Carlyle, Panizzi, and the Public Library Ideal

19th century Scottish essayist, Thomas Carlyle, founded the London Library as a model for an egalitarian institution serving the common man. Carlyle disagreed vehemently with the British Museum's Librarian, Antonio Panizzi, about the role of the library in society and the need for a quiet reading room for the public. Panizzi is better remembered in the field of library science, but Caryle's ideals live on in the London Library and in all public libraries today.