• Journal of Korean Library and Information Science Society
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.1-21
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• 2021

This study traced the origin and transformation of word library linked with archives in the ancient Near East, and Greece and Rome. First, the word library has two origins. One is derived from the Latin bibliothēkē from the ancient Greek βιβλιοθήκη. The first trace is Pollux's Onomasticon in the second half of the 2nd century, and if considered as a set of literature texts, it is Lipsius's De Bibliothecis Syntagma in 1602. The other was established as an library in the early 14th century after Latin libraria (or librarium) was translated into Old French librairie (or librarie). The word library was coined by Chaucer in 1374. Second, the clay tablet repository that existed in the ancient Near East is close to an archive, but the official name is unknown. However, the Ashurbanipal clay tablet archive is far from the principle of respect for original order and origins emphasized by the archivists, so it is not a royal archive, but a prototype of the royal library. And the official name of the Library of Alexandria was 'Βιβλιοθήκη της Αλεξάνδρειας', and then it was changed to 'ALEXANDRINA BYBLIOTHECE'. Third, In ancient Greece and Rome, archives and libraries were separated. Greece libraries were at the level of a small libraries attached to gymnasiums, and had few independent titles. The names of the Roman libraries often attached to the public baths were mixed with βιβλιοθήκη and Bibliotheca. Finally, the ancient library was succeeded to the cathedral bibliothek, and was transformed into 'bayt al-hikmah' in the Islamic Empire. In Japan, China, and Korea, Japanese-Chinese word library was accepted at the end of the 19th century, but there are many issues that require follow-up research.

• Journal of Korean Library and Information Science Society
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.1-23
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• 2022

The record is both an palmistry and a fingerprint for human life and world of knowledge. Books, which are synonymous with records, are a channel through which history is traced and a window to savor. And the most primitive form of the book is the classics of ancient Greece and Rome, and the best part is the manuscript. It refers to the original recorded on papyrus, parchment, paper, etc. and the translated and translated copies of them. If we reflect on the long history of knowledge and culture, the classic manuscripts have continued to scatter and collect like a river flowing through time and space due to not only natural disasters, but also artificial cultural vandalism and the bibliocaust. Therefore, this study traced and linked the wandering and library return of classic manuscripts from ancient Greece to the medieval Renaissance period. As a result, dynasties and empires, monarchs and prime ministers, generals and conquerors, nobles and wealthy, clergy and scholars concentrated on collecting and translating classical manuscripts. If the ancient Greek and Roman scholars did not record knowledge and wisdom in papyrus and parchment, the medieval Byzantine and Islamic Empires did not collect, translate and reproduce classics, the book hunters didn't keep track of the classics, the Renaissance humanists did not restore and reinterpret the classics through intellectual exodus, and the historical library did not collect and preserve the classics and their translations, modern people would not have access to classical knowledge. Nevertheless, the tracing of classical manuscripts is an aporia in which many difficulties and contradictions overlap in the tracing of classic manuscripts due to historical flow, geographical wandering, and linguistic transformation. When a new manuscript is discovered and interpreted, correction and supplementation are inevitable, so the pursuit of the wandering and return of the classic manuscripts through follow-up research must be continued.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Library and Information Science
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.5-24
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• 2023

In ancient Egypt, temples were not only religious sanctuaries but also community centers. One of the core spaces created in the temple is the facility where priests and scribes copied and preserved texts on papyrus and other media. Its common designation was 'pr-mḏȝ'(House of Books) and the 'per-(nw)-seshw'(House of Scrolls). The general term used during that time was 'Per Ankh', and the modern term for it is 'temple library'. Therefore, this study first identified the character and identity of the Per Ankh attached to the temple, and then traced whether it is appropriate to designate 'healing place of the souls' depicted on the hypostyle hall(Per Ankh) in the Ramesseum(mortuary temple) built by Ramses II of the New Kingdom as a library. As a result, Per Ankh, a hieroglyph combining the Per(house) and Ankh(life), was revealed to be a multi-purpose complex facility consisting of a learning and research center, a treatment and healing center with medical facilities and sanatoriums, a religious ceremony and a center for the celebration of eternal life, a scriptorium and a library. Therefore, the traditional argument that Per Ankh refers to a library cannot be justified. In the same context, the inscription 'Ψυχῆς ἰατρεῖον' on the doorplate of the hypostyle hall of the Ramesseum, which was first introduced by Greek historian Hecataeus of Miletus in the 4th century BC, was translated into Latin as 'Psychēs Iatreion' by Diodorus Siculus in the 1st century BC and described as the motto of the sacred library. However, Psyche is the goddess of Greek and Roman mythology, and Iatreion means hospital(clinic, healing center) and pharmacy, so Per Ankh in the Ramesseum is a space to heal the soul of the pharaoh (Ka). Therefore, 'Psychēs Iatreion = library' is a distortion and a mistranslation. It is not the motto of the library, but a metaphor for the Per Ankh.

• Journal of Korean Library and Information Science Society
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.73-94
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• 2022

Florence is the cradle of the Italian Renaissance. It is the result of a combination of medieval humanists' exploration of ancient Greek and Roman knowledge and culture, the leadership of great monarchs and priests, patronage of the Medici family, etc., free-thinking and creativity of artists, and critical consciousness and cultural needs of citizens. However, the Florentine Renaissance could not have blossomed unless the Medici family had collected ancient manuscripts and translations, and built libraries to preserve and provide literature. Based on this logical basis, this study outlined the Florentine renaissance and historic libraries, analyzed the collection and composition of favorite books of the Medici family, and traced the architectural characteristics and metaphors of the Medici libraries, The San Marco Library (Michelozzo Library), Library of Badia Fiesolana, and the San Lorenzo Library (Laurentian Library) were the priming and birthplace of the Florentine Renaissance despite of many difficulties, including earthquake, fire, restoration, transfer, seizure, and closure. In particular, the San Marco Library, which was opened in 1444 based on the financial support of Cosimo de' Medici, Michelozzo's design, and Niccoli's private collections was the first common library in the Renaissance period. And the architectural highlight of the Laurentian Library, which opened in 1571 under the leadership of Giulio (Papa Clemente VII), is Michelangelo's staircase, which symbolizes 'from ignorance to wisdom', and the real value of the content is the ancient manuscripts and early printed books, which were collected by the humanist Niccoli and the Medici family. In short, when discussing the Florentine Renaissance, Medici's collection and historic libraries are very important points. The reason is that the ancient collections were not stuffed products, but syntactic semiotics, and the libraries are telescopes that view the history of human knowledge and culture and microscopes that create knowledge and wisdom. If records dominate memories, libraries accumulate records. Therefore, long breathing and time capsule strategies are also required for the development and preservation of retroactive books in domestic libraries with a relatively long history.