Libraries

Libraries


The purpose of libraries in M edieval times was for religious reasons and to preserve knowledge.The Bible was one of the many religious books from M edieval times.The inspiration of the M edieval libraries came from the library in Alexandria, Egypt. The richest libraries in Medieval times belonged to the Muslims.When the printing press was made, books were printed for libraries faster. It also made it for the libraries to get the books because they were more expensive. More people wanted to start owning their own books not too long after it became even harder to get books.

Literacy, the ability to read or write, was not common in the Middle ages. In the Byzantine empire, laymen were usually the teachers of reading and writing. In the Islamic empire, Arabic was learned for religious purposes only. Writing was mostly confined to scribes in Western Europe. By the 13 T h century the literate population was increasing.The remaining obstacle to widespread literacy was the scarcity of books.

Works Cited
 * Croft, Richard. SK9771:St. Bendict’s Church. Geograph: Photograph Every Grid Square, 1 Sept. 2005. Web. 14 Apr. 2010. .
 * “Libraries.” The Middle Ages: An Encyclopedia for Students. Ed. Willam Chester Jordan. Vol. 3. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1996. 89-91. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 8 Mar. 2010.
 * “Literacy.” The Middle Ages: An Encyclopedia for Students. Ed. Willam Chester Jordan. Vol. 3. New York: Charles Scriber’s Sons, 1996. 92-94. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 25 Mar. 2010.

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