Introduction
Libraries have existed in the Western world, in one form or another, since the time of the Mesopotamian civilizations and ancient Egypt. Classical Greece supposedly had libraries as well, but no definitive ruins have been uncovered as yet. Like Classical Greece, no definitive Hellenistic library ruins have been found. The Alexandrian Library, founded by the Ptolemaic Macedonian dynasty that ruled Egypt up until the conquest by Augustus Caesar in 27 BC, has no identified ruins. The ruins identified as the Pergamum library, founded by the Attalid dynasty, are now in doubt.
Ruins have been identified for many Roman libraries, but the evidence is still being debated. Even the Library of Hadrian, once believed to be a huge library, is now seen more as a complex that had many different functions. Exactly what rooms in the complex were part of the library is still argued. Few Roman libraries, such as the Library of Pantainos and the Library of Celsus, present definitive evidence that the building was, indeed, a library. In the case of the Library of Pantainos, the library rules that no materials circulated and the hours of operation were found in situ; the lintel that was above the door records the donor, his family, who the library was dedicated to, and everything (including the books) that were given to the people of Athens, was found in the Herulian Wall that covers part of the library ruin. We know that the Library of Celsus was a library because of the inscription on the front of the building, and the characteristic recesses in the walls for the book cabinets that are used by many scholars to indicate a Roman library.
The major question is, what criteria should be used to identify an ancient library? No consensus has been reached.
What modern libraries exist we can identify because we know that they are libraries or, if the buildings are gone, records, photographs, and writings still exist of when the buildings stood. Unlike their ancient counterparts, modern libraries have many different designs and are made of different materials. Roman libraries were primarily made out of marble, brick and concrete. Regardless, the shapes and designs of those ancient buildings, as is evident with the three that are examined, varied widely.
The three ancient libraries considered here are: the Library of Pantainos, in Athens, Greece; the Library of Hadrian, also in Athens; and the Library of Celsus in Ephesus, Turkey. The modern libraries examined are: the Humanities and Social Sciences Library, New York Public Library (the 42nd Street Library), New York, N.Y.; Low Memorial Library at Columbia University, also in New York; the Central Library of Multnomah County in Portland, Oregon; the Muhlenberg Branch, New York Public Library, also in New York; and Warner Library in Tarrytown, New York.