Vickipedia

LIBRARIES. The term library is applied indifferently to buildings, &c., destined to contain books, and to the books themselves deposited in these buildings. In the present article, it is used chiefly, if not exclusively, in the latter sense.

Passing over the ‘ libraries of clay,’ as the collection of inscribed bricks and tiles of the Assyrians and Babylonians have been aptly designated, the first library, properly so called, of which we have any knowledge, is that which, according to Diodorus Siculus, was formed by the Egyptian king Osymandyas. The existence of this establishment, with its appropriate inscription, Psyches iatreion—the storehouse of medicine for the mind—was long regarded as fabulous; but the researches of Champollion, Wilkinson, and other modern investigators, go far to prove that the account of Diodorus, thus perhaps exaggerated, is at least based upon truth. A more celebrated Egyptian library was that founded at Alexandria by Ptolemy Sorer, for an account of which see ALEXANDRIAN LIBRARY.The library of Pergamus, a formidable rival to that of Alexandria, was founded probably by Attains I., and was largely increased by the fostering care of his successors. As stated in the article just referred to, it was ultimately removed to Alexandria, being sent to Antony as a gift to Cleopatra. At the time that this transference took place; it contained, according to Plutarch, 200,000 volumes.

The first public library established at Athens is said to have been founded by Pisistratus; but the information we possess regarding this and other Grecian libraries is meagre and unsatisfactory. The earliest Roman libraries were those collected by Lucullus and by Asinius Pollio. The latter was a public library, in the fullest sense; and the former, though private property, was administered with so much liberality as to place it nearly on the same footing. Various other libraries were founded at Rome by Augustus and his successors; the most important, perhaps, being the Ulpian Library of the Emperor Trajan. The private collections of Emilius Paulus, Sulla, Lucullus (already mentioned), and Cicero, are well known to every student of the classics.

The downfall first of the Western, and subsequently of the Eastern Empire, involved the destruction or dispersion of these ancient libraries. The warlike hordes by whom these once mighty monarchies were overthrown, had neither time nor inclination for the cultivation of letters; but even in the darkest of the dark ages, the lamp of learning continued to shine, if with a feeble, yet still with a steady light. Within the sheltering walls of the monasteries, the books which had escaped destruction, the salvage, if we may so express it, of the general wreck, found a safe asylum; and not only were they carefully preserved, but so multiplied by the industry of the transcriber, as to be placed beyond all risk of loss for the future. Amongst the conventual libraries of the middle ages especially worthy of notice are those of Christ Church, and of the monastery of St. Augustine, Canterbury; of the abbeys of Fleury and Clugni, in France; of Monte Cassino, in Italy; and of St. Gall, in Switzerland. Private collectors, too, existed then as now, though, of course, their number was small. Amongst these, Richard de Bury, Bishop of Durham, holds a distinguished place.

The revival of learning in the 14th and 15th centuries, followed immediately by the invention of the art of printing, led naturally to a vast increase in the production of books, and introduced a new era in the history of public libraries. The number of these establishments which have since sprung into existence is immense, and is constantly increasing; so much so, that; a bare list of them would far exceed the limits of an article like the present. All, therefore, that we propose to do is to give a short account of the most important and interesting amongst them.

First among the libraries of Great Britain, and second to few, if to any abroad, is that of the British Museum. For an account of this magnificent collection, see BRITISH MUSEUM. Next in rank is the Bodleian Library at Oxford, which has been already described. See BODLEYAN or BODLEIAN LIBRARY. The third and fourth places are occupied by the Public, or University, Library of Cambridge, and the Library of the Faculty of Advocates at Edinburgh, which are nearly on a par as regards extent and value. A more particular notice of the latter will be found under the heading ADVOCATES’ LIBRARY; the number of volumes which it contains a present may be stated as not less than 265,000. The Library of Trinity College, Dublin, with about 192,000 volumes, is the largest and most valuble in Ireland. These five libraries have long been, and still are, entitled by statute to a copy of every book published in the empire; the act of parliament by which the privilege is at present regulated is the 5 and 6 Vict. c. 45. Besides the above, six other libraries had been in the enjoyment of the same privilege up to the year 1836. By the act 6 and 7 Will. IV. c. 110, which was then passed, the number was reduced from eleven to five; compensation for the loss of the privilege being allowed, in the form of an annual grant of money charged on the Consolidated Fund. The amount of this grant was, in each case, determined by a computation of the average annual value of the books received during the three years immediately preceding the passing of the act. The names of the libraries referred to, with the number of volumes they at present contain, and the annual sum received in lieu of the privilege, are as folows :

The minor libraries of Great Britain are so numerous, that a mere list of their names would exceed the limits within which an article like the present must be confined. Amongst those deserving special notice are the Library of the Society of Writers to the Signet, Edinburgh, containing upwards of 70.000 volumes; the Hunterian Library, Glasgow, with about 13,000 volumes, including many choice specimens of early printing; the Chetham Library, Manchester, upwards of 18,000 volumes; Dr. Williams’s Library, Red Cross Street, London, with more than 20,000 volumes, freely open to the public; the Archiepiscopal Library at Lambeth, containing at least 27,000 volumes; Marsh’s Library, Dublin, with about”l8,000 volumes; the Library of the Dublin Royal Society; and the libraries belonging to the different colleges at Oxford and Cambridge, some of which are of considerable extent and value. The Public Libraries’ Acts have been adopted by several of the large towns in Britain—Manchester, Birmingham, and Liverpool, and Glasgow being the most important. The free libraries established in these places under the provisions of the acts just named are in a flourishing condition. Of private libraries in England, it will be sufficient to name that of Earl Spencer, at Althorp, containing upwards of 50,000 volumes, many of extreme rarity and value, and all in admirable condition.

The great national library of France, La Bibliotheque du Roi, as it used to be called, La Bibliotheque Nationale, as it is called at present, is one of the largest and most valuable collections of books and manuscripts in the world. Attempts to form a library had been made by Louis XI. and his successors with considerable success; but the appointment of De Thou to the office of chief librarian by Henry IV. may be regarded as the foundation of the establishment as it now exists. The number of printed volumes contained in it is estimated at nearly 2,500,000, and of manuscripts at about 150,000. Amongst libraries of the second class in Paris, the Arsenal Library with 300,000 volumes, the Library of Ste Genevieve with 200,000, and the Mazarine Library with 160,000, are the chief. Many excellent libraries are to be found in the provincial towns of France, particularly at Rouen, Bordeaux, and Lyon.

Italy is rich in important libraries, amongst which that of the Vatican at Rome stands pre-eminent. The number of printed volumes is only about 200,000; but in the manuscript department the number amounts to no less than 25,000, the finest collection in the world. The Casanata Library, also at Rome, is said to contain upwards of 120,000 volumes. The Ambrosian Library, at Milan, has a collection of nearly 140,000 volumes; and the Brera Library of the same city, one of about 180,000. At Florence we find the Laurentian Library, consisting almost entirely of manuscripts; and the Magliabechi Library, with about 200,000 volumes. Amongst the other libraries of Italy worthy of notice are the Royal Library at Naples, with 200,000 volumes, and that of St. Mark at Venice, with 120,000, and 10,000 manuscripts.

The principal libraries of Spain are the Biblioteca Nacional at Madrid, numbering nearly 430,00 volumes, and the Library of. the Escorial, which has been already noticed. See ESCURIAL.—Of the libraries of Portugal, no trustworthy statistics can be obtained.

The Imperial Library at Vienna, founded by the Emperor Frederick III., in the year 1440, is a noble collection of not fewer than 400,000 volumes; of which 15,000 are of the class called incunabula, or books printed before the year 1500. The Royal Library at Munich owes its origin to Albert V., Duke of Bavaria, about the middle of the 16th century-. The number of volumes is estimated at 900,000, including 13,000 incunabula, and 22.000 manuscripts. It is worthily lodged in the splendid building erected by the late king, Ludwig I., in the Ludwig Strasse. The Royal Library at Dresden is a collection of about 500,000 volumes, amongst which are included some of the scarcest specimens of early printing, amongst others the Mainz Psalter of 1457, the first book printed with a date. The foundation of the Royal Library at Berlin dates from about the year 1650. It now extends to about 700,000 volumes of printed books, and 15,000 volumes of manuscripts. Of the other libraries of Germany, it will perhaps be enough to notice that of the university of Gottingen, with upwards of 500,000 volumes; the ducal library of Wolfenbüttel with about 270,000; and the university library at Strassburg, which, though founded only in 1871, had 513,000 books and manuscripts in 1882.

In Holland, the principal library is the Royal Library at the Hague, containing about 200,000 printed volumes, of which about 1500 are good specimens of early printing, and 4000 manuscripts.

The Royal Library at Copenhagen was founded about the middle of the 16th century. Its contents are now estimated at nearly 550,000 volumes. The University Library possesses nearly 200,-000 volumes; and Classen’s Library, also in Copenhagen, about 30.000.

In Sweden, the largest library is that of the university of Upsala, consisting of nearly 200,000 volumes. One of its chief treasures is the famous manuscript of the Gothic Gospels of Ulfilas, commonly known as the Codex Argenteus. The Royal Library at Stockholm is next in size, numbering upwards of 96,000 volumes.

The library of the university of Christiania in Norway, founded in 1811, contains upwards of 200,000 volumes.

The Imperial Library of St. Petersburg was founded about the beginning of the 18th century. In the year 1795, it was largely increased by the addition of the Zaluski Library of Warsaw which was seized and carried off to St, Petersburg by Suwaroff, At present the total number of volumes is estimated at and about 35,000 manuscripts.

In the United States of America, though there are no libraries equalling those of the first rank in Europe, there are still not few of considerable magnitude and value. The oldest and one of the largest among them is that of Harvard College, Cambridge, Massachusetts, which has been in existance for more than years, and contains about 260,000 volumes. Libraries are attached to the other collegiate institutions of the country. The Astor Library, New York, named after its liberal founder, was opened in 1854 with a collection of about 80,000 volumes, since increased to upwards of 190,000. It is in the fullest sense a free public library. The Library of Congress, the only library supported by government, to which a copy of every copyright book must be sent, is naturally the largest in the States, numbering about 400,000 volumes and 130.000 pamphlets. The Smithsonian Institution at Washington embraces in its plan the formation of an extensive library. But little progress has been made in carrying out this part of the scheme. The proprietary libraries numerous, and several of them are of considerable extent; that of Philadelphia, in the foundation of which Franklin was largely concerned, numbers upwards of 120,000 volumes; and that of the Boston Athenæum, founded in 1806, has 123,000. The Boston Public Library is the second largest, and perhaps the most widely useful library in the States; it now numbers 260,000 volumes. The New York Mercantile Library possesses 200,000 volumes.

See the Transactions and Proceedings of the Library Associatioj of the United Kingdom, and its Monthly notes.

* About three-fourths of these are lodged in King’s College, and the remainder in Marischal College.