One of the greatest losses a civilization can sustain is the loss of perspective. Throughout human history few events exemplify this loss more than the burning of the library at Alexandria. This institution was the ancient world’s single greatest repository of knowledge. Its destruction has been lamented for millennia. What we know is that a substantial part of the main facility was lost to fire. A profusion of theories abound as to whom the blame should fall, but no consensus exists.
The Museum or Royal Library of Alexandria was founded in 283 BC. Modeled after the Lyceum of Aristotle in Athens, it was a place of study which included lecture areas, gardens, a zoo, and shrines.
Estimates suggest the Library of Alexandria held over half a million documents from Assyria, Greece, Persia, Egypt, India and many other nations. Over 100 scholars lived at the Museum full time to perform research, write, lecture or translate and copy documents. The library was so large it actually had an ancillary branch at the Temple of Serapis.
In modern parlance, the library was much akin to a great internet server farm of all scientific, cultural, artistic and historical knowledge. Nevertheless, its contents were consumed by an immense conflagration. In that one great blaze, human progress was arguably set back centuries.
The library to which Pine Bluff and Jefferson County residents have access is certainly less grand. It boasts no shrines, no zoo, no gardens and a facility that is slipping into antiquity, but in a less venerable way. Even so, our library is a noble, valuable and important enterprise that rarely receives its due.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Some may deride libraries as relics, left in the dust of the information superhighway. That position betrays the greater value of the institution, its staff and holdings. It equates worth solely with the collection. It denies the greater purpose.
No one disputes that the internet offers an almost infinite flow of information relevant to all fields of inquiry. Even the grandest public libraries offer a pale shadow of the content. The physical content alone is not the point.
Just as the library at Alexandria was more than a collection of manuscripts, so too is our local library. One can find information about local history that is inaccessible via electronic means. Generations of historians and genealogists recognize this asset.
Moreover, the library represents the true spirit of egalitarian democracy. With only the most minimal vetting, any member of the community can have access to over 190,000 books, videos, DVD’s, audiocassettes, microfilm, and other materials.
It provides a comfortable and secure place to do research, relax and commune with friends. As any visitor could attest, the library is host to a cross-section of the community. Professional researchers, school kids, casual readers, the wealthy, the poor, the merely curious, the high and the low all receive the same cheerful greeting and willing assistance.
Of course, our library — like most modern libraries — does not shut itself off from the digital world, quite the opposite. With more than 20 free public-use computers, the aforementioned bounty of the internet is made accessible to those who cannot otherwise attain it. Moreover, our library is poised to enter a new era with Dave Burdick’s conclusion to a very successful tenure as director and Michael Sawyer’s promising succession. Thank you and best wishes in retirement, Mr. Burdick! And welcome and good luck, Mr. Sawyer!
While it may be tempting to relegate our library to the status of quaint historic institution, little could be further from the truth. Yes, history is present, but so too are the present and the future. Unlike the glowing digital box, this sanctuary comes complete with sentinels of knowledge who will happily assist you in your search. Yes, you may have to keep your voice hushed, but for that small concession you gain access to the whole world.
If you haven’t been in a while, take a moment to visit. It will feel familiar, but offer more than you remember. If you’ve never been, you should go. It will offer more than you imagine.