The original library existed about 8000 years ago. Mesopotamia used wedge-shaped sticks to write on wet clay tablets, and what was written at that time was also called "cuneiform writing". They dried the bookcase and kept the rare books in the mud cover. Thousands of these books were found in palaces and temples, and arranged in the order of themes. Such a palace collection is the original library.

In ancient Egypt, libraries were built in temples and managed by priests. Egyptians write things on papyrus, then roll the paper on knotted branches and put them in boxes or bookshelves. One of the most famous libraries in ancient times is the Alexandria Library, which was built around 300 BC. It has 700,000 papyrus rolls, all of which are catalogued and divided into 120 categories. It was the Romans who first thought of establishing public libraries. As early as the 4th century, there were 28 libraries in Rome. By the end of the Middle Ages in Europe, cathedrals appeared and some small libraries were built in the churches. At this time, colleges and universities also began to collect books. 1400, Oxford University in England began to build a library. Its name is Oxford University Library, which is the largest university library in the world today.

The role of the library:

(1) Preserve human cultural heritage. The appearance of library is the need of preserving human cultural heritage. With the library, the experience, culture and knowledge gained by human social practice can be systematically preserved and handed down, which has become a valuable cultural heritage and spiritual wealth of human beings today. . (2) carry out social education. In modern times, the emergence of large-scale capitalist industries requires workers to have more labor knowledge and skills, so that libraries can really enter the common people and undertake the task of educating workers in scientific knowledge and culture. In modern society, the library has become the base of continuing education and lifelong education, and has undertaken more educational functions. (3) transmitting scientific information. Transmitting scientific information is an important function of modern libraries. Rich, systematic and comprehensive library information materials have become the material conditions for libraries to engage in scientific information dissemination. In the information society, the scientific information function of the library will be strengthened. (4) Developing intellectual resources. The books and materials collected in the library are a kind of intellectual resources accumulated by human beings for a long time. The processing of these resources by the library is the development of this kind of intellectual resources. At the same time, the library provides these books for use, which is to develop the intellectual resources of library users. In other words, the library undertakes the function of cultivating talents. (5) provide cultural entertainment. The service of the library meets the social demand for culture and entertainment, enriches and enlivens people's cultural life and plays an indelible role in the construction of spiritual civilization.