The Story of Libraries: From the Invention of Writing to the Computer Age

by Fred Lerner

Libraries are significant on many levels. Their existence shows the depth and history of a people, culture, and nation, while their inclusiveness highlights the level of democracy that exists there. Fred Lerner's overview of the history of libraries sheds light on an invaluable part of human life often taken for granted:

Though writing may have been invented to record land ownership and keep track of debts, it was not long before poets, priests, and prophets found other uses for it. My aim ... is to trace the evolution of libraries and to explore the role they played in society, from the invention of writing to our own day and beyond.

He considers the Afro-Asian origins of the earliest libraries in Mesopotamia and in ancient Egypt, leading up to the glory of the Alexandria library. The book moves on, through classical Greece and the medieval institutions of Europe's Dark Ages to the Renaissance, in which Europeans benefited greatly from the collected scholarship of Islamic and Asian civilizations. Modern libraries like the United States Library of Congress, the British Library, and France's Bibliothèque Nationale are also examined, as well as the technological advances of the computer and the Internet, which will undoubtedly transform and expand the function of the library in the 21st century and beyond. -- Eugene Holley Jr.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Librarianship, Textbooks, Books About Books, Read For School, Education

256 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1998

Reviews

[Meghan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lerner is a chauvinist jerk with a hard-on for Melvil Dewey.

Other than that it's a pretty good intro to the history of American and European libraries.

[Agnes Silfverswärd · Rating 2 out of 5]

If I had to spend a whole weekend reading this book, it’s damn well gonna go towards my yearly tracking

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for a course in International Librarianship. It was, in my opinion, one of the only redeeming moments in the course. I love history in the first place and this book was very detailed and informative and INCREDIBLY readable. I would actually read parts of it out loud to my boyfriend when we went camping this summer and he was also interested in it. He's going to read it now that I'm done.

[Emi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lo dicho, las lecturas que necesitaba para hacer mi trabajo son fascinantes. Algunos libros, como éste, sólo los he mirado por encima y he leído capítulos sueltos, pero me he quedado con ganas de leerlos con calma más adelante.

Hacer el trabajo de final de grado ha sido muy duro, pero las lecturas han sido muy interesantes y entretenidas. He tenido muuuuucha suerte con eso.

[Christen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provides a good historical foundation for libraries, their roles in the world and how they've developed alongside technology over the centuries. It's quite interesting!

[Lovisa ✨️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Om jag kommer räkna min kurslitteratur i mitt reading goal? Absolut.

[K · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book attempts cover the topic of libraries globally throughout history, so it's a big ask. You can feel how big the ask in in the later chapters, which strain to address giant topics in modern library science as easily digestible chunks. The earlier chapters, which break down topics by global location and/or time period, are more readable - but given quotes like "As the developing countries of Africa, Asia, and Latin America produce their own scientific and technological infrastructure, they will make their own contributions to increasing [the volume of literature's] bulk" (which, admittedly, is from the end of the book) you have to wonder how effective the rest of the "global" coverage is.

[Ezekiel Levy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Necesito para mis estudios

[LaMarx · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only read part of the book for a course. I plan to back around to the unread chapters at a later date.

[Doc Kinne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a better book than the reviews give it credit for, in my opinion (either that or the other books on the subject are really going to be fantastic!). The overview of library history was very readable, and the second half of the book that dealt with library issues - including modern library issues - was a good high level overview as well. This book won't teach an MLS anything new, but its a good overview for those of us with an interest in libraries, but no formal background in the subject.

[Alekz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do not like the fact that he sort of blames the bad status of the librarian profession on women and their allowance to work as a librarian, there's so much more to this whole thing.
But other than that, a pretty interesting book. (I read this for school.)

[Gwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

to review for Information Today

[Kharla Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting progression of how we came to have the books and libraries we have now

[Alice Chau-Ginguene · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a very interesting book but very academic. I think it will be a good reference book rather than for leisure read.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm game for reading anything about the history of libraries, and this one is a good, solid, survey.

[darce vader · Rating 3 out of 5]

A problematic text for me. Only gives two paragraphs to the mention of women. Very male-centric.

[Lindsay · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was sexist, elitist, and pretentious. It was very American-centric, with Britain as a runner up. It was torture to read, but I had to for school.

[James]

Worldcon library panel recommendation

[Kyla Belvedere]

I've finally finished my "sleepy" book, which I have been pulling out in the middle of the night when my imagination won't let me sleep, as no book has ever made my eyes heavy like this one. It was required reading.