The library of the university of Salamanca during the initial stage of its history

The library of the Salamanca University is the oldest university library of Spain. It was founded by the king Alphonse X in 1254. Spain was the country of Western Europe in which in the 13th century the national legal system value of the institute of university library for development of science and humanitarian knowledge was reflected. In the second part of the well-known compiled laws Seven Partidas of Alphonse the Wise the position of the librarian was established in all general studies. Permission to hold the librarian's position, according to the specified legislation, only the rector of university could give. The rector in turn, was obliged to check previously all books which were available at the disposal of the applicant for this position and to be convinced that all of them are "suitable, readable, containing true positions". As we see, library activity was carried out already at an early stage of existence of university. Originally university librarian in the activity was genetically connected with those layers of city handicraftsmen which built powerful infrastructure of book production and trade around any arising university. The university library in the first centuries of the existence could not compete with this intensive stream of book production and trade. The university, most likely, hardly had the first two centuries some special library space. The room of the librarian did not represent the place for reading. Books or notebooks students rewrote at home, and the room where they were received, reminded, rather a book-store, than the reading room. Despite all difficulties, from the moment of the emergence the library of university becomes its important part that was reflected in university charters, and its current problems were considered and solved at meetings of the academic council. In the second half of the 15th century, the spacious premises of library over which the dome painted with figures of zodiac signs towered were open. In the main building of University the worthy place of a manuscript collection, collected by University for two centuries of the existence was allocated.

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