Libraries, Archives, and Museums - by Suzanne M Stauffer (Paperback)

About the Book

The work provides a thorough background for students and professionals in the fields of library, archives, and museum resource management, preservation, and administration.

Book Synopsis

This is the first book to consider the development of all three cultural heritage institutions - libraries, archives, and museums - and their interactions with society and culture from ancient history to the present day in Western Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The text explores the social and cultural role of these institutions in the societies that created them, as well as the political, economic and social influences on their mission, philosophy, and services and how those changed throughout time. The work provides a thorough background in the topic for graduate students and professionals in the fields of library and information science, archival studies, and museum resource management, preservation, and administration.

Arranged chronologically, the story begins with the temple libraries of ancient Sumer, followed the growth and development of governmental and private libraries in ancient Greece and Rome, the influence of Asia and Islam on Western library development, the role of Christianity in the preservation of ancient literature as well as the skills of reading and writing during the Middle Ages, and the coming of the Renaissance and the rise of the university library. It continues by tracing the gradual division between archives and libraries and the growth of governmental and private libraries as independent institutions during and after the Renaissance and through the Enlightenment, and the development of public and private museums from the "cabinets of curiousities" of private collectors beginning in the 17th century. Individual chapters explore the further growth and development of libraries, archives, and museums in the 19th and 20th centuries, exploring the public library and public museum movements of those centuries, as well as the rise of the governmental and institutional archive. The final chapter discusses the growing collaboration between and even convergence of these institutions in the 21st century and the impact of modern information technology, and makes predictions about the future of all three institutions.

Review Quotes

"A richly sourced assessment of cultural heritage institutions that examines the historical evolution and convergence of the mission of libraries, archives and museums from their origins to the digital era. A consummate assemblage of scholars has contributed to this examination of the role of these institutions in their social, economic and political contexts. An essential resource for students of cultural heritage that will enrich understanding and provide new directions for fusion." --Kathleen de la Peña McCook, Distinguished Professor of Librarianship, School of Information, University of South Florida

"Stauffer and a cadre of scholars have forged a cohesive narrative of the history of cultural institutions, even while respecting the differences between them, and situates the institutions as living, active organisms within their political and social ecosystems. This engaging book is highly recommended because it provides a base of historical knowledge for graduate students in library science, archival science, and museum studies, and it serves as an excellent gateway to further study." --Brett Spencer, Book Review Editor, Libraries: Culture, History, & Society

"This volume comprises 16 chronological essays that trace the development of libraries, archives, and museums through history.... Each essay opens with a succinct time line of important events to place the material in historical context, and each closes with a bibliography of recommended reading on the topic. Sidebars on significant people, places, and events give readers further context. The book is fully illustrated with black-and-white maps, art, and photographs throughout, and a full citation accompanies each image. This volume will serve as a useful textbook for students learning about the historical and philosophical development of their fields. Those seeking a more in-depth exploration of certain periods can consult the essay's bibliography. Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates; graduate students." --Choice Reviews

About the Author

Suzanne M. Stauffer, PhD, is professor of library and information science at Louisiana State University and an affliated member of the faculty of the Doctor of Design in Cultural Preservation in the College of Art & Design. She is a member of the editorial review board of Public Library Quarterly and the board of advisors of Open Information Science and chair of the Cultural Heritage Institutions Area Southwest Popular/American Culture Association, and she has held numerous positions on the executive board of the Library History Round Table of the American Library Association, including vice-chair and chair. She is also a member of the SIG Library History of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA).