Julius Caesar planned to establish a public library for public use a library of Greek books and one of Latin books, both as big as possible to enhance Rome’s cultural status by giving a public library. Caesar appointed Marcus Terentius Varro, a famous scholar and book collector, to gather copies of the best-known literature for a Roman public library. However, these plans were cut out when Caesar’s assassination in 44 B.C. The arrangement that Caesar had planned – two sections for Greek works and Latin works separately- became standard structure of Roman libraries.The First Public Library in Rome by Gaius Asinius Pollio
The first Roman public library was founded by Asinius Pollio- statesman, commander, poet, historian, and one of Caesar’s supporters- in 37 B.C. It was centrally located just off the Forum and had two sections, one for Greek works and another for Latin works that Caesar had planned for his library.
The second/third Libraries in Rome by Emperor Augustus Caesar
The second public library was called “Library of the Temple of Apollo” or “the Palatine Library” and it was divided into Greek and Latin sections, like Caesar’s plan. This library on the Palatine Hill was one of the two major libraries in Rome for several hundred years.
The third public library was in the Porticus Octaviae, a magnificent structure built in honour of Octavia, his sister Octavia and was dedicated to the memory of her son who had died in 23 B.C.
I used the book called Libaries in the ancient world and found more information through State Library of Victoria database and Google wiki and history directory.
My next Blog would be Trajan Library.
References:
Ewald, Laura 2004, Library Culture in Ancient Rome, 100 B.C. – A.D. 400, Kentucky Libraries, vol. 68, no. 1, Winter, pp. 9-11. OmniFile Full text Mega, WilsonWeb, viewed 11 April 2010.
Casson, Lionel 2001, Libraries in the ancient world, Yale University, New Haven and London
Augustus, photograph, 2010, Wikipedia, viewed 22 April 2010, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaius_Julius_Caesar_Augustus
‘Porticus Octaviae’ 2010, Wikipedia, viewed 22 April 2010, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porticus_Octaviae
Your research content is coming along nicely but you need to include a little more information about your research process and strategies. Things lke - where are you looking? Google, google scholar, databases, university library catalogues, public libraries or the State Library? Are you keeping to the structure outlined in your research brief or is that proving difficult? But your images are up - have you found any videos you could use?
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