The first librarian in recorded history is often attributed to Ashurbanipal, the King of Assyria, who lived in the 8th century BC. Ashurbanipal is renowned for his creation of a grand library at his palace in Nineveh, located in Mesopotamia, which is present-day Iraq. This library is considered one of the earliest known libraries in the world and marks the introduction of librarianship as a profession.
During Ashurbanipal’s reign, the library at Nineveh housed an extensive collection of cuneiform tablets, which were clay tablets engraved with wedge-shaped characters. These tablets contained a wealth of knowledge on various subjects, including literature, history, law, religion, and science. The library served as a repository of knowledge and played a vital role in preserving and disseminating information in the ancient world.
As the creator of this remarkable library, Ashurbanipal can be seen as the pioneer of librarianship. He recognized the importance of organizing and cataloging the vast collection of tablets to facilitate access and retrieval of information. To accomplish this, he employed individuals who were tasked with managing the library and its contents. These early librarians were responsible for arranging the tablets, maintaining records, and assisting scholars and visitors in locating specific texts.
While the precise details of the librarians’ duties during Ashurbanipal’s time are not extensively documented, their role as custodians of knowledge was undoubtedly significant. They would have been required to possess a thorough understanding of the library’s collection, enabling them to guide scholars and researchers to the relevant texts they sought. These librarians likely developed organizational systems to classify the tablets based on subject matter, author, or other categorizations, laying the foundation for future librarianship practices.
Although Ashurbanipal’s library at Nineveh and its librarians were groundbreaking for their time, it is worth noting that libraries and librarianship have a long history that predates this particular example. Throughout ancient civilizations, various forms of libraries existed, albeit in different formats. For instance, the ancient Egyptians had temple libraries, while the Greeks had public libraries in cities like Alexandria.
While Ashurbanipal is widely regarded as the first individual to introduce librarianship as a profession, it is essential to recognize that libraries and librarians existed in different forms prior to his time. Ashurbanipal’s library at Nineveh, with its extensive collection and dedicated librarians, marked a significant milestone in the development of libraries and the role of librarians in preserving and disseminating knowledge.