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These were not libraries in the modern sense so much as private archives, owned and controlled by religious orders or royalty and only available to a select few

These were not libraries in the modern sense so much as private archives, owned and controlled by religious orders or royalty and only available to a select few. The oldest public library in the world, as far as I know, is the Biblioteca Malatestiana, established in 1447 and owned collectively by the town of Cesena, Italy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malatestiana_Library https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malatestiana_Library In this image you can see the books still chained to their desks to prevent theft. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malatestiana_Library#/media/File:Sala_del_Nuti_6.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malatestiana_Library#/media/Fi... EDIT: It's worth mentioning that this is still Cesena's public library. Here's the library's website: http://www.comune.cesena.fc.it/malatestiana http://www.comune.cesena.fc.it/malatestiana. Check out the kid's section ("Ragazzi").

sandworm101 6y ago
Not all modern libraries are public. Many academic and law libraries are not public. So too there are internal libraries maintained by state organizations, mostly military, which are not public access. But there are all still "libraries".
- monadic3 6y ago
  Sure, private libraries are a thing. I don't understand why this is what you think of, though, do you not have a library in your city?
- SeanLuke 6y ago
  Of course. I'm just saying that while cultures have been cobbling together collections of stuff since time immemorial -- doubtless there were archives much older than these -- the really interesting innovation didn't occur until the Renaissance. Yet this article doesn't even mention it.
  - michaericalribo 6y ago
    That is one interesting innovation, but not the only interesting innovation: centralized repos of knowledge, scribes used to copy and thus distribute handwritten books, a dedicated focus to literacy(even by just a few privileged individuals)...those are all fascinating.
  - chrisseaton 6y ago
    > Yet this article doesn't even mention it. Yes because it's specifically about the older ones, and as you say your innovation is from... newer ones.
chrisseaton 6y ago
> These were not libraries in the modern sense so much as private archives Not sure why you think 'library' implies public? It just means a collection of books. Many libraries today are private, owned by institutions, religious orders, private families, universities, etc. I'd guess the majority are private?
lqet 6y ago
> These were not libraries in the modern sense so much as private archives, owned and controlled by religious orders or royalty and only available to a select few. Isn't this exactly the modern definition of a library? > A library is a curated collection of sources of information and similar resources, selected by experts and made accessible to a defined community for reference or borrowing, often in a quiet environment conducive to study. [0] [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library

sandworm101 6y ago

Not all modern libraries are public. Many academic and law libraries are not public. So too there are internal libraries maintained by state organizations, mostly military, which are not public access. But there are all still "libraries".

monadic3 6y ago
Sure, private libraries are a thing. I don't understand why this is what you think of, though, do you not have a library in your city?
SeanLuke 6y ago
Of course. I'm just saying that while cultures have been cobbling together collections of stuff since time immemorial -- doubtless there were archives much older than these -- the really interesting innovation didn't occur until the Renaissance. Yet this article doesn't even mention it.
- michaericalribo 6y ago
  That is one interesting innovation, but not the only interesting innovation: centralized repos of knowledge, scribes used to copy and thus distribute handwritten books, a dedicated focus to literacy(even by just a few privileged individuals)...those are all fascinating.
- chrisseaton 6y ago
  > Yet this article doesn't even mention it. Yes because it's specifically about the older ones, and as you say your innovation is from... newer ones.

chrisseaton 6y ago

> These were not libraries in the modern sense so much as private archives Not sure why you think 'library' implies public? It just means a collection of books. Many libraries today are private, owned by institutions, religious orders, private families, universities, etc. I'd guess the majority are private?

lqet 6y ago

> These were not libraries in the modern sense so much as private archives, owned and controlled by religious orders or royalty and only available to a select few. Isn't this exactly the modern definition of a library? > A library is a curated collection of sources of information and similar resources, selected by experts and made accessible to a defined community for reference or borrowing, often in a quiet environment conducive to study. [0] [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library