University Libraries

A look at early university libraries, reminding us as librarians of our beginnings and original mission, may prove instructive when considering contemporary academic libraries. An examination of library growth from the 12th-15th centuries, the evolution of scholarship, and subsequent technological innovations, permits insight into the development of modern research-oriented academic libraries. Before considering any movement outside the ivory towers of academia, it may be useful to consider university origins and primary mission. The twelfth century saw the rise of the first universities in the western tradition, at Paris, Oxford and Bologna, and later among other European cities. The universities quickly became the main avenue for training clerics and the ruling elite of various states. Many of these university traditions are handed down to the present, where a university education remains an essential component of intellectual and professional life. The library collections for these first universities were vestigial affairs, and it was not until the mid 14th century that buildings were erected with the specific purpose of holding library collections. What were these first university libraries like? How were books handled by early masters and scholars? How were books managed and what role did librarians have in the early days of the university? Examining the extensive secondary literature and the extant library catalogs and regulations of the medieval universities provides some sense of the archaic foundations of our profession. This poster session, part of ongoing research into university library history, will explore these questions and address the growth of university collections over several centuries. Photos and plans of early college and university libraries, the schema for the placement and organization of books, and various data surrounding librarian practices help illuminate early university library life. Reflecting on the use of libraries in the first universities may provide some insight into, and a rethinking of, contemporary academic library operation and function.