Panizzi pen
The Panizzi pen is a device invented by Antonio Panizzi that is used to hold shelves to the side walls of bookcases.
The pins are inserted into holes that have been drilled at regular intervals on the inside of the side walls. A small sheet of metal is welded to the head of each pen, which supports the shelf. Since the sheet is not welded in the middle, a small difference in height can also be set by turning the pin.
Panizzi was the Principal Librarian of the British Museum and the British Museum Library in London from 1856 to 1866 . The new building of the British Museum also took place at this time. It was important for the library that administration and storage areas were separated. His invention enabled a space-saving storage of the book inventory, because collections from folio and octave volumes or other formats could be brought together in a systematic listing, which later also led to a simplification of the signature systems, e.g. B. the numerus currens . Shelves could be produced in standardized dimensions, within the shelves the book size could be taken into account. The standardization of shelf heights then also influenced the storey height of new library buildings.
literature
- Joris Vorstius, Siegfried Joost: Fundamentals of the library history. 8th edition. Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1980, ISBN 3-447-01909-3
Web links
- Ulrich Naumann: Library construction and equipment (PDF; 2.2 MB), therein illustration, p. 5
- Wilhelm Krabbe, Wilhelm Martin Luther: Textbook of the library administration