The A Cultural History Crawford, Alice editor text Electronic books. xx 2015 monographic eng 1 online resource (349 pages) From Greek and Roman times to the digital era, the library has remained central to knowledge, scholarship, and the imagination. The Meaning of the Library is a generously illustrated examination of 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, notable contributors-including the Librarian of Congress and the former executive director of the HathiTrust-present a cultural history of the library. In an informative introduction, Alice Crawford sets out the book's purpose and scope, and an international array of scholars, librarians, writers, and critics offer vivid perspectives about the library through their chosen fields. The Meaning of the Library will appeal to all who are interested in this vital institution's heritage and ongoing legacy. INTRODUCTION -- PART 1. THE LIBRARY THROUGH TIME -- Chapter 1. Adventures in Ancient Greek and Roman Libraries -- Chapter 2. The Image of the Medieval Library -- Chapter 3. The Renaissance Library and the Challenge of Print -- Chapter 4. From Printing Shop to Bookshelves: How Books Began the Journey to Enlightenment Libraries -- Chapter 5. "The Advantages of Literature": The Subscription Library in Georgian Britain -- Chapter 6. Literature and the Library in the Nineteenth Century -- PART 2. THE LIBRARY IN IMAGINATION -- Chapter 7. The Library in Fiction -- Chapter 8. The Library in Poetry -- Chapter 9. The Library in Film: Order and Mystery -- PART 3. THE LIBRARY NOW AND IN THE FUTURE -- Chapter 10. "Casting and Gathering": Libraries, Archives, and the Modern Writer -- Chapter 11. Meanings of the Library Today -- Chapter 12. The Modern Library and Global Democracy -- SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY -- CONTRIBUTORS -- INDEX. edited by Alice Crawford. Books History Libraries History Libraries and society History Z1001 .C384 2015 027/.009 Crawford, Alice Princeton : Princeton University Press,c2015 9781400865741 https://login.ezproxy.pucpr.edu/login?url=https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/pucpr-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1980088 https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/pucpr-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1980088 https://login.ezproxy.pucpr.edu/login?url=https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/pucpr-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1980088 https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/pucpr-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1980088 MiAaPQ 211129 20221202123511.0 EBC1980088 eng