The present writing presents the work of the librarian from the first traces that have been found (2000 years BC). In Mesopotamia, clay tablets that were used to classify and catalog indicate that this function was performed by a librarian, the role he played in Greek times, the Middle Ages to conclude with the role he plays in our society today and what is the ideal of the librarian in the technological age. The document tries to explain why in the XXI century the activity of a librarian is not valued, nor recognized as a fundamental part of the formation of individual knowledge.
Key words: librarian, library, technology.
Abstrac
This letter presents the work of the librarian from the first traces have been found (2000 years BC) In Mesopotamian clay tablets used to classify and catalog indicate that this function is performing a librarian, the role played in the Greek era, the middle ages to conclude with the role it plays in our society today and what is the ideal librarian in the technological age. The document aims to explain why in the XXI century the activity of a librarian is not valued or recognized as a fundamental part of the formation of knowledge of the individual.
Keywords: librarian, library, technology
In the annals of history (2000 BC) we find knowledge itself, seen through libraries and librarians. The first remains were found in Lagash Sumeria (Mesopotamia) in 1894. The clay tablets found revealed the use of classification and cataloging strategies, including the entry of the title of each work, the number of tablets that made it up, the number of lines, the starting words, important subdivisions and a symbol to locate it. At this time, the library of King Ashurbanipal was also discovered in the Sumerian city of Nineveh, which increased the knowledge of cuneiform writing and it was possible to decipher important bibliographic works of that culture, such as the poem of Gilgames, the oldest of humanity.These findings indicate that the person in charge of safeguarding and preserving the tablets was a librarian who must have had knowledge of the contents, the location, classification and mastery of writing systems such as the hieroglyph and the cuneiform.
In ancient Egypt (2400 BC) we find that the function of a librarian was performed by scribes who were instructed to work in what we know today as archives or libraries. At this time they used papyrus as a material for the conservation of the texts, which are vegetable fibers. The importance of scribes and / or librarians lay in their training, teachers instilled great respect for books, idealized the life and work of learned scribes such as: Ptahtotep, Hardjedef, Imhotep and Khety, promoting the idea that to write, transcribe and Keeping a book was more important than building a house or temple. A text and its work would endure beyond the material. There is information from scribes who had private libraries in which they applied their cataloging knowledge,classification and who were book authors, editors, literary critics, and proofreaders. They could have been the regulators of copyright.
Traces of well-preserved archives and libraries were found in Greece. They indicate that organizing and managing the literary production and the abundant commercial records required highly educated personnel. It follows that his task consisted of reviewing, comparing and editing the works of early writers. It is known that the largest and most famous library of that time (560 BC) was that of Alexandria, known as a museum and research house. Its first director was Demetrius of Phalerum and later Zenodotus of Ephesus, who promoted the growth of the collection and research to such a degree that it was necessary to open another library.
The strategy they used for the acquisition of works was that each ship that arrived at the port of Alexandria had the obligation to lend whatever book they had on board, to copy it by hand sometimes it took so long that it was not returned. Those in charge of directing these information centers were geographers, astronomers, poets, critics, and editors, among others.
It is worth mentioning Callimachus, who is credited with a work called "Tablet of those times that were remarkable in every phrase of the culture and their writings." He is also considered the author of the system of dividing extensive books into parts in order to handle them and store them easily. The technique of dividing his pinakes into eight categories: oratory, history, law, philosophy, medicine, lyrical poetry, tragedy, and miscellaneous. He has been considered the "father of Library Science" for his remarkable work on classification, cataloging, and administration. The role played by librarians of this time was of great importance for the development and preservation of culture.
In the Middle Ages (415-1492 AD) culture, knowledge and science were prohibited for the people, but the bibliographic production did not stop, the texts that were produced were of a religious nature, the objective was to submit to peoples through religion. Byzantine monasteries served as conservative centers for Greek and Roman cultures. These became static, isolated and forbidden places for the common people. The monks were in charge of transcribing religious manuscripts or relating biographies of saints or ecclesiastical authorities. Greek texts were banned and were in the custody of a book treasurer or apprentice, so it is considered that a librarian received an education according to the artisan model. All monasteries had a scriptorum,place where books were transcribed, classified and protected. In some monasteries the library and the scriptorum were in the same place, so it is believed that the copy was made by a librarian. The punishments that were imposed on them when they did not correctly conserve the documents and arrange them were expulsion or forced them to eat only bread and water for several days. Another characteristic of this time is the emergence of university libraries whose objective was to educate young people in areas such as theology, philosophy and history. The library activity intensified in the functions of collection, protection of translation, transcription, cataloging and classification of manuscripts.Private libraries became famous who hired librarians for the safeguarding and classification of these materials; they generally came from noble families or were prominent university students. Culture and knowledge were concentrated in spiritual and religious life.
During the Renaissance (Movement that originates in Italy that tries to rescue Greco-Latin ideas and texts in literature, natural sciences, medicine, art, philosophy, etc.) the librarian played an important role, participating in the tasks of collection, copying, editing, acquisition or bibliographic advisor of private libraries. Another type of libraries that appears in this period are the Pontifical ones where the work of the librarian was of utmost importance because he made expeditions to different monasteries in order to obtain new texts for the papal collection. Librarians were people who were prepared, educated, and capable of suggesting which works should be purchased.
With this background we verify that societies are not static but tend to change in all aspects. Thus, in the 20th century, an attempt was made to change the name of librarian, due to the appearance of documentation and the emergence of information science; But authors like Jesse Shera believed: "That he was a documentary maker and he considered that there were no differences between the functions of the documentary maker and the librarian."
Between the 1960s - 1970s, technology originated a different design in the library world, the appearance of audiovisual materials as sources of information, led to the incorporation of new content in traditional libraries until then. In the mid-eighties, the use of computers, networks and internet sites produced changes that modified the structure of libraries and the librarian has had to confront technology and its practices without losing the objective of the libraries of the past.
The role of the librarian in the technological age is a task that involves the development of various aspects: such as the commitment to be a professional in library science and information management. Have knowledge in restoration, bookbinding, conservation, know different languages, be skilled in managing personnel with the ability to analyze, synthesize.
It must be updated, reading, informing about social, economic, political, religious aspects, among others. In addition, mastering computer tools, managing databases, indexes of magazines and electronic books, etc.
It is also important that you know basic topics about psychology, sociology, economics, administration, human relations. Promote reading and study in all kinds of information sources. We need a comprehensive and humanistic librarian who knows about many subjects, who correctly guides those who need information and who faces the challenges of the technological age.
We live in a time of demands where machines have made everything happen faster and the same thing happens with information. The user demands prompt and effective attention, otherwise they stop attending the information centers.
It is observed that the role of the librarian in society has not been able to be rescued from the marked artisanal action (activity that consisted of binding, organizing, managing and preserving books) that was assigned to him in the past and even with all the technological revolution that currently We face the librarian is not accepted in society as an important element in the formation of knowledge. It is the commitment of those of us who belong to this branch of knowing how to respond, not only with aptitude but with attitude, to the challenges involved in being recognized and valued as intermediaries between information and knowledge in this cybernetic society.
REFERENCES:
- Kolesas, Mabel, An introduction to the role of the library in 21st century education: From the garden to the tertiary. 1 to - Buenos Aires: Fondo de Cultura Economica, 2008. 142 p.Rodríguez Gallardo, A. (2003) humanistic education of the librarian: Towards recovery. Mexico: UNAM: CUIB. 327p. Librarianship and Information Science: subordination, exclusion or inclusion? Dr. C. Radamés Linares Columbié1 http://scielo.sld.cu/scielo.php?pid=S1024-94352004000300007&script=sci_arttext Medical libraries and their professionals * https: //es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinakes
