Hi there! I’m John Green, and today I’m excited to share some amazing facts about libraries with you. Did you know that George Washington once borrowed a library book and returned it 221 years late? In 1789, he took “The Law of Nations” from the New York Society Library. When the book was finally replaced in 2010, the late fee would have been $300,000, but luckily, it was waived!
Libraries have been around for a long time. The first public library was probably run by a Greek named Callimachus, a student of Plato, who lived over 2,000 years ago. Another famous ancient library was the Library of Alexandria in Egypt. When people arrived in Egypt, they had to give up their books, which were copied and added to the library’s collection.
The oldest library still operating today is in Morocco. It was founded in 859 by a woman named Fatima al-Fihri. This library holds some very old and valuable Islamic manuscripts. To protect these precious texts, the room where they are kept once had four locks, each with a different key holder.
The National Library of Bhutan is also special because it’s technically a Buddhist temple. This allows it to have one of the largest collections of Buddhist texts in the world. The biggest library in the world is the Library of Congress in the United States, with 162 million items. The British Library comes in second with over 150 million items.
Did you know the Library of Congress has a secret FBI interrogation manual? It ended up there by mistake when an agent tried to copyright it. The library also announced plans to archive every public tweet ever, but that project has faced some challenges.
The Kansas City Library is famous for its “community bookshelf,” a wall of giant book spines on its parking garage. The New York Public Library is known for its lion statues, Patience and Fortitude, and even has a beer recipe from George Washington in its collection!
In the early 1900s, some people lived in New York Public Library buildings because they needed to keep the furnaces running all night. Thirteen of these apartments still exist today.
Scientists have been curious about how clean library books are for over a century. A study in 2013 found tiny traces of substances on books from a library in Belgium, but experts agree it’s unlikely anyone would get sick from a library book.
In Denmark, a project called the Human Library lets people “borrow” other people to hear their stories. There’s also a library where you can borrow tools instead of books!
As of 2013, 61% of American adults had a library card, and 90% believed that losing their public library would hurt their community. Libraries are important places for learning and connection.
Beverly Cleary, the author of the Ramona Quimby series, was once a children’s librarian. She wrote books with characters kids could relate to because they asked for them.
The idea of presidential libraries in the U.S. started with Rutherford B. Hayes’s son, who wanted a library dedicated to his father. Now, there are 13 presidential libraries across the country.
The movie “The Outsiders” was made partly because a school librarian and her students petitioned for it. Their efforts caught the attention of filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola.
Isaac Asimov, a famous author, worked on around 500 books, covering almost all categories in the Dewey Decimal System. This system, used by most libraries, was invented by Melville Dewey in 1876.
Did you know there are library vending machines? The first one in the U.S. opened in Norman, Oklahoma, in 2013. It’s open 24/7 and offers books, DVDs, and audiobooks.
Libraries are amazing places full of history, knowledge, and community spirit. Thanks for joining me on this journey through the world of libraries. And remember, don’t forget to be awesome!
Research the history of libraries and create a timeline that highlights key events mentioned in the article, such as the founding of the Library of Alexandria and the opening of the first library vending machine. Use drawings or digital tools to make your timeline visually appealing.
Work in pairs to create a scavenger hunt based on the fascinating facts from the article. Write clues that lead to different facts, and then exchange your scavenger hunt with another pair to see who can find all the facts first!
Imagine you could design your own library. What unique features would it have? Would it include a tool-lending section or a human library? Draw or use a computer program to create a floor plan and describe the special collections your library would offer.
Participate in a debate about the importance of libraries in the digital age. Use information from the article to support your arguments. Discuss whether libraries should focus more on digital collections or maintain their traditional roles.
Choose one of the interesting stories from the article, such as George Washington’s overdue book or the Human Library project. Prepare a short storytelling session to share with your classmates, using props or visuals to make it engaging.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
—
Hi, I’m John Green. Welcome to my salon. This is a Mental Floss video, and did you know that George Washington had a library book that was 221 years overdue? In 1789, Washington borrowed “The Law of Nations” from the New York Society Library. In 2010, the Mount Vernon staff sent a replacement book back, which would have meant a $300,000 late fee, but luckily it was waived.
Anyway, that’s the first of many facts about libraries I’m going to share with you today because I love libraries. In fact, you may not know this, but for six years, I worked for the American Library Association. Here’s a bonus fact: it’s thought that the first-ever public library was run by a Greek man named Callimachus, a student of Plato, who died in 353 BCE. A more famous ancient library is the Library of Alexandria. It is said that every person who arrived in Egypt had to surrender their books; they would then be copied, and the original would be placed in the library while the copy was returned to the owner. That seems kind of like the opposite of the contemporary library experience, but whatever.
As for the oldest still-working library in the world, it’s in Morocco. It was founded by a woman named Fatima al-Fihri in 859. It contains some very old and valuable Islamic manuscripts. In fact, at one point, the door to the manuscript room had four different locks, each held by a different person who had the keys, and you would need all of them to get into the room.
Another library with important religious texts is the National Library of Bhutan. It was consecrated, so technically it’s a Buddhist temple, and that distinction allows them to maintain one of the largest collections of Buddhist texts in the world. The biggest library in the world by items is the Library of Congress here in the United States, with 162 million items. In second place is the British Library with over 150 million.
Speaking of the Library of Congress, they have a secret FBI interrogation manual in their collection. The incident was a bizarre mistake made by an agent who attempted to copyright the 70-page manual in 2010, which inadvertently made it accessible to the public. The Library of Congress also has a Twitter archive; they announced in 2010 that they would archive every public tweet ever, but since that announcement, little has been done on the project due to the challenges of dealing with that much raw data.
The Kansas City Library is famous for its community bookshelf, a wall of huge book spines that lines the parking garage, featuring real titles suggested by the community. Another famous library in the United States is the New York Public Library, which has two lion statues out front. They were originally named after the library’s founders but are now known as Patience and Fortitude.
Part of the collection at the New York Public Library includes a recipe for beer written by George Washington. In 2011, the organization teamed up with Coney Island Brewing Company to produce 25 gallons of Fortitude Founding Father Brew. It turns out George Washington was a good general and a great president, but not a great brewer.
Back in the early 20th century, when the New York Public Library system was being established, people lived in the various libraries because they had to shovel coal into the furnaces at all hours of the night. There are still 13 of these apartments from the original 30.
Scientists have been trying to figure out how grimy library books are since at least 1911. One study in 2013 found traces of substances in library books from Belgium’s Antwerp Public Library, but that’s an extreme example and in very minuscule amounts. Experts agree that it is unlikely for a person to get sick from a library book.
In the year 2000, a youth organization in Denmark started an interesting project called the Human Library, where people could interact with different types of individuals, from Olympic athletes to questioning Christians, and hear their stories. Another unique type of library allows members to pay a monthly fee to check out household tools they need but don’t own.
As of 2013, 61% of American adults had a library card, and 90% of Americans agreed that if their public library were to close, it would impact their community. The last heir to the Ottoman Empire was a man named Osman Bayezid Effendi, who was fluent in six languages, making him perfect for his job at the Library of Foreign Languages in New York, where he worked for 34 years.
Another famous librarian is Beverly Cleary, who wrote the Ramona Quimby book series. Before World War II, she was a children’s librarian and later recalled that kids would ask for books containing characters who were like them, but there weren’t any at that time, so she changed that.
The tradition of presidential libraries in the United States was not started by a president. Rutherford B. Hayes’s son, Colonel Webb C. Hayes, came up with the idea in 1912, almost two decades after his father had died. Webb donated a lot of their property and historical belongings to the state of Ohio, asking for a library dedicated to his father in return. In 1938, FDR announced that he would do something similar, and presidential libraries have been a thing ever since. Today, there are 13 presidential libraries run by the National Archives, with Texas having the most of any state, housing the libraries and museums of Lyndon B. Johnson, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush.
It is said that the movie adaptation of the book “The Outsiders” was made partially because of a school librarian’s petition in 1980. JoEllen Missakian sent Francis Ford Coppola a letter asking if he would adapt the novel by S.E. Hinton, including the signatures of 110 students and a copy of the book. Producer Fred Roos responded that one of the company’s readers agreed, so they were considering an adaptation. It eventually got made and was a pretty good movie, although not as good as the book.
The author and editor Isaac Asimov worked on around 500 books during his lifetime, fitting into nine out of the ten major Dewey Decimal classes. By the way, Melville Dewey invented the system when he was a 21-year-old student assistant in the Amherst College Library. It was first published in 1876, and in 2007, a library from Arizona made waves when it announced that the Dewey Decimal System would no longer be used to organize the collection. However, 95% of public libraries in the U.S. still use it.
Finally, I return to my salon to tell you about library vending machines. These are more common in China, but the first one in the United States opened in Norman, Oklahoma, in 2013. The one there is open 24/7 and dispenses 400 items, including books, DVDs, and audiobooks.
So, I love libraries! Thanks for watching Mental Floss, which is made with the help of all these nice people. And thanks to all the librarians out there; you are doing such important work. In the comments, please let me know what your favorite book is, if you have one. And as we say in my hometown, don’t forget to be awesome!
—
[Applause]
[Music]
Libraries – Buildings or rooms containing collections of books, periodicals, and sometimes films and recorded music for people to read, borrow, or refer to. – The ancient libraries of Alexandria were once the most famous in the world, housing thousands of scrolls and manuscripts.
History – The study of past events, particularly in human affairs. – Learning about the history of the Roman Empire helps us understand how it influenced modern governments.
Manuscripts – Handwritten or typed documents, especially those of historical or literary significance. – The discovery of ancient manuscripts in the cave provided new insights into early human civilizations.
Community – A group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common. – The medieval community often gathered in the town square to hear news and share stories.
Ancient – Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence. – The ancient pyramids of Egypt are a testament to the engineering skills of early civilizations.
Texts – Written or printed works, regarded in terms of their content rather than their physical form. – The texts of Shakespeare’s plays have been studied by scholars for centuries.
Books – Written or printed works consisting of pages glued or sewn together along one side and bound in covers. – The library’s collection of history books helped students with their research projects.
Culture – The arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively. – The Renaissance was a period of great cultural growth, with advancements in art, literature, and science.
Authors – Writers of books, articles, or other texts. – Famous authors like Mark Twain have left a lasting impact on American literature.
Collections – Groups of accumulated items, especially works of art or literature, gathered for study, comparison, or exhibition. – The museum’s collections include artifacts from ancient Greece and Rome.
