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- Publisher
- Edinburgh University Press
- Copyright
- Copyright © Edinburgh University Press
- ISSN
- 0024-2306
- DOI
- 10.1179/lib.1985.7.4.105
- Publisher site
- See Article on Publisher Site
Abstract
The Book and the library in society by K. W. Humphreys THIS PAPER which might be sub-titled 'Methodology and readership studies in the context of library history', attempts to indicate some of the problems relating to research in this field with illustrations from a number of periods in the history of Western civilisation. These may appear to be random as a full account of the developments in the relationship be- tween books and libraries and society would be impossible in a short paper of this kind. My own interest is in the dissemination of texts in the middle ages but although some examples are given for this early period I have by no means concentrated on it. I hope to show that the problems which arise at any point in history involve the same or similar method- ologies. Our questions are: what books were available and where, who read them, what evidence is there that they were used and what effect did this use have on society (if any) ? Alternatively we could ask what elements in society affected the supply of certain books and certain types of books. Similarly we could ask where were these libraries, for whom
Journal
Library History – Edinburgh University Press
Published: Jan 1, 1985