Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1899-03-29
onA,neo L,saAa,Ea
se.<soA. Of Keeping BOOZE
Middle Ages.


se.<hoAs Of Keepin9 booA
Middle Ages
In paper on the "Libra.'es u a.
m,ddle Ares," recently read Dy =,
I.cr.or before the Royal lnstitu'e -
n-,t,.h Architects, the lecturer sa,S
hot huildings specially to hold tne,l
M. M .,.. were f,rst erected by the unl-
.a-.,ties and colleges. The Oldest s.ru.
ture of the kind in England, p, I1a,
IN Europe. is the old library OF Tue
.er.;tv of oxford, which stiii retains
many features Of it's original .o'
This structure, rarely seen by vis.'o' =,
and even unknown to the ma1orI.y =.
oxford men, IL a two-storied DunuiIe
situated on the north side OF the cno.
of st. Mary's Church, adJoini.s
tower at one end, and separateo iio-
the body of the church by nAilo"
courtyard. Having glanced at the way
hooks were kept, used and lent II "a
ford prior to the erection OF TINS pui, ~.
ing, the lecturer gave sketcn " 10
foundation by Gotham, Bishop OF wol
caster. about 1920, and some incidents
In it's early history. following win
description of the interior, furnitule
and general arrangements. Long desks
were placed at regular Intervals ~
right angles to the walls, on when tne
volumes lay on their sides. A Dench
was fixed in front of the reader ana
window came between each pair OF
desks to light that pew or cell. every
volume had a metal clip riveted 10 tne
front edge Of the board forming one
cover. to which was attached hgnt
iron chain of the requisite length, nav
ing at the other end a ring. This ring
ran upon an iron rod which was car
ried along the top Of the desk, and was
secured at the end by hasp ana
paddock to prevent the ring being
drawn OF. The foundation Of Bishop
Cobham's library was succeeded short
ly afterward by that Of the library OF
Durham College, Oxford, by Richard
de Bury, Bishop Of Durham Q33o'4o).
The books bequeathed by De Bury to
the college were kept for many years
in chests, under the custody of schol-
ars deputed for the purpose. At the be-
ginning Of the fifteenth century IL
brary was built, and regularly furnish
ed with bookcases or settles inclosing
pews or studies between them where
the books were chained. When Durham
College came to an end at the Dissolu-
ton its old buildings were utilized by
it's successor, the present Trinity, and
the old library of Durham College still
serves as the library of Trinity Col
lege. William of Wykeham's New Col
lege at Oxford set the fashion for all
future collegiate buildings at either
university in provision being made for
every department, and thenceforward
every college had its library as an es-
sential part of its plan. Though books
were few, the rooms devoted to them
had to be very large, the claiming Of
the books to the desks making it pos
sible to have only very few on each
desk. Soon, as books increased, shelves
were formed behind the desks, tier by
tier. until at last, In the seventeenth or
eighteenth century, they reached the
ceiling. The appearance of the fittings
before that time could be well seen in
the old library of Merton College. OF
chained libraries there were at least
three extant In England, that belong
ing to Hereford Cathedral being the
most ancient and perfect. Old chains,
hasps and staples belonging to Here
of the actual fittings
of a medieval chained library-were
exhibited by Mr.. Jackson, and the
method of fixation explained. All
Saints Church, Hereford, and VIM
borne Minister also possess chained IL
braries. But the finest in the world is
that of San Lorenzo, Florence, the
great hall of which was designed by
Michael Angelo. in 1924, said to con-
tain the collection formed by several
Of the Medici. The lecturer
then touched on the difficulties of con-
sulting books in the old chained libra
ries. Shelves for the ever-increasing
of books had been provided,
but desk accommodation remained as
before. One student occupied on a vol
ume prevented three or four others get
ting access to the books. This led to
the library rooms being enlarged.
Chains were bought for the Bodleian
Library as late as 1851; 1t was not till
1867 that this method of securing the
books was abolished.-Scientific Amer.
lean.