Course Syllabus
S580: History of Libraries
Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis
School of Library and Information Science
Instructor Information
Name - Annette Lamb, Ph.D.
Address - PO Box 206 Teasdale UT 84773 (I often travel during the semester)
Email - alamb@eduscapes.com or anlamb@iupui.edu
Phone - 435.425.3415
Personal Page - http://eduscapes.com/lamb
Overview
From stone tablets to digital tablets, the history of libraries is a fascinating exploration of
culture, politics, and society around the world. Whether exploring the great Library of
Alexandria or rural libraries of the 1900s, there's something for everyone interested in
understanding the impact libraries have had on life through history.
Regardless of whether you're interested in academic, school, public, corporate, health,
and/or other special library settings, this course is a great elective. To plan and succeed in
the future, we must learn from the past!
Course Description
From hidden walls in the libraries of Ancient China to book burnings of the 20th century,
the history of libraries is filled with intrigue and adventure along with censorship and
destruction. History has never been so relevant AND exciting!
This three-credit hour graduate course focuses on the development of libraries and
information services from earliest times to the present, with emphasis on the library in
relation to social, economic, cultural, and political trends.
This course will expand your thinking about the essential role of history in understanding
academic, school, public, and/or special libraries. It will be taught entirely online including
web-based readings and resources, threaded discussions, plus online presentations and
activities.
Choices allow graduate students with varied backgrounds and interests to select activities
that meet their professional needs. Each student will have the opportunity to examine a
personal or professional area of interest within the history of libraries.
S580: History of Libraries
Course Syllabus
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Course Assumptions
The following entry skills are required for this course:
Demonstrate technology skills including use of productivity tools (i.e., word processing,
spreadsheet, presentation), web development tools, social media, and utilities (i.e.,
downloading drivers and plugins).
Identify, select, access, and evaluate information found on the Internet and in the
library.
Use Oncourse for forums and information sharing.
This course makes the assumption that you are able to work independently. There are no
required face-to-face meetings. There are no required synchronous online meetings.
However, feel free to e-mail or arrange a chat with your instructor at any time.
Learning Objectives
Students will be able to:
•
discuss issues in the writing of library history
•
describe the development and role of libraries throughout history
•
identify great libraries and what made them effective in their time
•
identify key figures, events, inventions, and movements in library history
•
order the major historical development in librarianship
•
describe the types and functions of libraries at various points in history
•
trace the development of different types of libraries
•
discuss the context in which libraries exist in each time period
•
compare libraries across cultures and history
•
compare libraries from one period of history to another
•
identify key issues related to the rise and fall of libraries including social, political,
cultural, and environmental considerations.
•
discuss the role of libraries in the development of human culture
•
discuss the current status and future of libraries globally
S580: History of Libraries
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The instructor will:
• encourage critical and creative thinking related to librarians and librarianship
• convey examples of theory, techniques, and models relevant to libraries and
librarianship
• judge student performance fairly in accordance with the SLIS grading policy and the
expectations for the assignments outlined in this syllabus.
MLS Program, Graduate Program and ALA Competency Connections.
This course addresses competencies related to the MLS program in the following areas:
 Work Effectively Within and Across a Variety of Organizational Structures
 Conduct and Analyze Research
 Demonstrate Basic Technical Expertise
 Approach Professional Issues with Understanding
This course is connected to the Principles of Graduate and Professional Learning in the
following areas:
 Demonstrating mastery of the knowledge and skills expected for the degree and for
professionalism and success in the field
 Thinking critically, applying good judgment in professional and personal situations
 Communicating effectively to others in the field and to the general public
 Behaving in an ethical way both professionally and personally
This course addresses a number of ALA competencies. According to ALA (2009), a person
graduating from an ALA-accredited master’s program in library and information studies
should know and, where appropriate, be able to employ:
 Foundations of the Profession
 Information Resources
 Technological Knowledge and Skills
 Research
 Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning
Course Materials
S580: History of Libraries
Course Syllabus
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The course content will be accessed through a series of web pages. In addition to readings
and presentation materials, the pages also contain reflective questions and individual
exercises to reinforce key concepts.
Required Online Course Materials
• Syllabus - http://eduscapes.com/history/course/syllabus.htm
• Email Archives - http://eduscapes.com/history/course/archives.htm
• The Requirements - http://eduscapes.com/history/course/require.htm
• The Course Readings - http://eduscapes.com/history/index.htm
• Oncourse Sharing Area - http://oncourse.iu.edu
Required Print Materials
Battles, Matthews (2003). Library: an Unquiet History. WW Norton Co. 0-393-02039-0.
This is available in varied formats:
Paperback - http://www.amazon.com/Library-Unquiet-History-MatthewBattles/dp/0393325644
Kindle - http://www.amazon.com/Library-An-Unquiet-History-ebook/dp/B004MPRAAM
Course Assignments and Assessments
The learning objectives will be assessed through a series of activities, a history timeline,
and a final project. Course assignments are intended to help students apply the course
materials.
The course requirements will be addressed within the online guide. The requirements
include:
Six Actio Assignments
• Actio 1: The Beginnings - 9 Points
• Actio 2: Ancient Libraries - 9 Points
• Actio 3: Early Libraries - 9 Points
• Actio 4: Modern Libraries - 9 Points
• Actio 5: Contemporary Libraries - 9 Points
• Actio 6: Futures - 7 Points
Library History Timeline - 18 Points
S580: History of Libraries
Course Syllabus
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Final Project - 30 Points
For an overview of the requirements, go to Course Requirements at
http://eduscapes.com/history/course/require.htm
For a description of the assignments, go to the Course Guide at
http://eduscapes.com/history/course/courseguide.htm
For a nice checklist of the course activities, check out Course Checklist at
http://eduscapes.com/history/course/checklist.htm
Course Grades
The points awarded for each activity are indicated on the Course Requirements. High
expectations have been set for this course. Please notice that outstanding achievement will
require careful attention to course criteria and exceptional quality in course assignments.
Final grades are based on the following range within the total 100 points possible:
A 98-100
A- 95-97
B+ 92-94
B 89-91
B- 86-88
C 80-85
D 75-79
F below 74
The meaning of the letter grades follows the SLIS Grading Policy:
A: Outstanding achievement. Student performance demonstrates full command of the
course materials and evinces a high level of originality and/or creativity that far surpasses
course expectations. The grade of A+ is not granted in SLIS, except in very exceptional
cases.
A-: Excellent achievement. Student performance demonstrates thorough knowledge of
the course materials and exceeds course expectations by completing all requirements in a
superior manner.
B+: Very good work. Student performance demonstrates above-average comprehension
of the course materials and exceeds course expectations on all tasks defined in the course
syllabus.
B: Good work. Student performance meets designated course expectations, demonstrates
understanding of the course materials, and has performed at an acceptable level.
B-: Marginal work. Student performance demonstrates incomplete understanding of
course materials.
S580: History of Libraries
Course Syllabus
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C+, C, C-: Unsatisfactory work and inadequate understanding of course materials.
D+, D, D-: Unacceptable work; course work completed at this level will not count toward
the MLS degree.
F: Failing. May result in an overall grade point average below 3.0 and possible removal
from the program.
Late and Incomplete Work
Students may request an assignment extension due to personal or professional
emergencies. These requests must be made prior to the due date. Extensions beyond a
couple days will result in lose of points.
A final grade of "I" or "Incomplete" will NOT be given except in extreme situations. Please
let me know if you're having difficulty completing the requirements of this course.
IUPUI Mission Statement
The Mission of IUPUI is to provide for its constituents excellence in
 Teaching and Learning;
 Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity; and
 Civic Engagement.
With each of these core activities characterized by
 Collaboration within and across disciplines and with the community;
 A commitment to ensuring diversity; and
 Pursuit of best practices.
IUPUI’s mission is derived from and aligned with the principal components—Communities
of Learning, Responsibilities of Excellence, Accountability and Best Practices—of Indiana
University’s Strategic Directions Charter.
IUPUI Values Statement
IUPUI values the commitment of students to learning; of faculty to the highest standards of
teaching, scholarship, and service; and of staff to the highest standards of service. IUPUI
recognizes students as partners in learning. IUPUI values the opportunities afforded by its
location in Indiana’s capital city and is committed to serving the needs of its community.
Thus, IUPUI students, faculty, and staff are involved in the community, both to provide
educational programs and patient care and to apply learning to community needs through
S580: History of Libraries
Course Syllabus
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service. As a leader in fostering collaborative relationships, IUPUI values collegiality,
cooperation, creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship as well as honesty, integrity, and
support for open inquiry and dissemination of findings. IUPUI is committed to the personal
and professional development of its students, faculty, and staff and to continuous
improvement of its programs and services.
Student Academic Conduct
There is extensive documentation and discussion of the issue of academic honesty in the
IUPUI Student Code of Conduct.
Students should be sure to read the Student Code of Conduct. The Academic Handbook
states that faculty members have the responsibility of fostering the “intellectual honesty as
well as the intellectual development of students.... The faculty member should explain
clearly the meaning of cheating and plagiarism as they apply to the course… Should the
faculty member detect signs of plagiarism or cheating, it is his or her most serious
obligation to investigate these thoroughly, to take appropriate action with respect to the
grades of students, and in any event to report the matter to the Dean of Students. The
necessity to report every case of cheating, whether or not further action is desirable, arises
particularly because of the possibility that this is not the student’s first offense, or that
other offenses may follow it. Equity also demands that a uniform reporting practice be
enforced; otherwise, some students will be penalized while others guilty of the same
actions will go free.” (p. 172). For more information, go to http://www.iupui.edu/code
Student Accommodations for Disability
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that
provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other
things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning
environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities.
Students needing accommodations because of disability must register with Adaptive
Educational Services and complete the appropriate form before accommodations will be
given. The AES office is located in Taylor Hall Room 127, 815 W Michigan St Indianapolis,
IN 46202 and may be reached by phone 317/274-3241 or 317/278-2052 TTD/TTY; by fax
317/274-2051; or by email aes@iupui.edu
For more information, go to http://diversity.iupui.edu/aes/
Administrative Withdrawal
A basic requirement of this course is that you will participate in class and conscientiously
complete writing and reading assignments. Keep in touch with me if you are unable to
attend class or complete an assignment on time. If you miss more than half our class
assignments within the first four weeks of the semester without contacting me, you will be
administratively withdrawn from this section. Our class has assignments each week; thus if
you miss more than three assignment in the first four weeks, you may be withdrawn.
Administrative withdrawal may have academic, financial, and financial aid implications.
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Administrative withdrawal will take place after the full refund period, and if you are
administratively withdrawn from the course you will not be eligible for a tuition refund. If
you have questions about the administrative withdrawal policy at any point during the
semester, please contact me.”
Learn more at http://registrar.iupui.edu/withdrawal-policy.htmlCourse Content
Overview
Topic 1:
The History and Beginnings of Libraries
• Historiography of Librarianship
• History of Libraries: Past and Present Status
The Beginnings - http://eduscapes.com/history/beginnings/
Readings - Battles (Reading the Library, 3-21)
Assignment - Actio 1: The Beginnings
Topic 2:
Ancient Libraries (to 500CE)
• Mesopotamia and Alexandria
• Near East - Byzantine & Islamic
• Greek and Roman
• Far East
Ancient Libraries - http://eduscapes.com/history/ancient/
Readings - Battles (Burning Alexandria, 22-56)
Readings - Battles (House of Wisdom, 56-81)
Assignment - Actio 2: Ancient Libraries
Topic 3: Early Libraries (500-1700)
• Rise of Libraries Around the World
• Medieval Libraries and Scriptoria
Early Libraries - http://eduscapes.com/history/early/
Readings - Battles (Battle of the Books, 82-116)
S580: History of Libraries
Course Syllabus
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Assignment - Actio 3: Early Libraries
Topic 4:
Modern Libraries (1700-1900)
• Age of Incunabula
• Middle Ages: Private Libraries
• Renaissance Libraries and the University
• Modern Period Libraries
• American Libraries: Antebellum Period
• Libraries Around the World
Modern Libraries - http://eduscapes.com/history/modern/
Readings - Battles (Books for All, 117-155)
Assignment - Actio 4: Modern Libraries
Topic 5: Contemporary Libraries (1900-2000)
• Libraries: 1876-1945
• Libraries: 1946 to 1959
• Libraries: 1960-2000
Contemporary Libraries - http://eduscapes.com/history/contemporary/
Readings - Battles (Knowledge of Fire, 156-192)
Assignment - Actio 5: Contemporary Libraries
Topic 6:
Today and Tomorrow
• 2001-2012
• Current Status
• Futures
Today and Tomorrow - http://eduscapes.com/history/future/
S580: History of Libraries
Course Syllabus
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Readings - Battles (Lost in the Stacks, 192-214)
Assignment - Actio 6: Futures
Course Resources
These are NOT required readings. Instead they provide the foundations for the course.
References are made to many of these materials in the online readings.
Adkins, D. (2002). The digital library and younger users. In G. E. Gorman (ed),
International Yearbook of Library and Information Management, 2002-2003. Library
Association, 133-156.
Altick Richard, D. (1963). The English Common Reader: A Social History of the Mass
Reading Public. University of Chicago Press.
Backhouse, J. & British Library (2000). Medieval Rural Life in the Luttrell Psalter.
University of Toronto Press.
Bain Jr., James (August 1999) Canadian libraries. The Library Journal, 25(8), 7- 10.
Basbanes, Nicholas (2004). A Splendor of Letters. Perennial.
Basbanes, N. A. (1995). A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal
Passion for Books. H. Holt and Co.
Basbanes, Nicholas (2003). Patience & Fortitude. Perennial.
Battles, Matthew (2003). Library: An Unquiet History. W.W. Norton.
Berners-Lee, T. & Fischetti, M. (1999). Weaving the Web: the Original Design and
Ultimate Destiny of the World Wide Web by its Inventor. Harper San Francisco.
Birt, Theodor (1907). Die Buchrolle in Der Kunst. (German) Available:
http://books.google.com/books?id=zTQxAAAAMAAJ
Boyd, Clarence Eugene (1915). Public Libraries and Literary Culture in Ancient Rome.
University of Chicago Press. Available:
http://books.google.com/books?id=KSZKAAAAMAAJ
Bringhurst, R. (2004). The Solid Form of Language. Gaspereau Press.
Brook, Timothy (1996). Edifying knowledge: The building of school libraries in Ming China.
Late Imperial China, (17)1, 93-119.
Brown-Syed, C. & Sands, C. B. (1997). Librarians in fiction; a discussion. Education
Libraries, 21(1). Battles, Matthew (2008). Library: An Unquiet History. W. W. Norton.
Bowe, Carole (Winter 2011). Recent trends in UK prison libraries. Library Trends, 59(3),
427-445.
S580: History of Libraries
Course Syllabus
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Burpee, L.J. (May 1904). The library outlook in Canada. Public Libraries, 9(5), 195-197.
Casson, Lionel (2001). Libraries in the Ancient World. Yale University Press.
Canfora, L. (1989). The Vanished Library. University of California Press.
Cantor, N. F. & Schneider, R. I. (1967). How To Study History. Crowell.
Carmicheal, D. W. (2003). Organizing Archival Records : A Practical Method of
Arrangement and description for Small archives. AltaMira Press.
Carpenter, Kenneth E. (1996). Readers & Libraries: Toward a History of Libraries and
Culture in America, Library of Congress.
Cart, M. (2002). In the Stacks: Short Stories about Libraries and Librarians. Overlook
Press.
Casson, Lionel (2001). Libraries of the Ancient World. Yale University.
Chappell, W. (1970). A Short History of the Printed Word. Nonpareil Books.
Christ, Karl (1984). The Handbook of Medieval Library History. The Scarecrow Press.
Clark, John Willis (1901). The Care of Books. Cambridge University Press Warehouse.
Available: http://books.google.com/books?id=uvQ_AAAAYAAJ
Cogliati Arano, L. (1976). The Medieval Health Handbook Tacuinum Sanitatis. London,
Barrie & Jenkins.
Coleman, Sterling Joseph (2008). Empire of the Mind: Subscription Libraries, Literacy,
and Acculturation in the Colonies of the British Empire. Available:
http://books.google.com/books?id=fP-9bKK7yxkC&pg=PA17
Constable, G. (1976). Medieval Monasticism : a select bibliography. University of
Toronto Press.
Day, R. E. (2001). The Modern Invention of Information : Discourse, History, and
Power. Southern Illinois University Press.
de Bury, Richard. The Philobiblon of Richard de Bury. Amazon Press.
Dennys, R. (1976). The Heraldic Imagination. Barrie & Jenkins, Anson-Cartwright
Editions.
Dzielska, M. (1995). Hypatia of Alexandria. Harvard University Press.
Edwards, Edward (1859). Memoirs of Libraries. Trubner & Co. Available:
http://books.google.com/books?id=l60FAAAAMAAJ
Eisenstein, E. L. (1993). The Printing Revolution in Early Modern Europe. Cambridge
University Press.
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Elayyan, Ribhi Mustafa (June 1990). The History of the Arabic-Islamic libraries: 7th to 14th
centuries. International Library Review, 22(2), 119-135.
Ellis, I. C. (1996). Book Finds : How to Find, Buy, and Sell Used and Rare Books. Berkley
Pub. Group.
Floud, R. (1973). An Introduction to Quantitative Methods for Historians. Methuen.
Gaskell, P. (1978). A New Introduction to Bibliography. Oxford University Press.
Gellrich, J. M. (1985). The Idea of the Book in the Middle Ages: language theory,
mythology, and fiction. Cornell University Press.
Green, J. (1996). Chasing the Sun: Dictionary Makers and the Dictionaries They Made.
Henry Holt.
Greetham, D. C. (1994). Textual Scholarship : an Introduction. Garland Pub.
Harris, Michael H. (1995). Modern European libraries. In, History of Libraries in the
Western World, Fourth Edition, Scarecrow Press, 1995, 207-239, 241-297.
Haskins, C. H. (1927). The Renaissance of the Twelfth Century. Harvard University Press.
Haskins, C. H. (1957). The Rise of Universities. Great Seal Books.
Habermas, J. (1979). Communication and the Evolution of Society. Beacon Press.
Harris, Michael H. (1995). History of Libraries in Western World. Scarecrow Press.
Howard, R. J. (1982). Three Faces of Hermeneutics : an Introduction to Current
Theories of Understanding. University of California Press.
Hutton, Cate (March 1997). High-altitude librarianship: The adventures of an ALA Library
fellow in Tibet. Information Technology and Libraries, 30-33.
Innis, H. A. & Godfrey, D. (1986). Empire & Communications. Press Porcepic.
Jackson, Sidney L. (1974). Libraries and Librarianship in the West: a Brief History.
McGraw Hall.
Lasky, K. & Hawke, K. (1994). The Librarian who Measured the Earth. Boston, Little,
Brown and Company.
Kennedy, Brian (August 15, 2005). After Seattle. Library Journal, 34-37.
Leedham-Green, Elizabeth (1999). University libraries and book-sellers. In Lotte Hellinga &
J. B. Trapp (ads), The Cambridge History of the Book in Britain, Vol. III, 316-353.
Leedham-Green, E. & McKitterick (1999). Ownership: private and public libraries. In John
Barnard and D. F. McKenzie (ads), The Cambridge History of the Book in Britain, Vol. IV
(1557-1695), 323-338.
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Lerner, Fred (1999). Libraries through the Ages. Continuum Publishing.
Liao, Jing (Spring 2004). The Genesis of the modern academic library in China: Western
influences and the Chinese response. Libraries & Culture, 39(2), 161-174.
Manguel, Albert (2008). The Library at Night. Yale University Press.
McKerrow, R. B. (1967). An Introduction to Bibliography for Literary Students.
Clarendon Press.
McKittrick, David (1986). The limits of library history. The History of Books and
Libraries: Two Views, Library of Congress, 17-32.
Morris, W., E. D. LeMire, et al. (1969). The Unpublished Lectures of William Morris.
Wayne State University Press.
Mount, E. and Massoud, R. (1999). Special Libraries and Information Centers. Special
Libraries Association.
Murphy, Stuart A. P. (2009). Libraries: An Illustrated History. Skyhorse Publishing.
Murray, K. M. E. (1979). Caught in the Web of Words. Oxford University Press.
Pearsall, D. A. & Salter, E. (1973). Landscapes and Seasons of the Medieval World. Elek.
Petsalis-Diomidis, Alexia (2010). Truly Beyond Wonders: Aelius Aristides and the Cult
of Asklepios. Oxford University Press.
Petchey, W.J. (2004). The Intentions of Thomas Plume. Trustees of the Plume Library.
Available: http://www.thomasplumeslibrary.co.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2009/01/Intentions.pdf
Peterson, L. (2002). Digital versus print issues. In G. E. Gorman. (ed), International
Yearbook of Library and Information Management 2002-2003. Library Association,
26-44.
Petroski, Henry (1999). The Book on the Bookshelf. Alfred A. Knopf.
Pisani, A. (1992). Euro-librarianship: Shared Resources, Shared Responsibilities.
Haworth Press.
Putnam, George Haven (1898). Books and Their Makers During the Middle Ages. G.P.
Putnam’s Sons.
Ranganathan, S.R. (1988). The Five Laws of Library Science, 2nd Edition Sarada
Ranganathan Endowment for Library Science, UBS Publishers' Distributors.
Ricketts, C. S., Rogers, B., et al. (1899). A Defence of the Revival of Printing. Hacon &
Ricketts.
Robertson, D. W. (1962). A Preface to Chaucer: Studies in Medieval Perspectives.
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Princeton University Press.
Rouse, Roscoe (1966). The libraries of nineteenth-century college societies. In David Kaser
(ed), Books in America's Past: Essays Honoring Rudolph H. Gjelsness, University Press
of Virginia, 26-42.
Shera, J. H. and D. J. Foskett (1965). Libraries and the Organization of Knowledge.
Archon Books.
Shores, L. (1965). Mark Hopkins' Log, and other essays. Shoe String Press.
Sibai, M. (1987). Mosque Libraries: An Historical Study. Mansell Publishing.
Smalley, B. (1960). English Friars and Antiquity in the Early Fourteenth Century. Basil
Blackwell.
Spofford, Ainsworth Rand (1900). The history of libraries. In, A Book for All Readers,
Designed as an Aid to the Collection, Use, and Preservation of Books and the
Formation of Public and Private Libraries, Putnam, 287-320.
Struve, Lynn (August 14, 1987). Going by the book." Times Literary Supplement, 877.
Thaler, M. (1997). The Librarian from the Black Lagoon. Scholastic.
Thompson, J. W. (1939). The Medieval Library. The University of Chicago Press.
Updike Daniel, B. (1980). Printing Types : Their History, Forms and Use: A Study in
Survivals. Dover.
Watters, Thomas (1904). On Yuan Chwang’s Travels in India 629-645 A.D. Royal Asiatic
Society. Available: http://www.archive.org/stream/cu31924071132769
Weitzmann, Kurt (1970). Illustrations in Roll and Codex. Medieval Librarianship, 11-50.
White, T. H. & Cambridge University Library (1984). The Book of Beasts : being a
translation from a Latin bestiary of the twelfth century. Dover.
Willison, R. (1980). On the History of Libraries and Scholarship, Library of Congress.
Winchester, S. (1998). The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and
the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary. HarperCollins Publishers.
Wriggins, Sllay (1996). Xuanzang: A Buddhist Pilgrim on the Silk Road. Westview Press.
Wright Cyril, E. (1973). English Heraldic Manuscripts in the British Museum. British
Library Board by British Museum.
Xian, Fa; tr. by James Legge (1886). A Record of Buddhistic kingdoms; being an account
by the Chinese monk FA-HIEN of his travels in India and Ceylon, A.D. 399-414, in
search of the Buddhist books of discipline. The Clarendon Press. Available:
http://www.archive.org/stream/recordofbuddhist00fahsuoft
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Bibliographies
Looks for more ideas? Try one of the following bibliographies.
Johnson, W.A. (2002). Ancient Libraries: An Evolving Bibliography. Available:
http://classics.uc.edu/~johnson/libraries/library_biblio.html
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