My collection of postal librariana includes a folded letter sent to Josiah
Little in Newburyport, MA by Samuel Swett from Boston on June 27, 1854 in regard
to establishing a public library in Newburyport. I have written a previous
post about the letter. Last month I was contacted by Neil Foley, President
of the Newburyport Stamp Club who had come across the blog post. Neil wanted to
borrow the letter for a program the stamp club would be conducting on October
10th at the Newburyport Public
Library. I agreed to loan the letter for the program and mailed it to Neil.
Thus the letter made a second trip to Newburyport 159 years after it was first
mailed to Josiah Little. Little was the major subscriber to the proposed library
with a contribution of $5,000. Swett was also one of the original subscribers to
the library and in his letter to Little he submits a draft of a possible
agreement between the subscribers (see scan above), the City of Newburyport, and
adjacent town to form a public library. The letter is an important document in
the history of the Newburyport Public Library. Currently it is included in my
philatelic exhibit titled "Libraries in 19th Century America". At some point in
the future there is a strong possibility that it will make a final trip back to
Newburyport.
For fifty years the Cooperative
Children's Book Center (CCBC) in Madison, WI has been assisting librarians,
teachers, and parents with the selection of the best books for children. The
CCBC has been celebrating this
milestone with a number of activities this year including a gala dinner on
October 17th and a special display (see above) at the Center. The CCBC opened on
the fourth floor of the State Capitol on June 23, 1963. The "Cooperative" in its
name is based on its original establishment as a cooperative project of the
Division of Library Services in the Department of Public Instruction, the School
of Library & Information Studies (SLIS) of the University of Wisconsin, and
the UW School of Education. Currently it is administered solely by the UW School
of Education. It is now located at UW-SLIS. The CCBC was established for the following
purposes: 1) provide a centralized children's book collection; 2) provide a
historical collection of children's books; 3) provide training in evaluating
children's literature; 4) aid libraries, teachers, parents in making wise and
economical book selections; and 5) develop adult interest in children's
literature. The CCBC's current vision also
includes advocating for the First Amendment rights of children and young adults.
The CCBC has been a national leader in promoting quality multi-cultural
literature for children. Happy 50th birthday CCBC!
There are halls of fame to recognize human accomplishment in every conceivable endeavor. There are even a few library halls of fame. Two state library halls of fame have recently announced inductees for 2013.
The California Library Hall of Fame will be inducting nine individuals at the
Awards Gala at the California Library Association meeting on November 3rd. The
inductees are listed on the California
Library Hall of Fame website. The Wisconsin Library Hall of Fame will be
inducting four individuals at the Awards Reception at the Wisconsin Library
Association meeting on October 23rd. The announcement of the Wisconsin inductees is
located here.
A full listing of current and former inductees is included on the Wisconsin
Library Hall of Fame website. The Massachusetts Library Association has a
Hall of Fame also. Inductees through 2012 are listed on their website. The American Association
of Law Libraries also has a Hall of Fame. Inductees including 2013 inductees are
listed on their website.
The Oklahoma Library Association has a Library
Legend Award whose purpose is to expand a list of 100 library
legends that were selected in 2007 for the Association's centennial. The
Library Journal compiled a list of 40 individuals in 1951 for a Library Hall of
Fame. The Dictionary of American Library Biography ((Libraries
Unlimited, 1978) and its two supplements (1990 and 2003) constitute for all
practical purposes an American Library Hall of Fame.
