...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 AM EDT EARLY
THIS MORNING...
* WHAT...Southwest winds 15 to 20 kt with gusts up to 25 kt.
* WHERE...Albemarle, Croatan, and Roanoke Sounds.
* WHEN...Until 4 AM EDT early this morning.
* IMPACTS...Conditions will be hazardous to small craft.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Inexperienced mariners, especially those operating smaller
vessels, should avoid navigating in hazardous conditions.
&&
Did you know that the English word “library” comes from the Latin word “liber” which means book? Many other modern European languages, including French, German and Spanish, adopted the Greek term “bibliotheca,” meaning the “room or collection of books.”
By this association, a library is considered a place that only holds books and that you are required to keep quiet while navigating its stacks. While I admit that there are areas in a library that are for quiet study, the true nature of a library is contrary to this misconception.
Since even ancient times, the role of a library has constantly evolved and changed, and has always done more than just house books. In the ancient Mediterranean, a library functioned as a storehouse for scrolls, archival, and religious records, but also served as a venue for public events. While libraries in the ancient world were initially used as repositories for governments, organizations and private individuals, the Romans later turned them into institutions to benefit the general citizenry. The Roman could peruse the vast collection of scrolls, and, in some libraries, items could be lent out. The library also took on the role of a public place for debate, events and demonstrations.
In China, libraries historically served a similar purpose, maintaining records of the state and facilitating intellectual debate. However, libraries took on an added role for the Jin Shi (civil service exams). Individuals, including commoners, were invited to study the Confucian classics and demonstrate their knowledge of these works in a comprehensive test. People who passed the test were hired to administrative positions throughout the Chinese empire, regardless of their socio-economic origins.
In the Islamic world, libraries initially served as places to translate, store and study sacred texts such as the Koran. By the 750s AD, the Abbasid Caliphate had incorporated vast territory from Persia to the south of Spain, and under this influence, the libraries in Damascus, Jerusalem, Baghdad, Cordoba, Cairo, Alexandria and several other cities began translating and preserving ancient Greek, Persian and Roman texts. These libraries spurred intellectual debate and even experimentation with science and mathematics. Islamic scholars even invented algebra and discovered some of the foundational aspects of astronomy and physics at Baghdad’s “House of Wisdom,” also known as the Great Library of Baghdad.
Libraries in Medieval Europe reemerged alongside religious monasteries and the European universities that formed in the late Medieval period and early Renaissance. When libraries finally crossed the Atlantic into North America, they started as private collections or emerged in coffeehouses where you could sip coffee, read a book, and participate in intellectual discussions and scientific demonstrations for only a penny. These “penny universities” laid the foundation of modern American public libraries and helped start the American Revolution.
Throughout history, the library has been a place for more than just books — it brought people together, spurred debate, produced discoveries, and served as a center for community life. In the modern world, the library carries on this long tradition as a public space for knowledge and gatherings, but also provides access to items and technology.
At the Shepard-Pruden Memorial Library, alongside our books we offer DVDs, board games, puppets, children’s toys, laptops, scientific equipment, and even tools! You can check out our new EcoEXPLORE backpacks with your library card and study the environment. You can also check out a screwdriver set and stud finder to help you with that weekend project, as well as a board game like Monopoly for a family game night!
So in the spirit of the citizens of history, why not swing by the library to take a look at our Unusual Objects collection? You might be surprised by what you can find!
Jared Jacavone is librarian at the Shepard-Pruden Library.
