Introduction
As we well know at present, each person who enters an institution as part of their activities as part of their research activities supported by documents that have some scientific validity and these documents are commonly found in libraries that is why in this work we will talk about the The importance that this currently has by attaching ourselves from its origin until today, since unfortunately some individuals have lost the habit of attaching themselves to them, that is why we must ask ourselves questions such as since when do I know that there is a library? How important is it to us? How many libraries are there?
As a fundamental point we will address from its origins:
Ancient Libraries
Ebla Library
Starting with “ebla (Arabic) was an ancient city-town in northern Syria, an ancient city, about 55km southeast of Aleppo. It was an important city-state in two periods in 3000 BC and then between 1800 BC. and 1650 BC ”and is currently known as Tell Mardikh and is very famous thanks to the fact that today it has more than 20,000 cuneiform tablets that have lasted approximately since 2250 BC and have a linguistic variant of the Eastern Semitic language and part of the epigraphic materials are in the regional museum of Syria. Part of its style was made of cane because cane was abundant in the swampy lands of the near east and these are divided into three types such as the triangular one that forms the cradles,the point for the nails and the round to write down any type of figures and at that time the priests were in charge.
Its discovery is due to an Italian expedition, which in 1975 discovered two rooms in the palace with 17,000 fragments of tablets (about 4000 texts).
Asurbanipal Library
It was a great library in the Assyrian city of Nineveh, started by King Sargon II, who reigned from 722 to 705 BC. C. and enlarged by king Asurbanipal (669-627 a. C.). It was located in the palace grounds.
The library consisted of a collection of tables made of clay, covered in fine writing and tight on both sides. Up to 22,000 tablets were collected, found under the rubble of the royal palace in Nineveh. It was famous and highly regarded since its inception. When the Babylonians destroyed Nineveh under Nabopolassar in 612 BC. C., destroyed much of its content.
It is the most complete collection that is known of cuneiform writing, a cultural legacy left by King Ashurbanipal who, according to the written news that is preserved about his life, showed a great interest in the knowledge and science of Mesopotamia and gave order to search and confiscate all possible tablets, especially in Babylon. In them you can find the most diverse topics:
- GrammarDictionaryOfficial city listsMathematics and astronomy treatisesMagic booksReligionScienceArtHistoryLiterature
Lagash Library
Another library that was founded was Lagash City by the Sumerians more than 6,000 years ago. On the mound were archives of the E-Ninnu temple, holy place of the patron God of Lagash, Ningirsu or Ninib. Some 3,000 clay tablets with inscriptions keeping business records reveal details of the administration of the ancient Babylon temple, the types of properties, the method of distributing land, commercial, industrial and business contracts. Before the archives were extracted, the galleries were looted by the Arabs, many tablets were sold and they spread throughout Europe and America. The first fragments of tablets were found in the excavation of the ruins of that library in the 19th century since more than 70 were found.000 fragments of tablets it is deduced that it was one of the most important libraries of that time. The lagash files were kept in small rooms that communicated with each other without doors and were cut off from the outside, so access would have to be made using stairs. On the walls there were masonry benches, about 50cm. deep, on which the tablets rested directly, or placed in containers such as: clay-coated wicker baskets or jugs. The origin of the book dates back 5,000 years. (Mesopotamia is now part of Iraq and part of Seria).The lagash files were kept in small rooms that communicated with each other without doors and were cut off from the outside, so access would have to be made using stairs. On the walls there were masonry benches, about 50cm. deep, on which the tablets rested directly, or placed in containers such as: clay-coated wicker baskets or jugs. The origin of the book dates back 5,000 years. (Mesopotamia is now part of Iraq and part of Seria).The lagash files were kept in small rooms that communicated with each other without doors and were cut off from the outside, so access would have to be made using stairs. On the walls there were masonry benches, about 50cm. deep, on which the tablets rested directly, or placed in containers such as: clay-coated wicker baskets or jugs. The origin of the book dates back 5,000 years. (Mesopotamia is now part of Iraq and part of Seria).
Library of Ephesus
It was built between 100 and 110 AD by Gayo Julio Aquila. This library is built on top of a funeral home. The library was destroyed in 270 AD because it burned down, but it was not rebuilt. Ephesus is the oldest library.
Papyri began to be used before scrolls and were made of rags. They were invented in Egypt. The important people associated with the library were: Gaius Julio Aquila (the builder) Celsus (the creator) Tiberius Lulius Celsus (the senator) Gaius Lulius Aquila (The son of Celsus)
The front part of the library is in Istanbul (Turkey). In the Vienna Museum a life-size model of Ephesus has been made after the library and the scrolls were burned, the surviving ones are in the Vienna museum and the fake ones in Ephesus.
Egyptian Libraries
We owe the first news of an Egyptian library to Diodorus Siculus or Sicily, who in his historical library (written in the 1st century BC) quotes Hecateus of Abdera who on his trip to Egypt visited what he called the monument to the king osimandias or ozymandias, and in it places “the sacred library” where it is written “clinic of the soul”. This passage is collected by Serlio and Justus Lipsius, who describe that the existence of libraries in Egypt was frequent, especially in temples, being cared for by the same priests.
It seems that the name of ozymandias is an alteration of user-maat-re, the Egyptian name of Ramses II, and that the building where the library would be found is the ramesseum, a funerary and commemorative temple located in the Theban necropolis, he lo he called "The million-year-old temple of User-Maat joined with Thebes in the inheritance of Amun west of Thebes." It was built just north of the temple of Amenhotep III. Its construction lasted from the beginning of his reign until the year 22. At the Ramesseum some architectural innovations were used, such as the use of sandstone instead of adobe to build the first pylon.
Monastic Libraries
The libraries of the monasteries were essential for the preservation of Western culture throughout the High Middle Ages and much of the Lower Age.
During those centuries, almost all the knowledge inherited from the previous era resided in the monasteries, which in turn exercised an effective filter that separated the sacred from the profane and in many cases condemned the latter to disappearance.
In the Iberian Peninsula, the first monasteries were founded by Mozarabic religious, of wide culture, who came to the north fleeing from Muslim domination and who gathered the enormous influence of San Isidoro de Sevilla and his Regula monachorum. These monasteries date from the 8th and 9th centuries, such as those of Samos, San Cosme or San Miguel de la Escalada, and in their texts the Visigothic letter and the text in two or three columns were still used. During the Reconquest, the Hispanic kings encouraged (or even financially sponsored) the founding of new monasteries in the reclaimed lands, such as Silos. In the Marca Hispánica (northern part of Catalonia) the monasteries of Ripoll and San Cugat stood out, whose monastic libraries were among the most important in Europe.
The texts of a monastic library were divided on the one hand into literary texts (mostly religious; we will deal with them a little later) and on the other hand into administrative texts: in them the properties and wealth of the monastery, lawsuits and concessions were recorded., etc. These texts were of great importance to the abbey and were preserved in voluminous volumes called cartularios, tumbos or calf books. If the library grew to a considerable size, these administrative volumes could be kept in a separate room and the person in charge did not have to be the same as the one in the library.
Cathedral Libraries
These Episcopal schools had grown up around the cathedral library, which in turn had to evolve to cope with the new demand for books and intensive use.
Initially, and in a similar way to the monasteries, there was no room dedicated to the library and the books were read next to the cabinets where they were kept, in the cloister, or they were distributed among several rooms. As the collections grew, a specific room had to be allocated for them, with a normally long floor plan, with numerous small windows and desks or benches next to the walls.
Due to the danger of fire, artificial lighting was prohibited; you could only read with the one that came through the windows. The volumes were usually grouped by theme and were secured with chains to a bar, next to their corresponding desk.
Within the Iberian Peninsula, initially the most important were in al-Andalus, under the influence of Muslim libraries. Thus stood out those of Toledo, Córdoba and Seville. Later, the cultural centers drifted north along with the Mozarabic emigration: Oviedo, León, Santiago, Pamplona or Urgel.
However, the one in Toledo always held a privileged position because it was the primary cathedral of the Spanish church, and its library remained active since the Visigoth period. The works of many Andalusian centers arrived there. Already during the Christian era, its funds allowed the work of the Toledo School of Translators, in the 12th and 13th centuries legal compilations and some scientific treatises.
Vatican Library
Although the Vatican Library proper was founded in the 15th century, its origins date back to at least the 5th century, when its activities began in the Lateran Palace, residence of the popes. From there came numerous donations directed to all of Europe to support evangelization and the foundation of monasteries, and in its building the pilgrims who arrived in Rome could consult and copy the works to return with them to their lands.
In the 13th century, a large part of the library was destroyed for unknown reasons (it could have been a fire; it would not be the last). The re-founded library was called Bonifatiana, in honor of Boniface VIII, and had more than four hundred codices.
During the following century, the one that concerns us here, the history of the library undergoes various vicissitudes. With the transfer of the papal see to Avignon (present-day France, then the territory of Naples) at the beginning of the century, the pontifical library was also moved; the Lateran Palace was abandoned, and in 1307 and 1361 suffered serious fires.
In Avignon the pontifical library, the Avignonians, was organized again. It was in the palace itself, in the Tower of the Angels, and came to have about two thousand volumes, something that no other equaled in its time. He was there until the 1370s, when the Western Schism caused funds to be dispersed between Rome and Avignon, and many even marched to Peñíscola at the end of the century, accompanying Benedict XIII, Pope Luna.
Modern Libraries
National Library of France
The project by Dominique Perrault, architect of the National Library of France, was chosen by François Mitterrand on August 21, 1989, constituting the greatest cultural work of his mandate.
The National Library is made up of a plinth surrounded by four angular towers, 79 meters high: the Tower of Times, the Tower of Letters, the Tower of Laws and the Tower of Numbers.
In each tower, we find eleven floors dedicated to the specimen warehouse and seven office floors.
The garden is located in a sunken courtyard of more than one hectare of surface. The reading rooms are arranged on two levels around the patio, facing the garden, which gives them a calm and pleasant atmosphere.
The François Mitterrand Library has the most important archive in France, with 395 linear kilometers of books stored.
But the BnF, as it is also known, is also made up of two galleries that host several exhibitions a year, as well as other cultural events, conferences, colloquia, research days and concerts, which take place in the large auditorium of the East Hall.
National Library of Spain
The National Library of Spain is an autonomous body3 in charge of the deposit of the bibliographic and documentary heritage of Spain. Dedicated to gathering, cataloging and preserving bibliographic funds, it guards around 30 million publications produced in national territory since the beginning of the 18th century: books, magazines, maps, engravings, drawings, scores, brochures, etc.
It disseminates this bibliographic heritage through its catalog and the elaboration of the Spanish Bibliography and develops services to the public that range from consultation rooms and remote services through its website, to specialized bibliographic information services and loans. interlibrary.
Access to the Library's digital collections is made through the Hispanic Digital Library. Through the Library Museum, the collections, operation and history of the National Library are disseminated. It also develops a program of cultural events.6 It is located at number 20 Paseo de Recoletos in Madrid, sharing a building with the Museum and also has a second headquarters in Alcalá de Henares.
On December 29, 1711, King Felipe V approved the plan presented to him by his confessor Pedro Robinet and Melchor de Macanaz to create a Royal Library. The creation of this was a dynamic element of eighteenth-century Spanish culture, with the mission of "renewing historical scholarship and exposing the true roots of the Spanish nation and monarchy." Soon the construction of its headquarters began in the passage that linked the Real Alcázar of Madrid with the Convent of the Incarnation.
The Royal Library was opened to the public on March 1, 1712. On January 2, 1716, Felipe V signed the founding Royal Decree, which clarified the public nature of the library, open to "all scholars" and established the rules fundamental for its operation.
When the library opened its doors, its collections were made up of materials from the private collections of the monarchs of Spain, Felipe and Felipe V, who had more than 6,000 volumes brought from France.
The first specimens that were incorporated into the collection were confiscated from the Austrianists, who lost the War of Succession, such as the Marquis of Modéjar and the Duke of Uceda. To this collection were added some private libraries of nobles such as the Count of Aguilar and the Duke of Medinaceli. In 1715, the Royal Library already had 28,242 printed books, 1,282 manuscripts and 20,000 medals.
National Library of Mexico
The National Library of Mexico, also known by its acronym BNM, was founded on November 30, 1867 by the then president Benito Juárez, who by decree definitively established its headquarters in the San Agustín temple.
The library was inaugurated on April 2, 1884 and opened its doors with approximately 91,000 volumes, which included manuscripts, incunabula (books printed in Europe in the 15th century) and New Spanish prints.
In 1914 the BNM was linked to the National University of Mexico and when the latter obtained its autonomy, in 1929, the National Library became an integral part of the UNAM. In 1967 the Bibliographic Research Institute was created to administer and coordinate BNM, which twelve years later moved from the old San Agustín temple to its current headquarters, in the University Cultural Center.
In this decree the building of the Colegio de Santos was destined to house the Library, and Manuel Eduardo de Gorostiza was appointed as its director. In order to develop its bibliographic collection, in addition to a budget for the purchase of books, those of the mentioned college and those belonging to the University were allocated to it.
Although the political struggles between liberals and conservatives postponed the formation of the National Library of Mexico, there were no shortage of characters who were interested in its creation. Another attempt was that of José Mariano de Salas, by decree of November 30, 1846, in which the "Legal Deposit" was also instituted, by means of which the printers of the District were obliged
Federal and the Territories to send to the National Library of Mexico a copy of everything published in their workshops.
With the decree of September 14, 1857, Ignacio Comonfort abolished the Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico and ordered that the building, the books, funds and other assets that belonged to him were destined for the formation of the National Library of Mexico.
Libraries today
Egade's library
It has material in the areas of Administration, Marketing, Business and
Finance, among others, mainly divided into:
Library Catalog available at
- Around 12000 volumes of books, theses. More than 80 titles of periodicals. More than 140 titles of video, DVD and multimedia material.
Digital Library available at
- Databases with thousands of journals, newspapers and research journals in different languages. Statistical information from official sources.
To have access to all Library services it is essential to have the PIN::
Personal Identification Number that allows access to the Digital Library, as well as the loan of materials.
Electronic library
It is the one that is richly equipped with microelectronic equipment and telecommunications facilities, which will allow access to information in electronic format ´in situ´or long distance; and in the collections of these libraries all kinds of materials and formats will coexist.19 Pilar Moreno refers to all the functions of a Library that are managed electronically: example, acquisitions, cataloging, loans, etc.
According to Alfonso Pérez, she is the one who has been able to integrate information technologies in the field of her daily work, permanently and efficiently, in such a way that it allows her to create new information with added value; It is one that has been able to store all the information on electrical, magnetic or digital media. It is one that has been able to keep pace with the growth and updating of information in the world. A large ATM network, Internet subnets, many logical networks, which has allowed us to create a magnificent and extraordinary virtual workspace.
Digital library
For JW Berry, it is the library where the user can access the universe of knowledge more quickly, from his desk or communications terminal. In this sense, it is affirmed that people stop depending on the library as a building Another author, Shigeo Sugimoto, says that it is the generic expression that designates federated structures that allow human beings access, both intellectual and material, to the mass huge and continuously growing amount of information circulating around the world, in coded form, through digital multimedia networks.
Virtual library
According to Andrea Duda, it is suggested that there is a lot of similarity between these terms, but he does not believe that the virtual library is different from the digital one; both are available on the network unlike the electronic one that only uses the possibilities of the network.
According to another work, one or more databases of electronic and digital texts also offer online or virtual services. The difference between digital and virtual libraries is that the first refers only to content and the second to both: content and services.
In conclusion, it seems that the virtual library is the one that differs the most from the others, because it never had a printed collection or a building and is created from digitized documents and sites. It is important to note that despite incorporating virtual reality, it is still a library. Due to its objective and its processes, she attends the selection and acquisition, the synthetic analytical processing of the information, and the organization of the information and services.
