The library before images

Prom the beginning, books have had illustrations, but only with the advent of movable type and woodcut printing could quality, mass reproduction of both word and image be achieved. This achievement poses problems inside libraries and beyond library walls with regard to the images contained in books. Library organizations have privileged written text and recorded information, while images have been marginalized. In contrast, the social spaces outside of the library saw images become preponderant, occupying a nearly omnipresent position in the lives of people, giving rise to a highly visual culture. In this context, libraries need to treat images in accord with their specificity and importance, making libraries a platform for promoting both literacy and visual culture.