Archive for June, 2009

Erastus Swift Willcox, Unsung Hero

June 18th, 2009

A story about the Peoria Public Library and its problem with expanding a branch library on a site previously occupied by a cemetery recently appeared in American Libraries Online. Coincidentally, I have recently been reviewing the origin of the public library laws in Illinois and Wisconsin which have a direct connection to Erastus Swift Willcox (1830-1915), the first librarian of the Peoria Public Library. While librarian of the Peoria Mercantile Library, a forerunner of the Peoria Public Library, Willcox conceived the public library law that was substantially enacted by both Illinois and Wisconsin in 1872 and which was a model for a number of other states. Although New Hampshire adopted a state public library law in 1849, a solid case has been made that Willcox's public library law was the first comprehensive state public library law. Willcox realized that the fees charged by mercantile libraries and other membership libraries were not only inadequate for funding adequate library service but that they were significant barriers to library use by the general public. The Chicago Public Library: Origins and Backgrounds by Gwldays Spencer (University of Chicago Press, 1943) has an extensive account of the role Willcox played in the creation of the Illinois public library law which enabled the establishment of the Chicago Public Library. An article by Mark W. Soriensen in the Spring 1999 issue of Illinois Libraries entitled "The Illinois State Library: 1870-1920" is available an online and also records Willcox's contribution to the Illinois public library law. I'm always delighted to learn the story of one of our little known predecessors who made a significant contribution to the library legacy from which we all benefit. From all accounts the Peoria Public Library is flourishing with new and improved library facilities in the works. Unfortunately, I could find no mention of Erastus Swift Willcox on the library's website.

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when wikipedia meets the library: a case study from the university of san francisco

June 17th, 2009
tomorrow evening i'm giving a talk at san francisco public library. i'll be discussing some assignments i use to get college students to create, share, and collaborate. it's free! you should go!

if things go as planned, i'll be discussing this:




and then this:





and finally this:









update: here's a photograph from my perspective. thank you sfpl!

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Library Bookbinders

June 17th, 2009
One of the book related blogs that I follow is Bibliophemera which I discussed in a previous post. Recently Chuck Whiting, the author of Biblophemera, wrote about the American Bookbinders Museum. As a promoter of a library history museum, I was impressed with the model used by the American Bookbinders Museum in "Preserving and Presenting the best of America's Bookbinding Traditions". The museum which is located in San Francisco has a physical facility which can be visited by appointment and the website has a significant amount of content. Bookbinders, of course, were one of the many vendors/partners that helped America's libraries accomplish their missions. The artifact displayed in this post is from my collection. It is a small (1 1/2" x 3") miniature bound item created by the Hertzberg Cratfsmen bookbindery in Des Moines, Iowa. Its purpose is to hold postage stamps, and it was created as a favor for attendees of the 1948 South Dakota Library Association Conference in Rapid City. The Hertzberg Bindery had connections to a variety of bookbinding and library services dating from the 19th century to the present. The Special Collections Department of the University of Iowa has an archival collection related to the Hertzberg Bindery and its website provides an excellent overview of the bindery and its many connections to the bookbinding industry.

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Chicago’s Newberry Library

June 15th, 2009
The Newberry Library is Chicago's other public library. It was established as a free public library in 1887 with funds from the estate of Walter Loomis Newberry. Unlike the Chicago Public Library, however, the public targeted by the Newberry Library was not the general public but instead was a public made up of "scholars and people desiring to make careful researches." The collection of the Newberry is a non-circulating research collection which concentrates on the humanities. The library hosts extensive programs and exhibits. The current exhibit (through July 15, 2009) is "Make Big Plans: Daniel Burnham's Vision of the American Metropolis". The exhibit is part of the 100th anniversary celebration of Daniel H. Burnham and Edward H. Bennett's 1909 Plan of Chicago. The Newberry is home to a Rudolph Continuous Indexer which was an alternative to the card catalog invented by Alexander J. Rudolph, Assistant Librarian of the Newberry Library from 1894-1911. The library occupied its impressive Romanesque style building in 1893. The exhibit, Rudolph's Indexer, and the building are all good reasons for attendees of the American Library Association Conference in Chicago (July 9 - 15) to make time for a visit to the library. More about the building can be found here. A history of the Newberry can be found here. I'm proud to be a Friend and a Facebook Fan of the Newberry Library.

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yer invited! when wikipedia meets the library: a case study from the university of san francisco

June 15th, 2009
free and public talk at san francisco public library! this wednesday evening!


the san francisco public library herb caen magazines and newspapers center presents When Wikipedia Meets the Library: A Case Study from the University of San Francisco. more info at the SFPL magazines and newspapers center blog.

see you there.

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