"Tracing what the library has meant since its beginning, examining how its significance has shifted, and pondering its importance in the twenty-first century, significant contributors--including the librarian of the Congress and the former executive director of the HathiTrust--present a cultural history of the library"--Dust jacket flap.

Adventures in Ancient Greek and Roman Libraries -- The Image of the Medieval Library -- The Renaissance Library and the Challenge of Print -- From Printing Shop to Bookshelves: How Books Began the Journey to Enlightenment Libraries -- "The Advantages of Literature": The Subscription Library in Georgian Britain -- Literature and the Library in the Nineteenth Century, John Sutherland -- The Library in Fiction -- The Library in Poetry -- The Library in Film: Order and Mystery -- The Library Now and in the Future -- "Casting and Gathering": Libraries, Archives, and the Modern Writer -- Meanings of the Library Today -- The Modern Library and Global Democracy,