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World Libraries 2022 - class edits
In 1948, during the Arab-Israeli war, thousands of Palestinians fled their homes, leaving everything they owned behind, including some extensive private libraries. The Jewish National and University library (National Library) conducted a "book salvage operation," adding approximately 30,000 books, primarily in Arabic, to its collection. Still in unofficial status, the National Library was named the "official central authority whose function it will be to manage matters of abandoned libraries, whether public or private..." (Gish, 2010). The vast majority of these books were not processed and cataloged until the 1960's, and the task is not finished yet. Names of the previous owners were removed and replaced with the code "AP" (abandoned property). Controversy surrounds the Library's collection tactics; some reports claim the operation saved abandoned books while others imply the operation was one of salvage and plunder. Gish Amit (2011) Salvage or Plunder? Israel's "Collection" of Private Palestinian Libraries in West Jerusalem, Journal of Palestine Studies, 40:4, 6-23, DOI: 10.1525/jps.2011.XL.4.6

Chapter one of the book, Jerusalem: City of the Book, describes the recent discovery of a fragment of papyrus inscribed with the word "Jerusalem." Carefully sequestered in the climate-controlled lab in the basement of the Israel Library, this fragment appears to be a receipt for "the delivery of two wineskins to...the king of Jerusalem" thus making it significant politically. Experts suggest that the fragment is from the seventh century B.C.E. It was purchased from a dealer in Bethlehem; the buyer who purchased it did so with the belief that if he did not, it would possibly be smuggled out of the country. The National Library of Israel did not show and interest in purchasing it, and to date, the fragment does not have an interested buyer. Such finds are important as they are sometimes catalysts in deciphering the history of Jerusalem. Mack, M., Balint, B., & Brenner, É. (2019). Jerusalem : City of the book. Yale University Press.

The years between 1874 and 1902 saw the opening of the first secular public libraries in Jerusalem. Not a single Jewish town during the period of the British Mandate was without some form of library. This mandate granted Jewish and Arab communities the right to run their own affairs, and libraries were established in part to work towards Jewish national revival and its goal to improve modern society in the areas of education and culture. Traditionally, Jewish culture had a had a long tradition of study and books carried a unique status. McDonald, J.D., & Levine-Clark, M. (Eds.). (2018). Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences (4th ed.). CRC Press.

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem began offering a masters program in Library history in 1972; since then, many changes have taken place. With the appointment of full-time faculty, the Graduate School of Graduate and Archive Studies of the Hebrew University has grown and offers specialization in historical studies. Schidorsky, D. (1990). Library History Research in Israel. Libraries & Culture, 25(1), 138–150. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25542234 Before Israel had autonomous Jewish rule in Palestine, there were no official libraries; books resided in synagogues and private collections. Some libraries in Palestine were owned by foreign entities and contained mostly Palestinian books. The rise of immigrants began arriving in Palestine in the late 19th century brought with it a surging interest in higher learning, interest in general topics as well as their origin-country language, and agriculture. Shoham S. Libraries and Librarianship in Israel. IFLA Journal. 2000;26(3):165-176. doi:10.1177/034003520002600302