Dallas Public Library

The meaning of the library, a cultural history, edited by Alice Crawford

eng

Includes bibliographical references and index

illustrationsplates

index present

non fiction

The meaning of the library

bibliography

894625451

edited by Alice Crawford

a cultural history

"From Greek and Roman times to the digital era, the library has remained central to knowledge, scholarship, and the imagination. Generously illustrated, "The Meaning of the Library" examines this key institution of Western culture. Tracing what the library has meant since its beginning, examining how its significance has shifted, and pondering its importance in the twenty-first century, contributors -- including the librarian of the Congress and the former executive director of the HathiTrust -- present a cultural history of the library. Whether relishing an account of the Alexandrian Library or a look at the stylish railway libraries of nineteenth-century England, readers will find a survey of the library through time. Here, too, are the imagined libraries of fiction, poetry, and film, from Scheherazade's stories to "The Name of the Rose" and beyond"--Jacket flap