Renaissance
Many argue that the ideas characterizing the Renaissance had their origin in late 13th-century Florence, in particular with the writings of Dante Alighieri (1265–1321) and Petrarch (1304–1374), as well as the paintings of Giotto di Bondone (1267–1337). Some writers date the Renaissance quite precisely; one proposed starting point is 1401, when the rival geniuses Lorenzo Ghiberti and Filippo Brunelleschi competed for the contract to build the bronze doors for the Baptistery of the Florence Cathedral (Ghiberti won). Others see more general competition between artists and polymaths such as Brunelleschi, Ghiberti, Donatello, and Masaccio for artistic commissions as sparking the creativity of the Renaissance. Yet it remains much debated why the Renaissance began in Italy, and why it began when it did. Accordingly, several theories have been put forward to explain its origins.
Library history
It wasn't until the Middle Ages that libraries became a part of culture. During the Renaissance era, more people became educated and relied on libraries as a place to study and gain knowledge. During the Renaissance most of the text held in libraries were religious text. Libraries helped enrich the culture of those who were educated by providing this valuable resource otherwise unavailable.In the early 19th and 20th century, representative titles were created reporting library history in the United States and the United Kingdom. American titles include: "Public Libraries in the United States of America, Their History, Condition, and Management" (1876), "Memorial History of Boston" (1881) by Justin Winsor, "Public Libraries in America" (1894) by William I. Fletcher, and "History of the New York Public Library" (1923) by Henry M. Lydenberg. British titles include: "Old English Libraries" (1911) by Earnest A. Savage and T"he Chained Library: A Survey of Four Centuries in the Evolution of the English Library" by Burnett Hillman Streeter.