1 / 16

The American Public Library

The American Public Library. The American Public Library: Overview of Topics. Then and Now: Definitions, Statistics and Highlights American Ideals and the Formation of the Public Library Social Forces affecting America and the Public Library Key Figures in Public Library-Past and Present

jace
Download Presentation

The American Public Library

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. The American Public Library

  2. The American Public Library: Overview of Topics • Then and Now: Definitions, Statistics and Highlights • American Ideals and the Formation of the Public Library • Social Forces affecting America and the Public Library • Key Figures in Public Library-Past and Present • Important Libraries-Predecessors of the Modern Public Library

  3. Defining the “American Public Library” • Generic definition: A library supported by the public. • Modern definition: (abridged from IES, 2006) A public library is established under state enabling laws or regulations to serve a community, district, or region, and provides at least the following: • An organized collection of library materials; • Paid staff; • An established schedule in which services are available; • The facilities necessary to support all of the above. And • Is supported in whole or part with public funds.

  4. Defining the “American Public Library” • Distinguishing features: • Access • Ease of use • “High spender” $29.60 per capita operating expenditure nationwide (LIBECON, 2004) and (NCES, 2005). • Number of materials 45,421 volumes per service point (LIBECON, 2004), 2.9 volumes per person (NCES, 2005). • Statistics: • By 1880 only about 1/2 of largest cities had “public library” • Today public libraries serve 97% of the total U.S. population

  5. Defining the “American Public Library” • More Statistics: all from (ALA, 2003) • Public Library Buildings (centrals and branches) • 16,549 • Library Visits-per year • 1,248,175,000 total, 4.6 per capita • Circulation of materials • 1,965,000,000 total, 7.0 per capita • Reference Transactions • 302,338,000 total, 1.1 per capita • Librarians Employed • 45,037 (other paid staff 90,977)

  6. American Ideals and the Formation of the American Public Library • Democratic Ideals: The principles of individual equality and freedom. • Individualism and Capitalism: -Individualism is a term used to describe a moral, political, or social outlook, that stresses human independence and the importance of individual self-reliance. -Capitalism: an economic system marked by open competition in a free market.

  7. American Ideals and the Formation of the American Public Library • Ascension Jacksonian Democracy: Complicates the idea of representative democracy. • Jacksonian Democracy (1824-1854): Seeking to broaden the public's participation in government. Jacksonians believed in enfranchising all eligible white males, rather than just the propertied class. • Progressive Era Ideals (1890- 1920): The Progressive Era was a period of economic, political, and social reform in the United States. Rooted in the belief, that man was capable of improving the lot of all within society.

  8. American Ideals and the Formation of the American Public Library • Progressive Era Reform Movement: What it means: education = self-improvement and education as a right • Americanism: The idea that immigrants must be protected from wrong ideologies and educated in how to be proper Americans. Public Libraries were a product of conflicting and overlapping American ideals. They "blended doctrines of moral stewardship and self-improvement with new beliefs in scientific advancement, industrialization and cultural nationalism” -- Frederick Stielow,

  9. Social Forces and the American Public Library • 1800s-Stability • Focus on self-improvement • Social Libraries, built around individual groups • Circulating Libraries, making capitol off of popular taste • 1865-Women’s Suffrage • Clubs- celebrating and exploring independence • New job opportunities, better pay in non-library jobs

  10. Social Forces and the American Public Library • 1900 -Central Urbanization • America as a "melting pot” • Socializing Immigrant Population • Carnegie Corporation • Birth of "branches” • Library as reflection of a local community • 1930 -The Great Depression • Libraries are the "bread line of the spirit” • New Deal and Work Progress Administration, libraries rebuilt

  11. Social Forces and the American Public Library • 1940 -WWII • Work force become soldiers, loss of leisure time • ALA book drive for military libraries, morale boost for troops • 1960 - Civil Rights Movement • Multiculturalism vs "melting pot”, equal rights vs disenfranchised • Reform acts • Library Service Construction Act (LLSC) • Social Responsibility Round Table (SRRT) • REFORMA • Black Caucus of ALA

  12. Social Forces and the American Public Library • Present- Technology • The library's new role as an "information center” • Question of equal access • Retaliation, focus on "community center” • Social estrangement and independence • Social estrangement and independence • Distrust of the government • Tax scrutiny of social programs

  13. American Public Library: Key Figures • 1728 • Benjamin Franklin: establishes first social library in Philadelphia, Junto. • 1840s • Nicholas Marie Alexandre Vattemare: advances idea for Boston Public Library. • Charles Ticknor:public libraries to improve social and political stability by promoting the education of the general population. • Edward Everett: public libraries as a way for the continuation of academic study.

  14. American Public Library: Key Figures • 1876 • Melvil Dewey: popular education can be divided by two parts: “the free school and the free public library” (Rubin 286) • 1880s • Andrew Carnegie: From 1886 to 1919 Carnegie donated $56 million to construct more than 2,000 library buildings, many of them public libraries, in more than 1,400 communities in the U.S. (Rubin, 290) • 1905 • Thomas Fountain Blue: First branch for African Americans in any American city. Louisville Free Public Library at of Andrew Carnegie

  15. American Public Library: Key Figures • 1916 • Marian Hadley and Margaret Kercheval: focus on services to children. Negro Public Library in Nashville, TN • 1921 • Pura Belpre: services for Hispanics at the New York Public Library. • 1997 – Present • Bill Gates: Every library wired for the ‘information age’ (Gorman, 109)

  16. Predecessors of the Modern Public Library in America • 1731 -- Library Company of Philadelphia • 1807 -- Boston Athenaeum • 1833 -- Library in Peterborough, New Hampshire • 1852 -- Boston Public Library • 1895 -- New York Public Library

More Related