Part of Our Lives

A People's History of the American Public Library

Wayne A. Wiegand (Autor)

Buch | Softcover

344 Seiten

2017
Oxford University Press Inc (Verlag)
9780190660291 (ISBN)

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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.

Wayne A. Wiegand is F. William Summers Professor Emeritus of Library and Information Studies at Florida State University and former director of the Florida Book Awards. Often referred to as the "Dean of American library historians," he is the author of more than one hundred articles and numerous award-winning books, including An Active Instrument for Propaganda: American Public Libraries During World War I and Irrepressible Reformer: A Biography of Melvil Dewey. In 2008-9, he was a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow to support his research on the American Public Library. He now lives in the California Bay area.

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

Erscheinungsdatum	07.06.2017
Zusatzinfo	20 illus.
Verlagsort	New York
Sprache	englisch
Maße	178 x 251 mm
Gewicht	658 g
Themenwelt	Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Geschichte / Politik ► Allgemeines / Lexika
	Geschichte ► Allgemeine Geschichte ► Zeitgeschichte
	Geisteswissenschaften ► Geschichte ► Regional- / Ländergeschichte
	Geschichte ► Teilgebiete der Geschichte ► Kulturgeschichte
	Sozialwissenschaften ► Kommunikation / Medien ► Buchhandel / Bibliothekswesen
ISBN-13	9780190660291 / 9780190660291
Zustand	Neuware