A History in Flames

Suppose that the fundamental jobs of a library is to preserve its contents– to conserve words written by dead hands, leaving behind an infinite legacy of a finite mind. If this is the case, whose legacy deserves to be upheld? And to whom is this information available? Ancient libraries can provide insight into the transience of not only ideas but of human existence itself. The quest to create a universal library continues, but even the legendary library of Alexandria went down in flames. Some people use words as a way to immortalize themselves but still these attempts fall short. Time refuses to be conquered. Books are often our main look into the past, but as more time passes, it become increasingly difficult to distinguish fact from fiction. Say that 500 years from now, the only thing left of 21st century America is a copy of The Hunger Games. Will future historians assume the 2000s were a time of immense centralized power that enjoyed watching kids fight like gladiators for their lives? And how far would they really be from the truth? In this case, Suzanne Collins’s young adult novel would be among the only remnants of our time; the rest of our present history will have been effectively erased, much like Shi Huangdi’s attempt to obliterate any reality before his own. This begs the question, is it considered history if no one is looking back at it?

 

While libraries are a center of accumulating knowledge, their existence is also deeply rooted in the destruction of what it works to preserve. In Battles’s words, “Libraries are as much about losing the truth– satisfying the inner barbarian of princes, presidents, and pretenders– as about discovering it. The loss of libraries is often enough the product of the fear, ignorance, and greed of their supposed  benefactors and protectors.” Knowledge often exists in the hands of a select few, resulting in a monopoly of knowledge. If knowledge is power, this sequestering of information can help those in authority maintain their position. Public libraries are funded by the government, which means– though it would be unconstitutional– it would be possible for them to regulate what information reaches the masses. If books are the center of knowledge and knowledge is power, books must then be the center of power. So, the secular ties of the library maintain a kind of power play between the governing and the governed.