The Santee Library

Dates: Tuesday, September 15th OR Thursday, September 17th

Location: Your couch! See your e-mail for the Zoom link!

Libraries: The Medicine Chest of the Soul (Inscribed at the Library at Thebes)

Libraries date back to antiquity, as a means of consolidating the written word and cultural knowledge. The Greeks kept libraries, both public and in temples, as far back as the 4th century BC. The copies of Aristotle’s private library eventually formed part of the foundation of the Library at Alexandria, rumored to be one of the greatest collections of human knowledge in the ancient world. As ships docked at the great port of Alexandria, their books were turned over for copying and archiving in the Library. Though it was once believed that the Library was sacked and burned by the Romans, later texts and accounts dispute that claim.

For a short lesson on the Library at Alexandria, click here:

Religions also drove the collection of texts. After the death of prophet Muhammad in the 7th century, adherents committed their religious texts to papyrus scrolls and encouraged all to read them.

As they conquered new lands, they brought their commitment to literacy with them. After learning to make paper from the Chinese, their production and collection of written works only continued to grow. By replacing papyrus and parchment, paper improved trade and led to some of the most extensive libraries in the world, far outstripping the libraries of Europe. By the 9th century, Baghdad boasted more than 100 shops selling books and paper in their central market.

Christian monks and monasteries also sought to collect and preserve the written word. The Benedictine order of monks was particularly known for their beautifully detailed texts, spending countless hours copying and detailing the texts.

Many were used for religious study, though many monasteries also lent books to other monasteries or even neighboring townsfolk, functioning as an early public library.

During the Middle Ages, libraries became a feature of European Universities, as well as monasteries. Unfortunately, books remained extremely expensive and difficult to obtain for most people. In the 1440s, Guttenberg’s moveable type printing press began to make books more accessible to more than just the very wealthy, increasing the prevalence of privately owned book collections. Unfortunately, wars, changing ideologies, and differing attitudes towards religion across the globe in the 15th and 16th centuries wreaked havoc on libraries, especially those housed in religious institutions, Christian and Muslim alike. As ideologies evolved, many sought to get rid of ‘old ways’ of thinking, destroying texts and collections.

It would not be until the 17th and 18th centuries that the idea of collected and shared knowledge in the form of books would establish itself more firmly. In 1731, Benjamin Franklin established the Junto, a membership library for “a club of thinkers that gathered to discuss "queries on any point of Morals, Politics, or Natural Philosophy," as Franklin described in his autobiography.” Each Junto member paid a fee to be a part of the club, which The Library Company used to procure a collection of books. Benjamin Franklin also contributed to one of the nation’s first public lending libraries when he donated a collection of his books to the town of Franklin (named after him). He insisted that the books be made free to the town, thus establishing a lending library.

The idea of free public libraries continued to spread across the new nation, and the first totally tax-supported library was established in 1833 in the town of Peterborough, New Hampshire. The Boston Public Library was founded in 1848 and is considered to be one of the first substantial libraries in the country.

from the santee library

Our kind librarians have sent over some reading for us ahead of our visit! We will be learning about the library system in general, so first, check out the Library Bill of Rights here:

Library Bill of RightsThe American Library Association affirms that all libraries are forums for information and ideas, and that the following basic policies should guide their services. I. Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.

Next, explore what we mean by ‘intellectual freedom’. Check out this 4.5 minute video.

To learn more about the background of the San Diego Library system, check out this wonderful magazine written by the San Diego free magazine “Kindness Happens Here”. This link is a tiny bit tricky, as we can’t link to the specific issue. Scroll down just a little and look for the “June 2026” issue. It says “San Diego Libraries are built for everyone”. Enjoy!

Archive | Digital Magazine by Kindness Happens HereDiscover our Digital Magazine archive at Kindness Happens Here. Access past issues with ease.

libraries and books by the numbers

Let’s take a look at some library/reading numbers! The vast majority of Americans agree that libraries contribute substantially to their community, even if they themselves do not visit or make use of them. Public libraries provide a range of services, far beyond lending out a great read for 2 weeks at a time.

9,202 - the number of public libraries across the United States (not counting those at school and military institutions).
- Those libraries operate 17,351 outlets (branches, bookmobiles, and central libraries).
- They circulate roughly 2 billion items a year (that includes physical and digital mediums).

98,506 - the number of public school libraries!

170 million - there are just over 170 million items in the collection of the Library of Congress, the largest library in the world. It covers an area of 2.1 million square feet!

40% - the percentage of Americans who didn’t complete a book last year (2025) Check out the chart below to see how many books people completed. Where do you fall on the chart?

Check out more charts and stats here:

Most Americans didn't read many books in 202540% of Americans who didn't read any books in 2025. The median American read two books.

2 - the median number of books American readers completed in 2025. (The average is 8 books read, but the people that read 50 or more books in a year tend to skew the average a bit).