Libraries

1. The first true library is thought to be the Library of Alexandria, founded in Egypt about 300 B.C., allegedly by disciples of Aristotle. A Polish-Egyptian archeological team claimed to have found its ruins in 2004.

2. The first public library in America to let people borrow books and materials was the Boston Public Library, founded in 1848. It was a revolutionary idea at the time.

3. The nation's largest library is the Library of Congress, with 29.5 million volumes. Second is Harvard, with 15.1 million, followed by Boston (14.9), Yale (11.1) and the Chicago Public Library (10.7). The New York Public Library is 20th with 6.7 million.

4. The Library of Congress got its first real collection in 1815 when it bought the personal library of Thomas Jefferson. This early example of a sweetheart deal gave the library 6,487 books and netted the heavily indebted Jefferson $23,950.

5. It seems likely that in the fullness of time, when copyright problems are worked out, the Internet will house the most complete and accessible library in history. Already, Google, born in 1998, is working with the Harvard, Stanford, University of Michigan and other libraries to scan in a huge collection of volumes.

Authorship: Jeffrey Lyon
Copyright © 2006, Chicago Tribune