The first libraries consisted of archives of the first forms of writing: clay tablets in cuneiform writing discovered in temple rooms in Sumeria[6]​[7]​ some dating from the 26th century BC. C.[8]​ These archives, which mainly consist of records of commercial transactions or inventories, mark the end of prehistory and the beginning of history.[9]​[10]​.

Among the first public libraries are those of the century during the Golden Age of Islam, one of the first being the House of Wisdom, from this time books were lent in them to those who used them for their studies.[11]​.

Persia at the time of the Achaemenid Empire (550-330 BC) was home to some exceptional libraries that served two main functions: maintaining records of administrative documents (e.g. transactions, government orders and allocation of budgets within and between the Satrapies and the central ruling state)[12]​ and collection of resources on different sets of principles, e.g. medical science, astronomy, history, geometry and philosophy.

The historian Yahya of Antioch (d. 1066) related that the Fatimid caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah financed and established libraries open to the public, where anyone, even simple non-specialists, could choose the books they wanted and have them copied by public scribes, free of charge. [13] However, as with many of his other decisions, Al-Hakim later ordered that this policy be reversed. [13]​.

In Cesena, Italy, the first community-run public library, the Biblioteca Malatestiana, was established in 1447, provided both secular and religious texts in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, and was fully open to all members of the public.

Another of the first libraries that allowed public access was that of the Kalendars or Kalendaries, a brotherhood of clergy and laymen attached to the church of All-Halloween or All Saints) in Bristol, England. Records show that in 1464 the construction of a library was arranged in the house of the Kalendars. Reference is made to a deed of that date which "established that all who wished to enter for instruction would have 'free access and recreation' at certain hours."[14]​.

In 1598, Francis Trigge established a library in a room above St Wulfram's Church in Grantham&action=edit&redlink=1 "Grantham (Lincolnshire) (not yet redacted)") (Lincolnshire) and decreed that it should be open to the clergy and residents of the surrounding neighborhood. Some scholars consider this library an "ancestor" of public libraries, since its users did not need to belong to an existing organization, such as a church or school, to use it. However, all the books in the library were chained to the posts and could not be borrowed, hence its name: the Francis Trigge Chained Library.[15]​.

In the early years of the century many famous collegiate and municipal libraries were founded in England. Norwich City Library was founded in 1608[16]​ (six years after Thomas Bodley founded the Bodleian Library, open to "the whole republic of scholars") and Chetham's Library") in Manchester, which claims to be the oldest public library in the English-speaking world, opening in 1653.[17]​.

The Palafoxiana Library in Ciudad de Puebla "Puebla (city)"), Mexico, is recognized by UNESCO for being the first public library in America. It was founded in 1646 by Juan de Palafox y Mendoza.[18]​[19]​[20]​.

In his seminal work Advis pour dresser une bibliothèque (1644) the French scholar and librarian Gabriel Naudé stated that only three libraries in all of Europe granted regular access to every scholar in his time, namely the Ambrosian Library in Milan, that in Rome and the Bodleian Library in Oxford. [21]​.

Modern public libraries can be considered a legacy of those born in the second half of the century as popular libraries, to serve the most disadvantaged social classes.[22]​[23]​ Starting in the second half of the century, international institutions such as UNESCO have had an important role in their development, especially in underdeveloped countries, thus its 1994 Manifesto establishes that public library services are provided on the basis of equal access for all people, without having taking into account your age, race, sex, religion, nationality, language or social status. The public library is considered a basic and essential part to maintain a literate and cultured population, as well as a democratic space of information and communication for the communities in which it is inserted.

In addition to books, newspapers and magazines, most public libraries today have a wide range of other communication media (CDs, software, video cassettes, DVDs) and Internet facilities.

The establishment or development of a public library involves the creation of a legal authorization and a governing structure, the creation of a collection of books and media, as well as the obtaining of reliable sources of funding, especially governmental[24]. Most public libraries are small, serve a population of less than 25,000, and are established (or were established) in response to specific local needs. the establishment and management of libraries in the United States, Dana wrote.

Once established and funded through a resolution, public referendum, or similar legal process, the library is usually managed by a board of directors, library council, or other local authority. A librarian is appointed as director or manager of the library. In small municipalities, the city or county government may act as the library board and there may be a single librarian involved in the management and direction of the library. Library staff who are not involved in management are known in the United States and some other English-speaking countries as "library paraprofessionals" or "library support staff".[27]​ and may or may not have formal education in library and information science. Support staff play important roles in library collection development, cataloguing, technical support, and the process of preparing books for loan. All of these tasks can be called technical services, whether or not they are related to information technology.[28] Although the library's board of trustees has final authority to set policy, many other organizations may be involved in library management or fundraising, such as civic and volunteer associations, women's clubs, Friends of the Library groups, and groups created to advise the library on the purchase and retention of books.

Regional and national governments can also play a role in creating and organizing public libraries. Many governments operate their own large libraries for public and legislative use (for example, state libraries, the Library of Congress of the United States, the National Library of France, or the National Library of Spain). These governments can also influence local libraries by reserving formal recognition or funding for libraries that meet specific requirements. Finally, library and information professional associations, such as the American Library Association (ALA) and the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), help establish standards and procedures, secure funding, advocate at the state or national level, and certify library or information science schools.

The first libraries consisted of archives of the first forms of writing: clay tablets in cuneiform writing discovered in temple rooms in Sumeria[6]​[7]​ some dating from the 26th century BC. C.[8]​ These archives, which mainly consist of records of commercial transactions or inventories, mark the end of prehistory and the beginning of history.[9]​[10]​.

Among the first public libraries are those of the century during the Golden Age of Islam, one of the first being the House of Wisdom, from this time books were lent in them to those who used them for their studies.[11]​.

Persia at the time of the Achaemenid Empire (550-330 BC) was home to some exceptional libraries that served two main functions: maintaining records of administrative documents (e.g. transactions, government orders and allocation of budgets within and between the Satrapies and the central ruling state)[12]​ and collection of resources on different sets of principles, e.g. medical science, astronomy, history, geometry and philosophy.

The historian Yahya of Antioch (d. 1066) related that the Fatimid caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah financed and established libraries open to the public, where anyone, even simple non-specialists, could choose the books they wanted and have them copied by public scribes, free of charge. [13] However, as with many of his other decisions, Al-Hakim later ordered that this policy be reversed. [13]​.

In Cesena, Italy, the first community-run public library, the Biblioteca Malatestiana, was established in 1447, provided both secular and religious texts in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, and was fully open to all members of the public.

Another of the first libraries that allowed public access was that of the Kalendars or Kalendaries, a brotherhood of clergy and laymen attached to the church of All-Halloween or All Saints) in Bristol, England. Records show that in 1464 the construction of a library was arranged in the house of the Kalendars. Reference is made to a deed of that date which "established that all who wished to enter for instruction would have 'free access and recreation' at certain hours."[14]​.

In 1598, Francis Trigge established a library in a room above St Wulfram's Church in Grantham&action=edit&redlink=1 "Grantham (Lincolnshire) (not yet redacted)") (Lincolnshire) and decreed that it should be open to the clergy and residents of the surrounding neighborhood. Some scholars consider this library an "ancestor" of public libraries, since its users did not need to belong to an existing organization, such as a church or school, to use it. However, all the books in the library were chained to the posts and could not be borrowed, hence its name: the Francis Trigge Chained Library.[15]​.

In the early years of the century many famous collegiate and municipal libraries were founded in England. Norwich City Library was founded in 1608[16]​ (six years after Thomas Bodley founded the Bodleian Library, open to "the whole republic of scholars") and Chetham's Library") in Manchester, which claims to be the oldest public library in the English-speaking world, opening in 1653.[17]​.

The Palafoxiana Library in Ciudad de Puebla "Puebla (city)"), Mexico, is recognized by UNESCO for being the first public library in America. It was founded in 1646 by Juan de Palafox y Mendoza.[18]​[19]​[20]​.

In his seminal work Advis pour dresser une bibliothèque (1644) the French scholar and librarian Gabriel Naudé stated that only three libraries in all of Europe granted regular access to every scholar in his time, namely the Ambrosian Library in Milan, that in Rome and the Bodleian Library in Oxford. [21]​.

Modern public libraries can be considered a legacy of those born in the second half of the century as popular libraries, to serve the most disadvantaged social classes.[22]​[23]​ Starting in the second half of the century, international institutions such as UNESCO have had an important role in their development, especially in underdeveloped countries, thus its 1994 Manifesto establishes that public library services are provided on the basis of equal access for all people, without having taking into account your age, race, sex, religion, nationality, language or social status. The public library is considered a basic and essential part to maintain a literate and cultured population, as well as a democratic space of information and communication for the communities in which it is inserted.

In addition to books, newspapers and magazines, most public libraries today have a wide range of other communication media (CDs, software, video cassettes, DVDs) and Internet facilities.

The establishment or development of a public library involves the creation of a legal authorization and a governing structure, the creation of a collection of books and media, as well as the obtaining of reliable sources of funding, especially governmental[24]. Most public libraries are small, serve a population of less than 25,000, and are established (or were established) in response to specific local needs. the establishment and management of libraries in the United States, Dana wrote.

Once established and funded through a resolution, public referendum, or similar legal process, the library is usually managed by a board of directors, library council, or other local authority. A librarian is appointed as director or manager of the library. In small municipalities, the city or county government may act as the library board and there may be a single librarian involved in the management and direction of the library. Library staff who are not involved in management are known in the United States and some other English-speaking countries as "library paraprofessionals" or "library support staff".[27]​ and may or may not have formal education in library and information science. Support staff play important roles in library collection development, cataloguing, technical support, and the process of preparing books for loan. All of these tasks can be called technical services, whether or not they are related to information technology.[28] Although the library's board of trustees has final authority to set policy, many other organizations may be involved in library management or fundraising, such as civic and volunteer associations, women's clubs, Friends of the Library groups, and groups created to advise the library on the purchase and retention of books.

Regional and national governments can also play a role in creating and organizing public libraries. Many governments operate their own large libraries for public and legislative use (for example, state libraries, the Library of Congress of the United States, the National Library of France, or the National Library of Spain). These governments can also influence local libraries by reserving formal recognition or funding for libraries that meet specific requirements. Finally, library and information professional associations, such as the American Library Association (ALA) and the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), help establish standards and procedures, secure funding, advocate at the state or national level, and certify library or information science schools.