As GCC Catholic pointed out, it was chained there because it was worth its weight in gold practically. A whole Bible cost as much as a house.
But let's break those chains anyway and hand that Bible to an average Joe like me in 1100 A.D. Lots of pretty pictures in it...but guess what, I can't read. And if I could read, I couldn't understand Latin. So I'm not sure what that accomplished, other than make me feel stupid. :)
"...The Expanded AudienceLiteracy increased markedly with the advance of the press. Most notably this occurred among the emerging middle class of the cities. This audience was essential to the success of the Reformation. The doctors, lawyers, and merchants of the cities opposed Catholic clergy and the power of the Catholic church which drew the gold from their cities into the coffers of Rome. This new middle class could well afford the Reformer's books and consequently became the core of the Reformation. From this class came leaders like Calvin and Knox.
Literacy was extended, to a lesser degree, to the lower classes. To persuade the partially-educated the Reformers issued a barrage of pamphlets. Even the illiterate could be significantly influenced by printed cartoons, caricatures, and broadsides. Eisenstein states, By pamphleteering directed at arousing popular support and aimed at readers who were unversed in Latin, the Reformers pioneered in mass communication techniques. They also left ineradicable impressions in the form of broadsides and caricatures. Designed to catch the attention and arouse the passion of sixteenth century readers, their anti-papist cartoons still have a strong impact when encountered in history books today.
Indeed, the printing revolution cut across the entire spectrum of society. No sector was beyond the scope of the press..."