Not Even in 2021

The final stage of Hernando’s library in 1539 was: 

• List of physical booknumbers (indice numeral).
• List of authors and list of titles (catalog autores).
• List of summaries (catalog epitomes).
• List of keywords and topics (catalog materias).
• Library ordered by area of knowledge and slips-of-paper-with-30-data-items (catalog ciencias).

When Hernando died 3,500 of his 15,000 books were summarized and had a slip-of-paper-with-30-data-items, this is 23%. None of his pamphlets (obrezillas) or printed-pictures were summarized, this is 0%. He made a good start with his summistas, but most of it still had to be done. And then came the really big job of summarizing by area of knowledge (ciencias).

Observations

1. None of the indexes states that Hernando had in mind that after determining the areas of knowledge and summarizing each of them in 1 to 4 books, he also wanted to be able to browse freely with the slips-of-paper-with-30-data-items. His strungs of slips-of-paper-with-30-data-items were a necessary condition for ordering his areas of knowledge. He did not mention something beyond that.
2. Every year new books, pamphlets, and printed-pictures would arrive. All of them had to be summarized and had to be included in the catalogs. Theoretically this could, over time, lead to new areas of knowledge.
3. All books, pamphlets, printed-pictures, and catalogs in one physical place is very fragile. One big fire and everything turns to ashes. One deadly disease and the summistas will die and the update process will stop.
4. The target was to digest all the books, in all languages of the world. In reality his scope was limited to 6 of the 1,500 languages on planet Earth, this is 0,4%.
5. Everything depends on the bridging language (lingua franca). The language to which everything must be translated. In Hernando’s time this was Latin.
6. The key figures in this library are the summistas. Well-paid scholars who made the summaries and maintained the catalogues. The quality of a good summary and chosen keywords and topics depends on his/ her bias: #summista-bias. Take into account: belief, political preference, gender, intelligence, cultural education, education, level of consciousness, and … - there must be more.

Gone with the wind? 

Was everything lost after the library fell apart? No, not really. The knowledge (some call it opinions) hidden in the pamphlets ended up in what later became known as newspapers and other periodicals. The summistas of this area are called journalists. The knowledge (some call it wisdom) hidden in books ended up in a wide variety of sciences and disciplines. The summistas of this area are called scholars.

The only task that has never been done are the summaries of the areas of knowledge (ciencias). Imagine that there are books in which each area of knowledge is summarized. Books that will be updated once a year. The Encyclopdia Brittanica and Wikipedia are good for starters but they do not have the depth that Hernando had in mind.

What’s in it for me? 

I learned:

• Big libraries in Europe were born with the printing press. The same can be said of journals and periodicals. 
• Mapping the continents, coastlines, and countries on planet Earth with its flora and fauna on maps and mapping the information of books and other printed sources in area-of-knowledge-books were designed by the same people.
  
• Hernando’s ultimate goal – each area of knowledge summarized in 1 to 4 books and a yearly update - was never achieved. Not even in 2021.
• I wonder how much fun Hernando would have had with digital databases and Wikipedia. 
  

P.S. Source of picture of Hernando's house: here.