Carriers and Access: the Role of Books and Libraries Through History

This work explores the relationship between books, libraries, authority and power in many societies over time. Both the relationship between books and libraries, and the relationship between information technology and society, are fundamentally consistent across human history. As carriers of information change, their libraries have changed physically and conceptually. As societies themselves change, concepts of power and authority also change. What thus changes is the use access and benefit of books and libraries.