Roman libraries came to be the place where an author first released their work to the public, reading out loud to a small audience. I think back to a famous scene from I, Claudius where Claudius debuts his History of Carthage, I believe.
As with other elements of their culture, the Romans spread the idea of public libraries across their empire with famous ones being established at Ephesos (the Library of Celsus) Athens (the Library of Hadrian), and Herculaneum (Villa of the Papyri).