Tribunal cle premiere instance (28,000 volumes), Bibliotheque de
1 jScole Polytechnique (30,000 volumes), Bibliotheque de VEcole
Normale (26,000 volumes, which acquired the library of Georges
Cuvier in 1833), Bibliotheque des Invalides (28,000 volumes, a
good collection on history and military affairs), Bibliotheque de
IMllcole Nationale des Beaux Arts (15,000 volumes, 12,000 drawings,
100,000 prints and photographs), Bibliotheque du Conservatoire
de Musique (30,000 volumes, one of the finest collections of musical
literature in the world), Bibliotheque des Archives Rationales
(founded by Danon in 1808, containing 25,000 volumes on palaeo
graphy , history, and jurisprudence, as this is the record office of
France, the archives are very extensive), Bibliotheque du Luxem
bourg (25,000 volumes), Bibliotheque du Lycee Louis le Grand
(30,000 volumes), Bibliotheque du Ministers de 1 Interieur (17,000
volumes, including Parisian and provincial history and documents).
Pro- Besides the various collections belonging to learned and scientific
vinces of societies, educational institutions, and other bodies, outside Paris,
France, over 215 French provincial towns possess public libraries, which
range in number of volumes from 2000 or 3000 to 190,000, as at
Bordeaux. Most of them were founded at the end of the last or the
beginning of the present century, but some are earlier. The library
at Lyons was established by Francis I. in 1 530, that at Nantes dates
from" 1588, La Rochelle from 1604, Abbeville, Besangon, and Troyes
from the latter part of the same century, and Orleans from the
beginning of the 17th century. The large majority were formed
by confiscation at the time of the Revolution. In February 1790
the Assemblee Nationale abolished the different religious communi
ties, and in September of the same year the provincial tribunals and
parliaments met with the same fate. The books (said to number
10 or 12 millions) of these corporations were declared national pro
perty, a committee was appointed to consider what should be done
with them, and a general catalogue of all the sequestered effects
ordered to be drawn up. In consequence of the recommendations
of the committee, the Convention Nationale (January 27, 1794)
decreed the establishment and augmentation of public libraries.
The orders of the Convention were not carefully executed, and
pitiable stories are told of valuable works sold by the yard as they
lay upon the ground, of precious manuscripts and printed rarities
left to rot in the open air or burnt for fuel. As the government
became more settled, the libraries (when not destroyed) of condemned
persons were restored to their representatives. A very large number
of books still remained, however, and it is to them that the town
libraries of France chiefly owe their riches. Theology, law, history,
and the severer literature of the 17th and 18th centuries conse
quently predominate, although for many years more modern re
quirements have been mainly considered in the acquisition of books.
Many collections of local and provincial literature have been formed,
as at Angers, Auxerre, Chaumont, Grenoble, La Rochelle, Lille,
Marseilles, Orleans, Toulouse, Tours, and Versailles. Some of the
libraries are very extensive. Douai and Troyes have 100,000
volumes each ; Lyons and Rouen over 120, 000 ; Besanc.on, 130,000 ;
Aix and Nantes, 150,000; Grenoble, 170,000; and Bordeaux,
190,000 volumes. All have catalogues, mostly alphabetical ; a
few of them are in print. The Catalogue general des MSS. des
lilliothcqucs puUiqites des departments is a noble undertaking on
the part of the French Government. The first volume came out
in 1849, and the latest, the sixth, in 1879 ; the treasures of eighteen
libraries have now been catalogued (about 9650 MSS. ), and there
remain over 45,000 MSS. to be described. Besides this, Angers,
Amiens, Auxerre, Caen, Carpentras, Chartres, Orleans, and Tours
possess separate printed catalogues of their MSS. The chambers
annually vote large sums for books, which are distributed to the
town libraries by the minister of public instruction. The sums
granted by the different municipalities for their libraries vary in
amount ; for instance, Grenoble (170,000 volumes and eight persons
employed) gives 26,314 francs, Bordeaux (190,000 volumes and
eight persons) 21,350 francs, and Nantes (150,000 volumes and
four persons) 13,600 francs.
Popular libraries of every description, including military and
workmen s libraries, owe much to the "Societe Franklin pour la
propagation des bibliotheques populaires," which, founded in 1862,
has since been of immense service in originating and helping those
institutions. Between 1868 and 1878 the Societe had spent 550,000
francs on these purposes. It issues a Catalogue Populairc of a good
selection of recommended books, and publishes a journal of its pro
ceedings.
School libraries had an organized existence in France as far
back as 1831, and by 1848 the books which had been distributed
by the state amounted in value to 2 millions of francs ; two
years later, however, no trace of books or libraries could be
found. 1 In 1860 the question was again taken up, and in 1862 the
minister of public instruction ordered that in every primary school
a library should be established under the care of the schoolmaster.
For some years the Government annually granted 120,000 francs,
a sum which was raised to 200,000 francs in 1878; for their share
See De "Watteville, Rapport sur les Bibliotheques scolaires, 1879.
of the expenses the departments contributed in 1875 as much
as 170,000 francs. As an instance of the rapidity with which
the school libraries have increased, it may be stated that Haute-
Marne, which only possessed 44 of them in 1866, ten years later
had 548 ; in 1877 there were about 17,764 biblioth&qucs scolaires
possessing 1,716,904 works, and there are now over 20,000 of them
in France. The libraries, which are intended not only for the use
of school children but also for their parents and other adults, are re
gulated by a commission sitting at the ministry of public instruction.
Germany (with Austria and Sivitzerland).
Germany is emphatically the Lome of large libraries ; Germany,
her want of political unity and consequent multiplicity of
capitals have had the effect of giving her a considerable
number of large state libraries, and the number of her
universities has tended to multiply considerable collections.
Berlin is well supplied with libraries, seventy-two being Berlin,
registered by Petzholdt in 1875, with about 1,293,030
printed volumes. The largest of them is the Iloyal
Library, which was founded by the "Great Elector"
Frederick William, and opened as a public library in a
wing of the electoral palace in 1661. From 1699 the
library became entitled to a copy of every book published
within the royal territories, and it has received many
valuable accessions by purchase and otherwise. It is now
estimated to contain upwards of 700,000 printed volumes
and over 15,000 MSS. The amount yearly expended
upon binding and the acquisition of books, <tc., is 4800.
The catalogues are in manuscript, and include a general
alphabetical author-catalogue, and a systematic subject-
catalogue in a handy form. The building, erected about
1780 by Frederick the Great, has long been too small, and
a new one is in contemplation. The conditions as to the
use of the collections are, as in most German libraries,
very liberal. Any adult person is allowed to have books
in the reading-room. Books are lent out to all higher
officials, including those holding educational offices in the
university, &c., and by guarantee to almost any one recom
mended by persons of standing; admission to the journal-
room is more strictly limited. By special leave of the
librarian, books and MSS. may be sent to a scholar at a
distance, or, if especially valuable, may be deposited in
some public library where he can conveniently use them.
There appears to be no limit to the number of books which
may be borrowed, although it is prescribed that not more
than "three works" must be asked for on one day.
Professor Lepsius reports the issues for last year as 71,400
works, to above 5000 readers. The University Library
(1831) numbers 200,000 volumes with 353 MSS. The
number of volumes lent out in 1880 was 40,101. The
library possesses the right to receive a copy of every work
published in the province of Brandenburg. Some of the
governmental libraries are important, especially those of
the Military Academy and the General Staff, which was
increased in 1872 by acquiring the library of the " F^cole
d Application " at Metz. In 1850 some popular libraries
were established by a society for giving scientific lectures.
There are now thirteen such libraries with over 54,000
volumes, but the yearly number of readers is only about
12,000.
The libraries of Munich, though not so numerous as those Munich.
of Berlin, include two of great importance. The Royal
Library, the largest collection of books in Germany, was
founded by Duke Albrecht V. of Bavaria (1550-79), who
made numerous purchases from Italy, and incorporated
the libraries of the Nuremberg physician and historian
Schedel, of Widmannstadt, and of J. J, Fugger. The
number of printed volumes is estimated at about one
million, although it is long since any exact enumeration
has been made. The library is especially rich in incunabula,
many of them being derived from the libraries of the
monasteries closed in 1803. The Oriental MSS. are
Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 14.djvu/546
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.
526
LIBRARIES
[GERMANY.