever.

In the last century, the New York Public Library and the staff who run and maintain its services has suffered through several financial crises’, death threats and acts of violence, and various controversies. However, they have also stood strong in the face of adversity and maintained integrity and truth in all matters, rallying amongst their communities and fighting for the equality and equity of all, regardless of the identities that society uses to separate us.

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