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 The interest of the library lies not so much in the quantity of tablets as in the unique literary contents of the library. It included historical inscriptions, oracles, schoolbooks, hymns, prayers, letters, works on astrology, medicine, a good many Assyrian public documents (4100). These were not dissimilar in kind to those of older libraries in general but the library's distinction lies in the fact that it is far richer owing to the zeal of Ashurbanapal who gathered copies of the choicer works from older libraries everywhere.

The library is also interesting from the fact of the evidence of orderly arrangement of the tablets, which were put on shelves, catalogued and fitted for public use.

The catalogues included a sort of shelf list for series in many tablets and classified lists.

The library has a special significance as