A Bibliophile Finds a Library in Prague

By Wendy Braun.

Libraries and books are a passion of mine. As an advocate of good children’s literature, I made a resolution last January to visit as many libraries (especially their children’s departments) as I could in 2011, posting about each on my blog.

I didn’t realize at the time that my resolute passion would take me not only to many wonderful libraries in California(and one in Bloomington, Indiana), but to a Medieval monastery library in the Czech Republic.

Peace, awe, order and curiosity. Those are the words that came to mind as I stood staring into the doorways of two of the most beautiful rooms I have ever seen: The Halls of Philosophy and Theology at the Strahov Monastery Library inPrague.

Walls lined with shelves, full of old books, above which were gilded wood carved decorations, and ceilings splashed with frescoes:

The library collection contains approximately 200,000 volumes, stored in the halls and adjacent depositories.  Many of the works were printed between 1501 and 1800.

My husband and I were being shown the sites of the charming Czech city of Pragueby, by our oldest son, David, who is currently studying two  semesters abroad at FAMU – The Film and TV School of theAcademyofPerforming ArtsinPrague. (He is enrolled as a student in the School of Film/Video Experimental Animation Program at CalArts – California Institute of the Arts – a college in Valencia, California, started by Walt Disney in the early 1960’s.)

In doing Internet searches about libraries for my blog, as well as sites to see during our travels, I had come across photos of the Strahov Monastery Library, and put it down as a “must see” for our trip.  The monastery itself was founded in 1143, and is the site of not only the beautiful Library Halls and Cabinet of Curiosities, but also The Basilica of Assumption of Our Lady Strahov Church, the monastic “St. Norbert’s Brewery” (yes, it was amazing), and an attached Museum of Miniatures.

Our visit to that monastery library left me wanting to explore more about the history of libraries. They’ve certainly come a long way over the centuries, these days often looking more municipal than museum-like, but they will always be an integral part of our history, culture, and communities.

Whether you frequent modern libraries in order to borrow free books, have a quiet place to read or do research, or so your kids can enjoy story time or free Internet, don’t forget to also visit historical libraries (in the U.S. and abroad), which are beautiful preservations of art and architecture, as well as “home” to books.

 EARLY HISTORY OF BOOKS AND LIBRARIES

From the start, civilizations needed some type of repository for their written works. The first “books” (mainly public records) were inscribed with a stylus onto clay tablets by the ancient Mesopotamians.  Some ancient library archives had shelves built in the walls to stack the tablets; others employed the use of baskets or earthenware jars.

Over time, literature developed – epics, myths, science, and history.  I’m sure most of us were assigned in school to read the Epic of Gilgamesh, the ancient Babylonian creation story, which was originally recorded on clay tablets!

In ancient Egypt, papyrus scrolls were used to write on. These were most often stored with labels attached, so the whole scroll wouldn’t have to be unrolled in order to identify its contents.

By 600 BC in ancient Greece, the first public libraries (in beautiful structures built by leading citizens) – as well as private and personal libraries – were beginning to flourish–with large collections of both fiction and non-fiction works inscribed onto parchment rolls.

The Chinese imperial library history dates back to the Qin Dynasty (221-201 BC). The first library classification system in China was established during the Han Dynasty. The library catalog during this time was written on scrolls of fine silk and stored in silk bags.

 SOMETHING NEW:  CODEX

Beginning in the second century in Rome, literature, science, and technical information began to be recorded onto wax coated wooden boards, which were stacked and then bound.

These bound tablets became known as “codex”, with parchment eventually replacing the boards.

New libraries emerged in European monasteries during the Middle Ages, concentrating on acquiring and copying manuscripts in the codex form only (as opposed to on scrolls).

With the invention of the printing press by the German, Johannes Gutenberg, around 1440, mass-produced books in codex form became widely available to everyone – not just royalty, the church and scholars.

SOMETHING NEWER: THE DIGITAL AGE

In recent years, with the increased use of the Internet to gather and retrieve data, we’re now witnessing the birth of books in electronic digital format on glowing computer screens – “virtual” books.

However, as we advance forward into the digital age, let’s not leave behind our past!

You can be sure that the gradual shift to e-books and digital libraries will greatly impact our culture and communities.  Traditional book lovers and library enthusiasts like me can’t help but wonder how e-books will transform our physical experience with real books and our visits to libraries–after all, the original archives were “physically communal” places, not “digitally communal” files or websites.

I’m sure time will work out the balance of e-books alongside traditional codex books.  No doubt, through the digital world we have information instantly at our fingertips,; but how can we possibly resist the physical aspects of “real” books and the library structures that house them:

The touch and feel of pages to be turned, the smell of ink and paper and the shelves where these friends are neatly stacked.

 I plan to keep going to libraries in 2012.  How about you?

 LIBRARIES NOT TO MISS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (with exceptionally good children’s departments)

Los Angeles Central Public Library

City of Camarillo Public Library

Cerritos Library

Huntington Beach Central Public Library

Orange Public Library

 GOOD READS ABOUT LIBRARIES

-Source for the historical information in this post: The Library: An Illustrated History, by A.P. Murray.

-Find more about the history of the Strahov Monastery Library here.

-A great article by Lisa Newton from Travelin’ Local about Andrew Carnegie’s legacy of libraries in LA.

Wendy Braun moved with her husband Tom in the 1980′s from Santa Barbara to Orange County, where they ended up staying to raise and homeschool their three (now grown) children. As a recent empty-nester, she stays busy blogging about children’s literature and working from home for a small publishing company. When she’s not reading or blogging, she enjoys traveling with her husband, walking in the hills above her home, visiting and promoting local libraries, cooking (as little as possible), and volunteering at a local soup kitchen. Once a week, you can find her at home serving coffee, tea, and goodies to her friends who (often with little ones in tow) stop by to experience good old fashioned, face-to-face conversation and time with each other. Her blog, “Good Books For Young Souls,” can be found at http://goodbooksforyoungsouls.blogspot.com/