IST 511 is the gateway course to my graduate field, as well as the impetus of this blog, humble as it may be. When I read the textbook's introductory chapter, I was pleased to find that it contained a brief history of libraries through recorded history.
I'm sure many of my friends' eyes glazed over as they quickly skimmed to the meatier parts of the chapter, but this was the part that intrigued me. As a Humanities and Classics nerd, I have always been fascinated about the diverse range of people that have filled the role of gatekeeper to knowledge, or have the task of "carrying the torch" to other parts of the world who could benefit from specific knowledge. Historically, these weren't stuffy people wearing argyle sweaters. They were Greeks enslaved by the Romans to tutor their children. They were monks who battled their own orders and a willfully ignorant society to spread knowledge. They were Muslim scholars and warriors who held important documents that were long forgotten in Western Europe.
As Prof. Lankes points out, we need not get caught up in the functions of what these people did, or seek out labels for them. The main thing is that they, and hopefully someday I, will have the ability to "improve society through facilitating knowledge creation in... communities."
I still really wish I could have seen the library at Alexandria, though!
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