Part of Our Lives
A People's History of the American Public Library
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Product details:
- Publisher OUP USA
- Date of Publication 3 August 2017
- ISBN 9780190660291
- Binding Paperback
- No. of pages344 pages
- Size 251x178x20 mm
- Weight 658 g
- Language English
- Illustrations 20 illus. 0
Categories
Short description:
Part of Our Lives challenges the conventional idea that public libraries are valuable mostly because they are essential to democracy. Instead, this book uses the voices of generations of public library users to argue that Americans have loved their libraries for the useful information they make accessible; the public spaces they provide; and the commonplace reading materials they supply that help users make sense of the world around them.
MoreLong description:
Despite dire predictions in the late twentieth century that public libraries would not survive the turn of the millennium, their numbers have only increased. Two of three Americans frequent a public library at least once a year, and nearly that many are registered borrowers. Although library authorities have argued that the public library functions primarily as a civic institution necessary for maintaining democracy, generations of library patrons tell a different story.
In Part of Our Lives, Wayne A. Wiegand delves into the heart of why Americans love their libraries. The book traces the history of the public library, featuring records and testimonies from as early as 1850. Rather than analyzing the words of library founders and managers, Wiegand listens to the voices of everyday patrons who cherished libraries. Drawing on newspaper articles, memoirs, and biographies, Part of Our Lives paints a clear and engaging picture of Americans who value libraries not only as civic institutions, but also as public places that promote and maintain community.
Whether as a public space, a place for accessing information, or a home for reading material that helps patrons make sense of the world around them, the public library has a rich history of meaning for millions of Americans. From colonial times through the recent technological revolution, libraries have continuously adapted to better serve the needs of their communities. Wiegand demonstrates that, although cultural authorities (including some librarians) have often disparaged reading books considered not "serious," the commonplace reading materials users obtained from public libraries have had a transformative effect for many, including people such as Ronald Reagan, Bill Moyers, Edgwina Danticat, Philip Roth, Toni Morrison, Sonia Sotomayor, and Oprah Winfrey.
A bold challenge to conventional thinking about the American public library, Part of Our Lives is an insightful look into of America's most beloved cultural institutions.
To say that this is a powerful book is an understatement: the author intersperses statistics with hundreds of personal stories, weaving a narrative that is both scholarly and down-to-earth at the same time, illustrating how changes and directions within public libraries were influenced by the challenges of the time while still affecting the lives of their patrons one person at a time really enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it as a "feel-good" book full of stories and statistics related to how the American public library has made a mark on the lives and communities it has served during the last two hundred years.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
1. 'Improv'd the General Conversation of Americans': Social Libraries Before 1854
2. For 'Plain People': The American Public Library,1854-1876
3. 'The Best Reading for the Greatest Number at the least Cost': 1876-1893
4. 'The Liberty to Read What They Will and When': 1893-1917
5. 'Habitations on a Literary Map:' 1917-1929
6. 'One Island of Refuge': 1929-1945
7. 'Winning the Battles of Daily Life': 1945-1964
8. 'An Individual Meaning to Each User': 1964-1980
9. 'Library Paste is a Precious Part of Social Glue': 1980-2000
Epilogue. 2000-Present
