Editing Librarian (section)

==History==

===The ancient world===
The [[Sumer]]ians were the first to train clerks to keep records of accounts.<ref>{{cite book |last=Dunlap |first=Leslie W |title=Readings in library history |date=1972 |publisher=R.R. Bowker |oclc=578347151}}{{page needed|date=April 2021}}</ref> ''"Masters of the books"'' or "keepers of the tablets" were scribes or priests who were trained to handle the vast amount and complexity of these records. The extent of their specific duties is unknown.{{sfn|Rubin|2010|p=36}}

[[File:Maqamat hariri.jpg|thumb|right|Scholars at an Abbasid library in Baghdad (13th century)]]
Sometime in the 8th century BC, [[Ashurbanipal]], King of [[Assyria]], created a library at his palace in [[Nineveh]] in [[Mesopotamia]]. Ashurbanipal was the first individual in history to introduce librarianship as a profession.{{sfn|Mukherjee|1966|p=75}} We know of at least one "keeper of the books" who was employed to oversee the thousands of tablets on Sumerian and [[Babylonia]]n materials, including literary texts; history; [[omen]]s; astronomical calculations; mathematical tables; grammatical and linguistic tables; dictionaries; and commercial records and laws.<ref>{{cite book |last=Jackson |first=Sidney L |title=Libraries and librarianship in the West: a brief history |date=1974 |publisher=McGraw-Hill |oclc=576256876}}{{page needed|date=April 2021}}</ref>{{sfn|Rubin|2010|p=37}} All of these tablets were cataloged and arranged in logical order by subject or type, each having an identification tag.{{sfn|Mukherjee|1966|p=75}}

The [[Great Library of Alexandria]], created by [[Ptolemy I]] after the death of [[Alexander the Great]] in 323 BC, was created to house the entirety of [[Ancient Greek literature|Greek literature]].{{sfn|Rubin|2010|p=38}} It was notable for its famous librarians: [[Demetrius of Phalerum|Demetrius]], [[Zenodotus]], [[Eratosthenes]], [[Apollonius of Rhodes|Apollonius]], [[Aristophanes]], [[Aristarchus of Samothrace|Aristarchus]], and [[Callimachus]].{{sfn|Mukherjee|1966|p=75}} These scholars contributed significantly to the collection and cataloging of the wide variety of scrolls in the library's collection. Most notably, Callimachus created what is considered to be the first subject catalog of the library holdings, called the [[pinakes]]. The pinakes contained 120 scrolls arranged into ten subject classes; each class was then subdivided, listing authors alphabetically by titles.{{sfn|Rubin|2010|p=38}} The librarians at Alexandria were considered the "custodians of learning".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lyle |first1=Guy Redvers |title=The President, the Professor, and the College Library |date=1963 |publisher=H.W. Wilson |oclc=1151086485 }}{{page needed|date=April 2021}}</ref>

Near the end of the [[Roman Republic]] and the beginning of the [[Roman Empire]], it was common for Roman aristocrats to hold [[private library|private libraries]] in their home. Many of these aristocrats, such as [[Cicero]], kept the contents of their private libraries to themselves, only boasting of the enormity of his collection. Others, such as [[Lucullus]], took on the role of lending librarian by sharing scrolls in their collection.{{sfn|Rubin|2010|p=39}} Many Roman emperors included [[public library|public libraries]] into their political [[propaganda]] to win favor from citizens. While scholars were employed in librarian roles in the various emperors' libraries, there was no specific office or role that qualified an individual to be a librarian. For example, Pompeius Macer, the first librarian of Augustus' library, was a [[praetor]], an office that combined both military and judicial duties. A later librarian of the same library was [[Gaius Julius Hyginus]], a [[Grammarian (Greco-Roman world)|grammarian]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Harris |first1=Michael H |title=History of libraries in the western world |date=1984 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |page=70 |oclc=560931943 }}</ref>

===Middle Ages and Renaissance===
[[File:Tavernier Jean Mielot.jpg|thumb|Burgundian scribe Jean Miélot in his scriptorium (15th century)]]
Christian [[monastery|monasteries]] in Europe are credited with keeping the [[institution]] of libraries alive after the fall of the Roman Empire. It is during this time that the first [[codex]] (book as opposed to scroll) enters popularity: the [[parchment]] [[codex]]. Within the monasteries, the role of librarian was often filled by an overseer of the [[scriptorium]] where monks would copy out books cover to cover. A monk named [[Anastasius Bibliothecarius|Anastasias]]  who took on the title of {{lang|la|Bibliothecarius}} (literally "librarian") following his successful translations of the Greek [[Classics|classicists]].{{sfn|Mukherjee|1966|p=88}} During this period, the lectern system, in which books were chained to desks for security, was also introduced.{{sfn|Mukherjee|1966|p=88}} Classification and organization of books during this period was generally done by subject and alphabetically, with materials inventoried using basic check lists. Later in the period, individuals known as {{lang|la|librarii}} (singular {{lang|la|librarius}}) began more formal cataloguing, inventory, and classification.{{sfn|Mukherjee|1966|p=88}}

In the 14th century, universities began to reemerge which had libraries and employed librarians. At the same time royalty, nobles and [[jurists]] began to establish libraries of their own as status symbols. King [[Charles V of France]] began his own library, and he kept his collection as a {{lang|fr|bibliophile}}, an attribute that is closely connected to librarians of this time.{{sfn|Rubin|2010|p=39}}

The [[Renaissance]] is considered to be a time of aristocratic enthusiasm for libraries. During this period, great private libraries were developed in Europe by figures such as [[Petrarch]] and [[Boccaccio]]. These libraries were sponsored by popes, royals, and nobility who sent agents throughout [[Western Europe]] to locate manuscripts in deteriorating monastic libraries. As a result, Renaissance libraries were filled with a wealth of texts.{{sfn|Rubin|2010|p=45}} While materials in these libraries were mostly restricted, the libraries were open to the public. Librarians were needed to plan and organize libraries to meet public needs.{{sfn|Mukherjee|1966|p=88}} A tool to achieve these organizational goals, the first [[library catalog]], appeared in 1595.{{sfn|Mukherjee|1966|p=96}}

===Enlightenment era===
[[File:Reimer Librarian.jpg|thumb|Enlightenment era librarian in a library, 19th-century painting by [[Georg Reimer]], [[National Museum, Warsaw|National Museum]] in [[Warsaw]]]]

During the 16th century, the idea of creating a {{lang|la|[[Bibliotheca Universalis]]}}, a universal listing of all printed books, emerged from well-established academics and librarians: [[Conrad Gessner]], [[Gabriel Naudé]], [[John Dury]], and [[Gottfried Leibniz]].{{sfn|Mukherjee|1966|p=104}} The four librarians responsible for establishing the ''Bibliotheca Universalis'' are important figures in librarianship. [[Gabriel Naudé]] published {{lang|fr|Avis pour dresser une bibliothèque}}, the first printed monograph on librarianship.{{sfn|Mukherjee|1966|p=96}} In this [[monograph]], Naudé advocated collecting all kinds of books, old and new, of famous, more obscure, and heretical authors. He also contributed to the idea of organization and administration of libraries which led to the development of library collections. It was also in part thanks to Naudé that some libraries began to lend books outside of the precincts of the library.{{sfn|Mukherjee|1966|p=105}}

[[John Dury]] is considered to be the first English library theorist. He wrote two letters to [[Samuel Hartlib]] concerning the duties of a professional librarian, which were published in 1650 as "The Reformed Librarie-Keeper". He held that librarians should not only care for the books, but should also be well educated and accomplished to raise the standards of librarianship. Furthermore, he advocated that librarians deserve a living wage in order to use their energy to perform their duties to the fullest extent.{{sfn|Mukherjee|1966|p=106}} [[Gottfried Leibniz]] upheld that the librarian was the most important factor in the aid of learning. He is credited as including science texts in addition to conventional literature within library collections.{{sfn|Mukherjee|1966|p=107}}

Another key figure of this time, Sir [[Thomas Bodley]], gave up his career as a diplomat and established Oxford's Bodleian library. He is credited as creating the first functional library of modern times.{{sfn|Mukherjee|1966|p=108}} Subsequent librarians following Bodley were called {{lang|la|Protobibliothecarius Bodleianus}}, Bodley's Librarian. They would earn £40 a year.{{sfn|Mukherjee|1966|p=110}} The ideas formed with these librarians continued to develop into the 17th century. With the approach of {{lang|la|Bibliotheca Universalis}}, libraries changed; the content of libraries became less selective, to include literature of entertainment as well as academic value. At this time, libraries also became fully open to the public, with access no longer restricted to a small circle of readers.

In 18th-century France, two librarians, [[Hubert-Pascal Ameilhon]] and [[Joseph Van Praet]], selected and identified over 300,000 books and manuscripts that became the property of the people in the {{lang|fr|[[Bibliothèque nationale de France|Bibliothèque Nationale]]}}.{{sfn|Mukherjee|1966|p=112}} During the French Revolution, librarians assumed sole responsibility for selecting books for use by all citizens of the nation. Out of this action came the implementation of the concept of modern library service: the democratic extension of library services to the general public, regardless of wealth or education.{{sfn|Mukherjee|1966|p=112}}

===Modern era===

[[File:Civic library, Newcastle, 18-9-1957, Hood collection (5882587233).jpg|thumb|right|Librarian helping two patrons]]
While there were full-time librarians in the 18th century, the professionalization of the library role was a 19th-century development, as shown by its first training school, its first university school, and its first professional associations and licensing procedures.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Winter |first=Michael F. |title=The professionalization of librarianship |journal=Occasional Papers (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Graduate School of Library and Information Science); No. 160 (July 1983) |date=1983 |hdl=2142/3901 |hdl-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wilensky |first1=Harold L. |title=The Professionalization of Everyone? |journal=American Journal of Sociology |date=1964 |volume=70 |issue=2 |pages=137–158 |doi=10.1086/223790 |id={{NAID|10025286236}} |jstor=2775206 |s2cid=144933553}}</ref>  

In England in the 1870s, a new employment role opened for women in libraries; it was said that the tasks were "Eminently Suited to Girls and Women." By 1920, women and men were equally numerous in the library profession, but women pulled ahead by 1930 and comprised 80% by 1960.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Kerslake |first=Evelyn |title='They have had to come down to the women for help!' Numerical feminization and the characteristics of women's library employment in England, 1871–1974 |journal=Library History |date=1 March 2007 |volume=23 |issue=1 |pages=17–40 |doi=10.1179/174581607x177466 |s2cid=145522426}}</ref> The factors accounting for the transition included the demographic losses of the First World War, the provisions of the Public Libraries Act of 1919, the library-building activity of the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust, and the library employment advocacy of the Central Bureau for the Employment of Women.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Coleman |first=Sterling Joseph |title='Eminently Suited to Girls and Women': The Numerical Feminization of Public Librarianship in England 1914–31 |journal=Library & Information History |date=1 August 2014 |volume=30 |issue=3 |pages=195–209 |doi=10.1179/1758348914Z.00000000063 |s2cid=218688858}}</ref> In the United Kingdom, evidence suggests that the Conservative government began replacing professional librarians with unpaid volunteers in 2015–2016.<ref name="theguardianuklibrarybudgetsfallby">{{cite news|last=Kean|first=Danuta|title=UK library budgets fall by £25m in a year|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/dec/08/uk-library-budgets-fall-by-25m-in-a-year|access-date=December 9, 2016|work=The Guardian|date=December 8, 2016|quote=The main plank of government policy towards libraries is to shift them into the voluntary sector. This shift in strategy is reflected in the new Cipfa figures: though paid library staff fell by 5.3% from 18,028 to 17,064, volunteer numbers rose by 7.5% to 44,501.|archive-date=December 8, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161208162911/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/dec/08/uk-library-budgets-fall-by-25m-in-a-year|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== COVID-19 pandemic in the US ===
[[File:Mask display at the Manassas City Library during the COVID-19 crisis.jpg|thumb|right|Mask display at the [[Manassas, Virginia|Manassas]] City Library during the COVID-19 pandemic]]
During the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United States]] in 2020, many librarians were temporarily displaced as libraries across the country were affected by a nationwide shutdown in efforts to control the spread of [[SARS-CoV-2]] disease.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Riley|first=Elliot|title=LJ Survey: U.S. Public Libraries Mostly Closed, But No Consensus on Who Works and Where|url=https://www.libraryjournal.com/?detailStory=covidsurveymar26|access-date=2020-10-29|website=Library Journal|archive-date=2020-10-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017192257/https://www.libraryjournal.com/?detailStory=covidsurveymar26|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=ALA Executive Board Recommends Closing Libraries to Public|url=https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/ala-executive-board-recommends-closing-libraries-to-public/|access-date=2020-10-29|website=American Libraries Magazine|language=en-US|archive-date=2020-11-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101210459/https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/ala-executive-board-recommends-closing-libraries-to-public/|url-status=live}}</ref> During this time, library services were in high demand as patrons were stuck inside during quarantine,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Libraries Are Dealing With New Demand For Books And Services During The Pandemic|url=https://www.npr.org/2020/06/16/877651001/libraries-are-dealing-with-new-demand-for-books-and-services-during-the-pandemic|access-date=2020-10-29|website=NPR.org|date=16 June 2020|language=en|last1=Wilburn|first1=Thomas|archive-date=2020-10-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029145038/https://www.npr.org/2020/06/16/877651001/libraries-are-dealing-with-new-demand-for-books-and-services-during-the-pandemic|url-status=live}}</ref> but with limited building access, most public library patrons switched to digital content, online learning, and virtual programs.<ref>{{Cite web|last=SHOFMANN|date=2020-03-23|title=Public Libraries Respond to COVID-19: Survey of Response & Activities|url=http://www.ala.org/pla/issues/covid-19/surveyoverview|access-date=2020-10-29|website=Public Library Association (PLA)|language=en|archive-date=2020-10-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031032218/http://www.ala.org/pla/issues/covid-19/surveyoverview|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-06-01|title=Pandemic Forces Programs to Move Online|url=https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2020/06/01/pandemic-forces-programs-to-move-online/|access-date=2020-10-29|website=American Libraries Magazine|language=en-US|archive-date=2020-10-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030180411/https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2020/06/01/pandemic-forces-programs-to-move-online/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Digital Escape Rooms and Other Online Programming|url=https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/moving-programming-online/|access-date=2020-10-29|website=American Libraries Magazine|language=en-US|archive-date=2020-11-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101023051/https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/moving-programming-online/|url-status=live}}</ref>

As the crisis escalated, there was a high demand for [[contact tracing|contact tracers]],<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Salomon |first1=Joshua A. |last2=Reingold |first2=Arthur L. |title=Federal Funding For State And Local Contact Tracing Efforts Is An Urgent Priority, And A Bargain |journal=Health Affairs Blog |date=11 May 2020 |doi=10.1377/forefront.20200506.867202 |url=https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/forefront.20200506.867202/full/ |url-access=subscription }}</ref> and the CDC had earlier named librarians as key public health staff to support COVID-19 case investigation and contact tracing,<ref>{{Cite web|last=CDC|date=2020-02-11|title=Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)|url=https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/contact-tracing/contact-tracing-plan/scaling-staff.html|access-date=2020-10-29|website=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention|language=en-us|archive-date=2020-10-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028200933/https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/contact-tracing/contact-tracing-plan/scaling-staff.html|url-status=live}}</ref> so many librarians and library staff volunteered to help with contact tracing.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Librarians Recruited as COVID-19 Hunters|url=https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/contact-tracing-librarians-recruited-as-covid-19-hunters/|access-date=2020-10-29|website=American Libraries Magazine|language=en-US|archive-date=2020-10-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027023846/https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/contact-tracing-librarians-recruited-as-covid-19-hunters/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Contact Tracing and Libraries – MBLC Blog|url=https://mblc.state.ma.us/mblc_blog/2020/06/17/contact-tracing-and-libraries/|access-date=2020-10-29|website=mblc.state.ma.us|archive-date=2020-10-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030190451/https://mblc.state.ma.us/mblc_blog/2020/06/17/contact-tracing-and-libraries/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-05-12|title=As States Seek COVID Detectives, Librarians Are Among The Candidates|url=https://www.kunc.org/health/2020-05-11/as-states-seek-covid-detectives-librarians-are-among-the-candidates|access-date=2020-10-29|website=KUNC|language=en|archive-date=2020-10-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030152831/https://www.kunc.org/health/2020-05-11/as-states-seek-covid-detectives-librarians-are-among-the-candidates|url-status=live}}</ref> Librarians also supported their community in other ways, such as staffing non-emergency hotlines and manning shelters for the homeless, for which they were able to retain their income,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Other (Pandemic) Duties as Assigned|url=https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/other-pandemic-duties-as-assigned/|access-date=2020-10-29|website=American Libraries Magazine|language=en-US|archive-date=2020-10-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029030512/https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/other-pandemic-duties-as-assigned/|url-status=live}}</ref> while others were [[furlough]]ed for a time.<ref>{{Cite web|title=What's Lost in a Furlough|url=https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/whats-lost-in-a-furlough/|access-date=2020-10-29|website=American Libraries Magazine|language=en-US|archive-date=2020-09-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922025935/https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/whats-lost-in-a-furlough/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Librarian Reserve Corps was formed during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=L|first=Sara|title=LibGuides: Librarian Reserve Corps: Home|url=https://librarianreservecorps.libguides.com/c.php?g=1032318&p=7482404|access-date=2021-11-04|website=librarianreservecorps.libguides.com|language=en|archive-date=2021-11-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104211614/https://librarianreservecorps.libguides.com/c.php?g=1032318&p=7482404|url-status=live}}</ref> It was a global network of volunteer librarians, specializing in [[Academic Libraries|academic libraries]] and [[medical libraries]], serving as "information first responders" in the fight against the [[Infodemic]] as a direct result of [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Dar|first=Mahnaz|title=Librarian Volunteers Help WHO Make Sense of COVID Information|url=https://www.libraryjournal.com/?detailStory=librarian-volunteers-help-who-make-sense-of-covid-information|access-date=2021-11-04|website=Library Journal|archive-date=2021-11-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104210600/https://www.libraryjournal.com/?detailStory=librarian-volunteers-help-who-make-sense-of-covid-information|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Callaway|first=Jessica|date=January 2021|title=The Librarian Reserve Corps: An Emergency Response|url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33625329|journal=Medical Reference Services Quarterly|volume=40|issue=1|pages=90–102|doi=10.1080/02763869.2021.1873627|issn=1540-9597|pmid=33625329|s2cid=232037374|access-date=2021-11-04|archive-date=2021-11-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107002348/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33625329/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Talia|date=2020-05-15|title=Librarian Reserve Corps Fighting COVID-19's Infodemic|url=https://blog.springshare.com/2020/05/15/librarian-reserve-corps-fighting-covid-19s-infodemic/|access-date=2021-11-04|website=The Springy Share|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-11-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104210600/https://blog.springshare.com/2020/05/15/librarian-reserve-corps-fighting-covid-19s-infodemic/|url-status=live}}</ref> The Librarian Reserve Corps Literature Enhancement and Metadata Enrichment (LIME) volunteers, led by Jessica Callaway, vetted, indexed, and helped disseminate resources about [[COVID-19]] to various organizations, including the [[GOARN|Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN)]] and the [[World Health Organization]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Librarian Reserve Corps -- Doody's Collection Development Monthly|url=https://dcdm.doody.com/2020/09/librarian-reserve-corps/|access-date=2021-11-04|website=dcdm.doody.com|archive-date=2021-11-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104211337/https://dcdm.doody.com/2020/09/librarian-reserve-corps/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Callaway 35–45">{{Cite journal|last=Callaway|first=Jessica|date=2021-05-14|title=Librarian Reserve Corps: Literature indexing and metadata enhancement (LIME) observations from a year in the field|url=https://www.johila.org/index.php/Johila/article/view/51|journal=Journal of Health Information and Libraries Australasia|language=en|volume=2|issue=1|pages=35–45|doi=10.55999/johila.v2i1.51|s2cid=248631682|issn=2652-5453|access-date=2021-11-04|archive-date=2021-11-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104210603/https://www.johila.org/index.php/Johila/article/view/51|url-status=live|doi-access=free}}</ref> As of November 2021, the Librarian Reserve Corps has vetted over 60,000 publications relating to [[COVID-19]].<ref name="Callaway 35–45"/> The Librarian Reserve Corps founder, Elaine Hicks, and co-leadership Stacy Brody and Sara Loree, were awarded the 2021 Librarian of the Year title from [[Library Journal]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Peet|first=Lisa|title=Battling the Infodemic: LJ's 2021 Librarians of the Year|url=https://www.libraryjournal.com/?detailStory=Battling-the-Infodemic-LJs-2021-Librarians-of-the-Year-covid-19|access-date=2021-11-04|website=Library Journal|archive-date=2021-11-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104210559/https://www.libraryjournal.com/?detailStory=Battling-the-Infodemic-LJs-2021-Librarians-of-the-Year-covid-19|url-status=live}}</ref>