Search

This article traces the history of the relationship of papermaking and paper to libraries over time. Paper was first made in China and is traditionally considered one of that nation's four greatest inventions, along with gun powder, printing, and the compass. Papermaking was often associated with archives in its early development in China, as well as when it was introduced to Japan, where it came to be a part of some Shinto and Buddhist temples, and later governmental agencies. Under Islam, the availability of paper was linked to increased literacy and growth of libraries. In early modern Europe, before the widespread use of wood in the papermaking process, libraries and archives were part of an "economy of paper" with paper at times being in short supply. In the modern era, the world of papermaking did not intersect much with the world of the library, which made progress with the problem of brittle books, one of its greatest challenges, slow, though recent efforts of government, industry, scientists, and representatives of the library have produced positive results. The damage caused by wood-based paper in libraries was mirrored by the environmental damage caused by wood-based papermaking in communities. The history of papermaking and libraries demonstrates the importance of understanding the technologies which support the library, while also advocating effectively to the representatives of all its sources of support in ways which promote the values of the library and its associated community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of China Pulp & Paper is the property of China Pulp & Paper Magazines Publisher and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Papermaking is one of the four great inventions in ancient China; the most influential genre of Chinese literature is poetry; and paper and poetry are therefore both our "national quintessence" of which the Chinese people are proud. The period people use the tablets of bamboo or pieces of silk had lasted several thousand years before paper was created, when the instantaneous exchange of emotion had to be oral, and that is why the way of verbal expression used to be oral songs, but not textual poetry; meanwhile, owing to the heaviness and inconvenience of the media, the written texts were only used for conveying the diachronic tradition, not suitable for special circulation. The invention of paper and its wide usage made the Chinese culture step into the Middle Ancient Time and hence led to the boom of textual literature in the Wei and Jin Dynasties. Thereafter, poetry changed its form from oral to written texts, which in turn led to the changes in the importance of the literary nature and the poetic ambience of poetry. The revolution of poetry relevant to the aesthetic nature and the formal rhyme was hence the result by using the material media of paper, demonstrating the influence of the material upon the spirit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]