Here is a compilation of the oldest (existing) libraries in the world.

http://flavorwire.com/573078/the-old...ound-the-world

Very nice.

Thank you Spark, how many postings do you think it will take until a fight breaks out between librarians?

I thought the library at the university in Salamanca would be on the list, but...

<i>how many postings do you think it will take until a fight breaks out between librarians? </i>

Less than I think.

This article is crap, written by an uneducated cretin.

Sorry for the harsh words, but even a quick web research would reveal that the libraries in Vatican (300 A.D.), Sankt Gallen (612 A.D.), Sankt Peter in Salzburg (around 750 A.D.) are much older than those mentioned in this article.

Well, that didn't take long at all,did it?

IMDonehere, what had you been drinking that you started this thread?

Traveler, thank you for your kind words.

I am always interested in a serious discussion about the oldest drinks in the world.

I will gladly intrude with the hope of derailing the conversation.

It is almost midnight, I have to go to bed now. No more derailing from my side.

Interesting list -- I've visited three of them. Wimborne Minster is an easy detour if one is in the New Forest or visiting Salisbury/Stonehenge or Dorset.

We have visited a number of old libraries but I do not recall the use of chains.

An interesting list and enjoyed reading about them, but the title of the article is misleading. All seem to have been founded during the medieval period. If one wants to be pedantic the piece should read " Some of the Oldest Libraries Around the World " or, even, " Medieval Liibraries Around the World."

Several of the old libraries I've visited in the UK have been chained. Wells, Hereford, Wimborne Minster . . .

IMDonehere, actually the use of chains is not that uncommon. I've seen several in the U.K., however many of the chained books are located in small rooms and not on view for most tourists.

True, I did not validate the veracity of the claims. Once amended correctly, it remains an interesting list.

janisj, yeah that's some of them.

IMDonehere, the lists that online websites frequently come up with are usually lacking in serious research and are hyped to get viewers. Mr. History is always sending me lists of "The Best Place to Live " or "The 10 Most Historic Places to Visit" etc. Almost always open to opinion and frequently not well researched but, like this list, still interesting.

IMD...did you know the New York Public Library is the tallest building in NYC?

It has the most stories.

I'm here to help.

Tom, save lives, don't volunteer.

Those other lists "10 best smallest atolls with a swim up bar" are as capricious as they come. This was supposedly based on fact.