THE DEVELOPMENT OF PUBLIC LIBRARY SERVICE IN THE SOUTHEASTERN STATES, 1895-1950
THE DEVELOPMENT OF PUBLIC LIBRARY SERVICE IN THE SOUTHEASTERN STATES, 1895-1950
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Date
1958
Authors
ANDERSON, Mary Edna
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Abstract
At the end of the nineteenth century libraries in
the southeastern states were few in number, widely scattered
in location, and poor in resources. In the 1890's members of
women's clubs and leaders from various professions became
interested in the establishment of libraries in the region.
Their interest was fostered by the Congress of Women Librarians
and the attendant library exhibit which were a part of the
Cotton States and International Exposition held in Atlanta in
1895. Interest in libraries was also stimulated by grants
awarded by Andrew Carnegie to cities for the construction of
library buildings; his awards helped establish many of the first
free public libraries in the Southeast.
Between 1895 and 1905 a number of library "firsts" for
the region were established: the first free public library, the
first state library association, the first state library com-
•ission, and the first library training program. These events
marked the beginnings of the movement or public library service
in the Southeast. Various factors such as the economic, racial,
social, and educational characteristics of the region had delayed
the development of libraries, and they continued to retard
the growth of library facilities.
Leadership for the library novement cane from the
women's clubs originally, then from the state library associations,
state library extension agencies, the Southeastern Library
Association, and, to some extent, from the library training
institutions. The growth of public library service in the
Southeast was stimulated by federal aid supplied by the Work
Projects Administration and the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Withdrawal of federal funds led to the provision of state aid
for public library development in several of the southeastern
states. Aid from philanthropic foundations also supported the
growth of public libraries in the region.
A comparison of the public library facilities developed
by 1950 in the Southeast with those in the rest of the nation
reveals certain significant differences. Distribution of existing
public libraries by decade of their establishment shows
that most of the libraries in the Southeast were organized more
recently than those elsewhere. The Southeast has adopted county
and regional library organization to a greater degree than has
the rest of the nation. Since 1895 the region has wade public
library service available to a large percentage of its population,
but it does not serve as many of its people proportionately, as
does the rest of the nation. Furthermore, due to failure to take
into consideration the Negro population without library service
in areas where the white population has service, the Southeast
actually serves a smaller percentage of its population than official
figures Indicate.
Although library income and collections, measured in
per capita income and volumes per capita, have grown, the
rate of growth in the Southeast has not been as great as
it has for the rest of the nation. The use of libraries,
however, measured by per capita circulation, has increased
in the region and decreased for the rest of the nation. The
greatest growth of library facilities occurred after 1935.
A positive relationship exists between improvement in economic
and social conditions in the region and library progress.
Within the library field, expansion of library service appears
to be closely related to the provision of outside financial
aid and the presence of strong state library extension agencies.
The movement for public library service developed later
in the Southeast than it did elsewhere; it followed a somewhat
different course of development, and it produced a pattern of
library service varying in significant respects from that in
the rest of the nation.
Description
Submitted In partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of Doctor of Library Science in the
Faculty of Library Service, Columbia University
Keywords
DEVELOPMENT,, PUBLIC LIBRARY SERVICE,, SOUTHEASTERN STATES,,, 1895-1950