Post 5 Public libraries as a part of public bath and origin of branch library etc.

In Roman Empire, imperial public libraries are distinguished by two types. One type of libraries is attached to a temple like Augustus’s on palatine Hill, another type of libraries is in the forum within a large complex like Trajan’s. Trajan’s was the last of such libraries to go up. This does not mean that construction of public libraries in Rome came to an end. It went on, but in a special place where the libraries clearly served a wider and different audience. Imperial libraries were incorporated in the imperial public baths.
Public baths became so popular that by the middle of the third century B.C. there were almost two hundred of them. Public baths were given by Augustus and Agrippa to give free bath for their citizen. Subsequent emperors went a step further: they built baths that were not only free but superbly equipped and sumptuously decorated. What is more, over and above offering the full range of services of bathing establishment such as warm rooms, hot rooms, sweat rooms, cold plunges, and massage chambers. These complexes served as recreational and cultural centres including bathing facilities, gardens, courts for exercising, playing games, rooms for meetings or recitals or lectures and libraries.
There are some photos of the libraries as a part of the public baths in Roman Empire.

This photo shows remains of the library of the Baths of Trajan.

















This photo shows remains of the library of the Baths of Caracalla in Rome.


















Concept of branch library was occurred when public libraries became a port of public baths. According to the article called “Public libraries in Ancient Rome: ideology and reality” written by Tk. Keith Dix, some potion of the books from Forum of Trajan had been moved to the Baths of Diocletian for storage or to establish a branch library.

Including imperial libraries and libraries in the public baths, there were 29 libraries in city of Rome. But in 378, the historian Ammianus Marcellinus commented, “The libraries are closing forever, like tombs.” As the Roman Empire fell, libraries seemed doomed to extinction.

I found that very interesting information of library staff in Rome. They were mostly salves or freedmen who were former slaves. The head of library staff had official title called “director of the libraries”. Director of the libraries had managed libraries from determine the nature of the collection, acquisitions, cataloguing, and arranging items.

Like modern world, most of the public libraries’ holdings of current writings were through author’s donations. Other ways of acquisition were purchasing books and buying copies of original books.

In this week, I tried to find more information about relationship between public baths and libraries through Google history directory. It's hard to get authoritative information through them. That’s why I sticked to the book Libraries in the ancient world and article from EBSCOhost and History-Magazine.

My next and last blog would be Libraries which were outside the city of Rome in Roman Empire.

Reference:

Casson, Lionel 2001, Libraries in the ancient world, Yale University, New Haven and London.

Dix, T. Keith 1994, Public libraries in ancient Rome: ideology and reality, Libraries & culture 29, no. 3 (Summer94 1994) PP. 282 -296. Academic Search premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 7 May, 2010.

Freedman’ 2010, Wikipedia, viewed 06 May 2010

Krasner-Kharit, B 2010, Survivor: the history of the library,History-Magazine, viewed 28 April 2010.

Remains of the Library of the Baths of Trajan [image], Wikimedia, viewed 7 May 2010-05-07

Baths of Caracalla [image], Encyclopaedia Britannica, Encyclopaedia Britannica Online, viewed 7 May 2010.