បណ្ណាល័យជាតិ: Origins as a social institution

Origins as a social institution
The culmination of centuries of advances in the printing press, moveable type, paper, ink, publishing, and distribution, combined with an ever growing middle class, increased commercial activity and consumption, new radical ideas, massive population growth and higher literacy rates forged the public library into the form that it is today. Public libraries are not a new idea; Romans made scrolls in dry rooms available to patrons of the baths, and tried with some success to establish libraries within the empire. Naturally, only those few that could afford an education would be able to use the library, where those less than rich or without control of money; women, children and slaves could not. In the middle of the 19th century, the push for truly public libraries, paid for by taxes and run by the state gained force after numerous depressions, droughts, wars and revolutions in Europe, felt mostly by the working class.  Matthew Battles states that:
"It was in these years of class conflict and economic terror that the public library movement swept through Britain, as the nation's progressive elite recognized that the light of cultural and intellectual energy was lacking in the lives of commoners".Matthew. Library: An Unquiet History. New York, N.Y.: Norton, 2004, p. 135.
Libraries had often been started with a donation, an endowment or were bequeathed to various, parishes, churches, schools or towns, and these social and institutional libraries formed the base of many academic and public library collections of today.  Andrew Carnegie had the biggest influence in financing libraries in the United States of America, from the east to west coast.  From just 1900 to 1917, almost 1,700 libraries were constructed by Carnegie's foundation, insisting that local communities first guarantee tax support of each library built.Bill, Katz. Dahl's History Of The Book, No. 2. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1995, p. 238.

thumb|right|150px|Branch library at Bankfield Museum
ការបង្កើតបណ្ណាល័យចរាចរដោយអ្នកលក់សៀវភៅ និងអ្នកបោះពុម្ពផ្សាយបានផ្តល់មធ្យោបាយនៃការទទួលបានប្រាក់ចំណេញ និងការបង្កើតមជ្ឈមណ្ឌលសង្គមនៅក្នុងសហគមន៍។ បណ្ណាល័យ​ដែល​ចរាចរ​មិន​ត្រឹម​តែ​ផ្តល់​កន្លែង​លក់​សៀវភៅ​ប៉ុណ្ណោះ​ទេ ប៉ុន្តែ​ថែម​ទាំង​ជា​កន្លែង​សម្រាប់​ជួល​សៀវភៅ​ក្នុង​តម្លៃ​ផង​ដែរ​។ បណ្ណាល័យ​ដែល​កំពុង​ចរាចរ​ទាំង​នេះ​បាន​ផ្តល់​នូវ​សម្ភារ​ផ្សេងៗ​រួម​ទាំង​ប្រលោមលោក​ដែល​មាន​ការ​ពេញ​និយម​កាន់​តែ​ខ្លាំង។ ទោះបីជាបណ្ណាល័យដែលកំពុងចរាចរបានបំពេញតួនាទីដ៏សំខាន់នៅក្នុងសង្គមក៏ដោយ ក៏សមាជិកនៃវណ្ណៈកណ្តាល និងថ្នាក់ខ្ពស់តែងតែមើលងាយបណ្ណាល័យទាំងនេះដែលលក់សម្ភារៈជាប្រចាំពីការប្រមូលរបស់ពួកគេ និងផ្តល់សម្ភារៈដែលមិនសូវទំនើប។ បណ្ណាល័យចរាចរក៏បានគិតថ្លៃជាវផងដែរ ទោះជាយ៉ាងណាក៏ដោយ ថ្លៃសេវាត្រូវបានកំណត់ដើម្បីទាក់ទាញអ្នកឧបត្ថម្ភរបស់ពួកគេ ដោយផ្តល់ការជាវជារៀងរាល់ឆ្នាំ ប្រចាំត្រីមាស ឬប្រចាំខែ ដោយមិនរំពឹងថាអតិថិជននឹងទិញចំណែកនៅក្នុងបណ្ណាល័យ។

បណ្ណារក្សចរាចរមិនមែនជាស្ថាប័នផ្តល់ប្រាក់កម្ចីផ្តាច់មុខទេ ហើយជារឿយៗផ្តល់កន្លែងសម្រាប់ទម្រង់ផ្សេងទៀតនៃសកម្មភាពពាណិជ្ជកម្ម ដែលអាចឬមិនទាក់ទងនឹងការបោះពុម្ព។ នេះជាការចាំបាច់ ពីព្រោះបណ្ណាល័យដែលកំពុងចរាចរមិនបង្កើតមូលនិធិគ្រប់គ្រាន់តាមរយៈថ្លៃជាវដែលប្រមូលបានពីអ្នកខ្ចីរបស់ខ្លួន។ ក្នុងនាមជាក្រុមហ៊ុនបណ្តាក់ទុនពាណិជ្ជកម្ម វាមានសារៈសំខាន់ណាស់ក្នុងការពិចារណាលើកត្តារួមចំណែកដូចជាទំនិញ ឬសេវាកម្មផ្សេងទៀតដែលមានសម្រាប់អ្នកជាវ។Raven, James. "Libraries for sociability: the advance of subscription library." The Cambridge History Of Libraries In Britain And Ireland. 3 vols. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006, p. 251-253.

Many claims have been made for the title of "first public library" for various libraries in various countries, with at least some of the confusion arising from differing interpretations of what should be considered a true "public library". Difficulties in establishing what policies were in effect at different times in the history of particular libraries also add to the confusion.

The first libraries open to the public were the collections of Greek and Latin scrolls which were available in the dry sections of the many buildings that made up the huge Roman baths of the Roman empire.  However, they were not lending libraries.

The "halls of science" run by different Islamic sects in many cities of North Africa and the Middle East in the 9th century were open to the public.  Some of them had written lending policies, but they were very restrictive.  Most patrons were expected to consult the books on site.

បណ្ណាល័យរបស់សាកលវិទ្យាល័យអឺរ៉ុបក្រោយៗមកមិនបើកសម្រាប់សាធារណជនទូទៅទេ ប៉ុន្តែអ្នកប្រាជ្ញអាចចូលប្រើបាន។