Whether it was one room in a small town or the massive system of the New York Public Library, most readers have treasured memories of browsing the shelves of their local library as kids. Libraries take on many forms—they manage to be both scholarly, academic institutions and warm and welcoming places for story times and community events. Long before the internet made information (and books) available with one click, public libraries in the United States were at the frontier of democratizing access to knowledge.
There are so many notable facts about the history of public libraries that could be turned into their own books. There are the WPA Pack Horse Librarians, who brought books to rural communities via horseback. There are the libraries built by the Carnegie and Rosenwald funds, many of which still exist today. There are the libraries organized by African American communities, when they were banned from using their local public libraries. And there are countless other stories and histories in the public libraries across the U.S. and across the world today. The books below are great places to start researching the history of public libraries, so grab your library card and check them out today!
Part of Our Lives: A People’s History of the American Public Library by Wayne A. Wiegand
In a conversational tone, Wiegand tells the story of why Americans love their public libraries. Drawing on memoirs, letters, newspaper articles, and diaries from the 1800s to the present, Wiegand looks not just at the formal history of the public library in American life, but also at the role libraries have played in the lives of American communities and the individuals who walk through the library doors.
The Library Book by Susan Orlean
Part investigation, part love letter to libraries, this engaging book is a must-read for librarians and library patrons. Orlean starts with the central mystery of the book: the 1986 fire that tore through the Los Angeles Public Library, and whether it was set deliberately. Woven into her investigation is the history of the Los Angeles library system, and other public libraries across the world, as well as Orlean’s own treasured library memories.
The African American Struggle for Library Equality by Aisha M. Johnson-Jones
Dr. Johnson-Jones, an expert in the history of African-American and Southern libraries, has written the first major text on the Julius Rosenwald Fund Library Program. Rosenwald, the longtime president and owner of Sears, Roebuck and Company, used his wealth to establish school, college, and public libraries and provided funding for African-American students to pursue library sciences. The book looks at the impact of the Fund on the Southern communities where these libraries were founded, as well as the larger history of African-American librarians and their impact on the history of American public libraries.
Meet Me at the Library: A Place to Foster Social Connection and Promote Democracy by Shamichael Hallman
Shamichael Hallman knows that libraries are, and always have been, not just collections of books, but key social hubs for the communities they serve. Hallman draws on his own experiences at the Memphis Public Library, as well as historical research and his visits to libraries across the country, to show the vital civic and social roles public libraries continue to play in American life.
The Library at Night by Alberto Manguel
Former director of the National Library of Argentina, Alberto Manguel, takes readers on a journey that is both personal and historical and that ranges from the lost Library of Alexandria to the books that were shelved in his childhood bedroom. Along the way, readers will learn about early public libraries, the personal libraries of famous authors, libraries under threat, and libraries that exist only in fiction.
The Meaning of the Library: A Cultural History, edited by Alice Crawford
If you’re looking for a wide-ranging history of the library as an institution, pick up this collection of essays from notable writers and researchers in the field. From Ancient Greece’s library collections to the digital libraries of today, The Meaning of the Library offers a diversity of perspectives on the history of libraries as institutions.
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