Forgive me, polyfather, for i have sinned. It has been over 5 months since my last writeup
"... He established an extensive library of cuneiform writings at Nineveh, a part of which has survived and is a major source for our knowledge of Assyrian culture. ..."
(The following is lifted from Richard E. Rubin's Foundations of Library and Information Science New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc., 2000, pages 210-211 (highly recommended))
The Library of Ashurbanipal
The mission of libraries was broadened by the Assyrians in
Mesopotamia around the eighth century B.C. The Assyrian King,
Ashurbanipal, expanded a library begun by his great-grandfather, Sargon II, at his palace in Nineveh. Ashurbanipal believed that the library should not only maintain archival records, but also serve as a current source of
reference materials and contribute to the
education of future generations (Dunlap 1972). To this end, Ashurbanipal directed a group of scholars and assistants to collect clay tablets produced from other lands. The result was that thousands of tablets were collected on a wide variety of
subjects. Many of these tablets were translated from their original language into Assyrian. The collection contained
Sumerian and
Babylonian materials, including literary texts, history, omens, astronomical calculations, mathematical tables, grammatical and linguistic tables,
dictionaries, as well as commercial records and
laws. There is evidence that the collection was organized with the titles arranged by subject and listed in registers. Some of the clay tables had markers to help in locating and
shelving them. There is also evidence of a "keeper of the books," suggesting a
librarian, but nothing else is known regarding the duties or character of this individual (Jackson 1974).
The library of Ashurbanipal was the greatest library of its time, providing a rich collection of materials and information on Mesopotamia and its culture. At its height, it was estimated to have as many as 30,000 clay tablets, two-thirds of which were collected during Ashurbanipal's reign (Dunlap 1972). Taken as a whole, the Royal Library at Nineveh was a remarkable achievement. The size of the library collection was a direct result of a concerted effort to collect a vast amount of material on a variety of subjects; the collection was developed, at least in part, for future generations; the materials were often translated; the materials were systematically organized, marked, and arranged; and a "librarian" played a significant role in the library's activities. No doubt, part of the reason for the library's existence was to glorify Ashurbanipal's greatness. But all of the characteristics noted above also suggest that the Royal Library can be seen as the first attempt to build a collection for reference and research.
references
Dunlap, Leslie W. Readings in Library History. New York:R.R. Bowker, 1972.
Jackson, Sydney L. Libraries and Librarianship in the West: A Brief History. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1974.