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3200 BCE
Writing
Cuneiform is the earliest form of written language known. It originated in Sumer some time in 3200 BCE. It is thought to be used to track transactions/ book keeping. This would later be replaced with alphabetic writing. Writing obviously plays a large role in libraries simply for the fact that without writing there wouldn't be books. -
3000 BCE
Papyrus
Papyrus started to be used as a paper. This process involved softening the papyrus strips, weaving them into a mat shape, and then pounding it flat and letting it dry in the sun. This is considered to be the first form of paper which would lead to the creation of modern paper and books by relation. -
700 BCE
The Library of Ashurbanipal
The first ever known library belonged to the Assyrian ruler Ashurbanipal. It was a private collection of 30,000 cuneiform tablets organized by topic. Archaeologists discovered its ruins in the mid 19th century. Many of the tablets were about religious and scholarly topics. A few however, were literary works such as "The Epic of Gilgamesh". -
323 BCE
The Library of Alexandria
Alexander the Greats successor, Ptolemy i Soter, wanted to create a center of learning in the city of Alexandria and thus the Library of Alexandria was born. The Library of Alexandria is well known despite little being known about it. It is thought to have held 500,000 papyrus scrolls at its peak. These scrolls would have held information on topics such as math, science, law, history, literary works, and more. It is widely considered to have met its demise in 48 B.C.E. -
1436
Printing Press
The printing press was created by the German goldsmith Johannes Gutenberg. The printing press allowed to texts to be mass produced. Rather than wood blocking each letter by hand the printing press stamped the entire text in one sitting. The printing press lessened the cost of books and made them more accessible. The mass production of books created more possibility for public libraries. -
The First Public Library in America
The first accepted public library in America was founded by Benjamin Franklin and was for members.The library was the Library Company of Philadelphia and was supported by its members. This was the library that started public libraries in America. -
Peterborough Town Library
Peterborough was founded in Peterborough, New Hampshire and was the first free, public, tax supported library in the world. This set up a future of free public libraries that are provided by the government. This would've made texts open to the general public in areas that may not have been able to access it before. -
The Children's section
The Children's Section in libraries across the U.S didn't exist until 1904. Caroline Hewins established a separate room for children's books at the Hartford Public Library. She found a lack of welcoming to children's interest in reading and decided to write a report to the ALA which led to the very first children's section. This furthered public libraries usage and popularity as young people could share the love of reading. -
Andrew Carnegie's Donation
Andrew Carnegie donated more than 40 million dollars to fund 1,679 public library buildings between 1886 and 1919. He credited his education and success to a library he had access to in his youth. Carnegie's donation brought public libraries to areas they had never reached before. His donation aided the change that the public library movement brought to libraries across America. -
Checking Out Books Became Electric
Before 1932 checking out books was a written process by using the "two card system". This system worked by each book having a card where every checkout was written. The electrically operated book charging system changed the game. The new system embossed used an embossed borrower's card that would be registered to a borrower's ID on a book card and filed by call number. This made checking out books more efficient. -
Project Gutenberg
Michael Stern Hart started Project Gutenberg; the first e-book. He wanted to send a mass email of the Declaration of Independence but was prohibited due to the amount of people. He then came up with the idea of uploading hand typed books and texts for public access. This was the first form of a free digital library. Source -
U.S Public Libraries + Internet
Public Libraries in America first start to adopt internet usage in the 90's. This broadened the use of libraries. This made libraries a place where people could study and use computers. When the Internet eventually became our way of doing mundane tasks such as job applications. Libraries adapted and became a place of accessibility for those who didn't computers or internet at home.Source -
The World Wide Web
Tim Berners -Lee followed through on his plan in 1990 creating Hypertext Transfer Protocol and Universal Resource Identifier. He then created a browser to put all of this information in an easy to read format; this was the World Wide Web. This was the start of information at our fingertips. We would no longer rely on public libraries for information.
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The First E-Reader
The first e-reader was the Rocketbook created by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning. The device was plugged into a computer to download books. Barnes and Noble picked up and sold 20,000 Rocketbooks within a year. Thus, the start of electronic reading devices. These devices allow access to many books over having a limit you can check out at a library. Source -
Creator Space
After a technological boom, libraries changed and adopted new uses. Libraries started to become a place of creation in the 2010's. Some libraries have begun to offer resources such as video editing software, workshops, and more. This opens up new opportunities for the creativity that libraries have nurtured for so long. Source