xxvii, 276 pages : 25 cm

Familiar landmarks in hundreds of American towns, Carnegie libraries have shaped the public library experience of generations of Americans and today seen far from controversial. In Free to All, however, Abigail Van Slyck shows that the classical facades and symmetrical plans of these buildings often mask the complex and contentious circumstances of their construction and use

Free to All is the first comprehensive social and architectural history of the Carnegie library phenomenon, an unprecedented program of philanthropy that helped erect over 1600 public library buildings in the United States. Van Slyck skillfully untangles the overlapping and conflicting motives of the many people involved in erecting, staffing, and using the libraries: Andrew Carnegie himself; small-town civic boosters avid for new investment; metropolitan library trustees anxious to maintain the elite character of urban libraries; architects reacting to increased professional specialization; a growing number of female librarians; and the children and adults, frequently immigrants, who came to borrow books.--From publisher description

Includes bibliographical references (pages 251-270) and index

1. Giving: The Reform of American Library Philanthropy. Librarians vs. Architects. Andrew Carnegie Enters the Philanthropic Game. Carnegie's Reform of American Philanthropy. Defining "The Modern Library Idea". Designing the Modern Library. Carnegie's Reform of American Library Architecture. Redefining the Nature of Library Use -- 2. Making: The Marketing of Library Design. The Culture of Professionalism. The Library Bureau and the Modern Library. The Impact of the Carnegie Library Program -- 3. Taking: Libraries and Cultural Politics, Part I. Cultural Politics in Larger Cities. The Impact of the Carnegie Library Program. Building the Central Library. Building Branch Libraries -- 4. Taking: Libraries and Cultural Politics, Part II. Cultural Politics in Smaller Towns. Carnegie's Reception in Small-Town America. Male and Female Visions of the Library. The Temple in the Park -- 5. Working: The Feminization of Librarianship. Engendering American Librarianship. Transcending the Limits of the Gendered Work Station -- 6. Reading: The Experiences of Children as Library Users. Coming of Age in the Small-town Library. Claiming New Space in Urban Branches

plus-circle Add Review

comment

Reviews