Annotated glossary on the private library: concepts, practices, cultural dimensions

This article proposes an annotated glossary of terms related to the private library, aiming to establish a clear conceptual framework for studying this bibliotheconomic and cultural phenomenon. Motivated by frequent terminological confusion in both academic and practical contexts, the glossary is thematically structured, including definitions, usage contexts, and bibliographical references. The study outlines various designations for private libraries - domestic, personal, familial - and explores their historical, social, and legal dimensions. It addresses the profiles of book collectors, including bibliophiles, private librarians, and antiquarians, and examines attachment-related behaviours such as bibliomania, biblioholism, and bibliophobia. The article also discusses private book practices, including cataloguing, personal archiving, and doorstep library services, while highlighting institutional aspects such as legal definitions, testamentary donations, and the integration of private collections into public holdings. The glossary reflects the evolving significance and functions of the private library as a hybrid space of memory, identity, and knowledge transmission across generations.