Authors

W.F. Kumlien

Bulletin No.

233

Document Type

Bulletin

Department

Rural Sociology Department

Description

The free public library is now accepted as an integral and essential part of American life. Next to the school and the church it is probably becoming our most useful community institution. The type of public library in this country is peculiarly a product of democracy. It is the invention of a democratic people seeking both expression and self improvement. It is one form of a community continuation school. As a public institution supported through taxation, the public library is of relatively recent origin. In 1876 there were only about 300 in the entire United States, but during the next 50 years (1926) the number grew to 5,954. Owing to their newness, public libraries are not yet distributed as uniformly throughout the entire United States as are public schools and churches. As might be expected, the more compact, thickly populated and incorporated areas were first to adopt the public library. The city, town, or village has been and still is the most common unit of library service and support.3 However, the rural sections are now beginning to demand equality with the town in library opportunity. What are the actual library conditions in South Dakota? What library agencies already exist? What library policy is now in operation, and what modification, if any, does it need to be reasonably effective? To attempt to throw some light on these and other related questions has been the purpose of this study.

Keywords

libraries, rural libraries, library

Pages

31

Publication Date

6-1928

Type

text

Format

application/pdf

Language

en

Publisher

South Dakota Experiment Station, South Dakota State College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts

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