6 stamps, pen and ink sketch, rose on dark rose matting
As information steadily grows, the critical link between people and information is the librarian who is charged with having the data so organized that is easily available and can be accessed quickly. Simply put, to be able to find it when it is needed. As early as 668 B.C. a well developed cataloging system was in use in the palace library of Assurbanipal in Neneveh. The greatest libraries of old were in Greece, founded by Aristotle, and at Alexandria, Egypt around 280 B.C while the first public library was in Rome around 30 B.C. In the U.S, Benjamin Franklin founded the Library Company of Philadelphia in 1807, one of the first private libraries, many of which became public libraries. After the first Library of Congress was destroyed in the War of 1812, Thomas Jefferson sold his extensive private collection to the U.S., but the first truly public library was in 1833 in Peterborogh, NH after an 1821 law made it possible to use tax receipts to fund educational purposes. The greatest impetus to the growth of libraries was the gift of $65 million from Andrew Carnegie. The person making possible the use of the vast amount of information in libraries is vital in the education, enjoyment, and development of us all - the Librarian.
