Largest chained library

The largest surviving example of a chained library is at Hereford Cathedral in the United Kingdom. The library holds 227 medieval manuscripts and around 1,200 early printed books, each anchored to the shelves with a chain that connects the book's binding to an iron rod that runs along the bottom of the shelf.

Before the adoption of the printing press in Europe, books were extraordinarily valuable things, each representing hundreds or even thousands of hours of work by skilled scribes, illuminators and binders. Even in insular and private monastic communities, the fear of theft was enough for librarians to go to great lengths to keep their books safe.

In a chained library, the book's binding is securely attached to the shelf that holds it, often with additional padlocked clasps to hold the book closed when not in use. The chain that secures the book to its shelf is long enough to set it down on a nearby desk, but not to remove it from the library. One notable quirk of Chained Libraries is that books are stored with their fore-edges, rather than their spines, facing out. This is to make it possible to set them down and open them without twisting the chain.

Although the value of books declined with the advent of printing, they remained valuable enough for chained libraries to stick around well into the 18th century. The furniture of the Hereford chained library dates from 1611, though a library (likely a chained one) has existed at the cathedral since the 12th century.

Although they look hostile and foreboding, chained libraries actually represent noble intentions on the part of their keepers. The security of the chains gave librarians enough peace of mind to feel comfortable widening the group of people who had access to the books, providing those from outside monastic communities with a chance to read the books.