An Echo of the Past: Comparing 21st Century Academic Libraries to the Ancient Library of Alexandria

Constructed during the Ptolemaic dynasty and situated within the palace complex in Alexandria sat the crowning jewel of the ancient (and perhaps even the modern day) library realm. The Library of Alexandria was a wonder during its peak and remains so today, shrouded in the mystery of its devastating destruction. Very little is truly known about the outer and inner workings of this Egyptian treasure, but from what has been discovered interesting comparisons can be made to the modern libraries of today’s 21 century. Like the academic library of today, the Library of Alexandria was a center of learning, knowledge, and scholarship. “These scholars were engaged in the study of science (for instance, medicine, mathematics, astronomy) and in the study of literature (editing the major Greek texts such as Homer). As well as studying they seem also to have acted as teachers” (Andrew Erskine, Culture and Power in Ptolemaic Egypt: The Museum And Library of Alexandria). Although the academic libraries of today also hold books and other documents that may be read purely for enjoyment, their main focus is on education and knowledge.
Little is known about the exact layout of the Library of Alexandria but researchers have discovered that “the library was built in the Brucheion (Royal Quarter) in the style of Aristotle’s Lyceum, adjacent to and in service of the Musaeum (a Greek Temple or “House of the Muses”, hence the term “museum”), the library comprised of a Peripatos walk, gardens, a room for shared dining, a reading room, lecture halls and meeting rooms. This model’s influence may still be seen today in the layout of university campuses” (Wikipedia, The Library of Alexandria). Today’s modern libraries will generally contain reading rooms, lecture halls, meeting rooms, and staff offices and this design may have been pulled directly from the Alexandrian library. “The library’s contents were likely distributed over several buildings, with the main library either located directly attacted to or close to the oldest building, the Museum, and a daughter library in the younger Serapeum (a temple dedicated to the god Serapis) (Crystalinks, Library of Alexandria). This is very similar to how academic libraries in today’s society are also arranged. There may be one main library with several other buildings located at various places around campus. The buildings may even be dedicated to one particular subject, such as law or medicine.
In addition to the layout, the Library of Alexandria also contained an acquisitions department and a cataloguing department. The Library of Alexandria was charged with collecting all the world’s knowledge and it is believed that the library did so in some rather aggressive ways such as pulling books off of every ship that came into port. The texts would be copied swiftly, the originals placed in the library and the copies sent to the original owners. This helped the library’s collection to grow to an estimated 700,00 books at it’s peak. Today’s libraries acquire their collections differently but the need to collect books from a variety of resources is still apparent. Today’s academic libraries may collect their books from donors, booksellers, auctions, or publishers.
The organization of the library is rather a mystery but there was “always a librarian in charge, presumably appointed by the king, since the librarian often acted as a tutor to the royal family” (Erskine). The library was tied to royalty and not open to everyone. Only those involved in scholary work or in connection to the royal family had access…the general public did not. This also has some comparison to academic libraries in today’s society. Only those attending the college or university or working for that institution will have access to those materials. The academic library is not open to the general public like other public libraries. These libraries are intended for use by the students and staff only for academic purposes and checking out materials may involve using a college or university identity card.
We can see from these few comparisons that although we may think that the ancient Library of Alexandria is completely different from the modern libraries of today’s 21st century there are some similarities. By using Google, Google Scholar, Wikipedia, and the academic encyclopedia New World Encyclopedia I have been able to uncover the differences and similarities between these institutions and found that we may not have to look very far to roam the halls of this great wonder…it may be waiting for us on our own campuses.

Sources used:

Crystalinks, Library of Alexandria. http://www.crystalinks.com/libraryofalexandria.html

Erskine, Andrew. Culture And Power In Ptolemaic Egypt: The Museum And Library Of
Alexandria. (Found on Google Scholar)

New World Encyclopedia, Alexandria Library. http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Alexandria_Library

Wikipedia, Library of Alexandria. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libray_of_Alexandria

Reflections on the Academic Library

1.The first and foremost purpose of higher education in the United States is the education of its students. Without a basic education in math, science, literature, and history the student will lack essential knowledge of the world around him or her. This basic knowledge is the foundation of an educated life and without it a student cannot easily add the building blocks of his or her specialty field.

The second purpose of higher education in the United States is to provide the training necessary for its students to enter the field of their choice. These fields will vary depending on the school or university in question and it is ultimately up to the student to choose which school of university will suit him or her best. However, once a student chooses a school or university that provides training in the field of choice, it is the duty of that school or university to provide the best training and education possible in that particular field so that that student will be fully equipped to enter that field’s workforce after graduation.

The third purpose of higher education in the United States is one that may not be considered initially by students but is very important. A school or university should provide basic life skills and life experiences. A student should leave the halls of a school or university not only with knowledge in his or her field of choice but also in life and social interaction.

I believe that all of these purposes are important to all types of schools or universities and should be provided. A student leaving any school or university should have a basic, well-rounded education in math, science, literature, and history and a more detailed knowledge base and training in his or her chosen field, as well as experiences in life and social interaction. I believe that all of these skills are necessary for one to fully succeed in life.

2.Relating to the purposes listed above, the library plays a central role in higher education. The library is a central place of knowledge and research and provides the student with the tools necessary to reach his or her goals. The library provides everything from books on numerous topics, to journals and articles, videos, audio tapes, computers, printers, scanners, and nearly everything else that a student may need. A library can also function as a meeting place or simply a quiet place to study or read. Students may be able to access online databases so that if they are unable to go to the library itself they can still get the materials that they require.

However, libraries would not function without librarians. The librarians are essential to any library and especially academic libraries. The librarians are there to help the students find the information they are looking for. The librarians can also teach students the study and research skills that they need. They may help the students in their assignments by guiding them on a better research path. A librarian’s skills in research and information retrieval are pivotal in academic library settings.

3.I believe that organizational structure is important in any setting, even in libraries. Without structure the system would simply collapse on itself. Organization and structure gives a foundation to the library and allows everyone to know his or her role within that structure. Organizational structures furthermore means better work flow and in turn a better working atmosphere. In addition, it means that an employee will always know who to go to if he or she has a question or concern.

Because I have not truly entered the library science field yet, I have not developed a preference for any particular organizational structure or decision making process.