Worldwide, only five chained libraries have survived with their original furniture, chains, and books. Recently, there has been increased interest in reconstructing chained libraries. Recent interest in saving and preservation As a result, books were chained to shelves to preserve information. Books were the prime target for thieves and impoverished students to steal and sell. In the Middle Ages, books were expensive and for the privileged, but they were highly valued. Papyrus was cheaper but could easily be destroyed and written over. Under-privileged scholars settled for columns of text bounded between boards and papyrus. The book pages were said to be made of cowhide, wood, leaves, clay, cloth, bark, metal, and unbleached animal skin, and was written in the language of the people. The books in this library date mostly from the 12th century and are therefore handwritten as they predate the printing press. Hereford Cathedral, in Hereford, England, has one of two chained libraries that still have chained books on its shelves. Another interesting example of a chained library is Florence's sixteenth-century Laurentian Library, designed by Michelangelo for Lorenzo de' Medici. It dates from 1868 and has 150 titles wrapped in lambs skin. It is one of the first in England and the second (demoted to third after Wells Cathedral chained library re-chained a number of their books) largest. Wimborne Minster in Dorset, England is yet another example of a chained library. The practice of chaining library books became less popular as printing increased and books became less expensive. While chaining books was a popular practice throughout Europe, it was not used in all libraries. Hereford Cathedral has the largest surviving chained library. There is also an example of a chained library in the Royal Grammar School, Guildford, as well as at Bolton School. Here it was not the books that were chained, but rather the readers were locked into cages to prevent rare volumes from 'wandering'. Marsh's Library in Dublin, built 1701, is another non-institutional library which is still housed in its original building. The library still exists and can justifiably claim to be the forerunner of later public library systems. The earliest example in England of a library to be endowed for use outside an institution such as a school or college was the Francis Trigge Chained Library in Grantham, Lincolnshire, established in 1598. To remove the book from the chain, the librarian would use a key. This is so that each book can be removed and opened without needing to be turned around, hence avoiding tangling its chain. Because of the location of the chain attached to the book (via a ringlet) the books are housed with their spine facing away from the reader, with only the pages' fore-edges visible. This is because if the chain were to be placed on the spine the book would suffer greater wear from the stress of moving it on and off the shelf. It is standard for chained libraries to have the chain fitted to the corner or cover of a book.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |