Abstract

This study delineates the era of the scholar-librarian as spanning from the fifteenth to the eighteenth century and, through an overview of several major figures-including the prominent scholar-librarian Gabriel Naudé (1600-1653)-seeks to clarify both the circumstances that led scholars to be affiliated with libraries and the reasons libraries employed such scholar-librarians within their historical context. During this period, Europe witnessed the rise of dynastic states, the weakening of ecclesiastical authority, and the gradual emergence of Enlightenment thought. Intellectual exchange among scholars increased, fostering a collective self-understanding of themselves as citizens of the “Republic of Letters.” Based on this historical background, libraries placed primary emphasis on the acquisition of books, and it appears that scholars with advanced philological and bibliographical expertise were appointed as librarians to fulfill these functions. The historical foundations supporting the scholar-librarian began to shift from the eighteenth century onward. This study, therefore, considers the factors that contributed to this transformation and discusses how these developments weakened the traditional role of the scholar-librarian. Through this analysis, the study intends to offer implications for exploring the social roles libraries should assume in today's rapidly changing environment and for identifying the professional expertise that librarians need to be recognized for.