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| Chicago Public Library 1900 |
Dawn Jamros
LIBR 280 Section 12
May 13, 2012
Instructor Elizabeth Wrenn-Estes
The Great Chicago Fire
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October 8th-10th, 1871 saw the city of Chicago, Illinois burn. Due to most of the city being made of wood buildings, approximately 3.3 sq. miles of the city burned. The photo below shows the parts of the city that were burned. Among the buildings that burned was the city library. "Lost among the fire was all thirty thousand volumes of the Chicago Library Association, the city's largest subscription library."(Chicago, 2013) The fire eventually burned itself out and the city library immediately began to receive help from all over the world as they began to rebuild.
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| The map above shows how much of the city burned during the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Photo Courtesy of the City of Chicago website |
The English Book Donation
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| Queen Victoria Google Image |
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| Benjamin Disraeli Google Image |
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| Alfred Lord Tennyson Google Image |
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| A Book plate from Queen Victoria's donation to Chicago after the Great Fire. C.J. Gordon |
To coincide with the opening of the Chicago's new central library in 1991 another British book donation was held. This time the books would all be donated to the new Harold Washington Library Center and, "consisted of classic children's books by British authors, the books were located in the Thomas Hughes Children's Library located within the new library." (Gordon, 2009) In 2005 Queen Elizabeth donated a rare, two-volume set entitled Windsor Castle: An Architectural History by W.H. St. John Hope (London: Country Life. 1913). This gift was given to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the British consulate in Chicago. Also included in the gift was, "a history of Anglo-American relations from Prime Minister Tony Blair, signed by him, fifty-six titles from members of Parliament and nine- hundred of the best children's books of the twenty-first century, contributed by six British publishers; these volumes were dispersed among Chicago Public Library branch libraries." (Gordon, 2009)
Building A Library
On Monday, October 11, 1897, the Central Library, at Michigan Avenue between Washington and Randolph streets, opened its doors to the public. According the the Chicago Public Library website, "the building, located on the grounds of Dearborn Park (named for the Fort Dearborn Military Reservation that formally encompassed the area), cost approximately $2 million to design and build. The building was designed by A.H. Coolidge, associate of the firm Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge of Chicago. In designing this building, 25 draftsmen took one year to complete approximately 1,200 drawings. Heedful of the lessons of the Chicago Fire, they designed the building to be practically incombustible." |
| Blue Prints of the Central library located on Washington and Michigan Ave. Google Image |
The center of this building, now known as Preston Bradley Hall, contains a dome and hanging lamps designed by the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company of New York. The Washington Street entrance, Grand Staircase and Dome area also contain inscriptions of 16th century printers’ marks, authors’ names and quotations that praise learning and literature in mosaics of colored stone, mother of pearl and favrile glass. This library was not opened with Carnegie Grant funds.
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| Photo Courtesy of Chicago Cultural Center |
The Early Librarians
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The first librarian was William Frederick Poole. Poole was elected to the position from 1873 to 1887. Poole graduated from Yale and was a pioneer in the library movement. Poole built the initial Chicago collection in part through persuading
friends in the academic community across the United States to donate
volumes. " In 1874, circulation services began with 13,000 out of
17,533 available for lending.(Kent, 1970) The library moved from place to place
during its first 24 years, and provided public access via delivery stations throughout the city.
"These delivery stations, usually in grocery stores, that enabled remote users to request and pick up books. The delivery stations were supplemented by additional innovations in the 1880's. Reading rooms were established in schools, field houses, and settlement houses. These reading rooms were non-circulating collections and provided no services to users beyond the availability of the books themselves."(Novotny, 2003) For eleven years the library was located on the fourth floor of
city hall. In 1887, Poole resigned to organize the Newberry Library of Chicago.
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| A Delivery station delivering books in a part of Chicago still rebuilding after the fire. Google Image |
After Poole resigned Frederick H. Hild was elected as the second librarian on October 15, 1887. His primary focus was to find the library a permanent home.
In 1897 the Central Library was opened, " it was located on Michigan Avenue between Washington Street
and Randolph Street on land donated by the Grand Army of the Republic, a Civil War Veterans group led by John A. Logan,
a Civil War General and U.S. Senator from Illinois. In return for the
land the Library was to maintain a Civil War collection and exhibit in a
G.A.R. room until the last northern Civil War veteran died. The library
would remain on this site for the next 96 years. It is now the Chicago Cultural Center. Unfortunately, no picture of Frederick H. Hild was found in my research.
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In 1890 the libraries mission changed from, " service to uplift.
This corresponded with Chicago's larger cultural renaissance,
which included the creation of the Newberry and Crerar
research libraries. The three libraries agreed to divide the areas of
study among them—the humanities to the Newberry, the
sciences to Crerar, and popular collections to the
public library. In 1897, the new main branch opened in an opulent
structure
in the Loop. The architecture as well as the books were meant to influence and uplift patrons. At the same time, politicians drastically cut the budget
for acquisitions and neighborhood services.
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Note: Librarian Salaries were not found.
The Great Depression
Chicago in the early 1930's was on the brink of collapse. Unemployment soared to and estimated 30 percent, desperate workers took to the streets and were met with tear gas and baton-wielding police. The Chicago Public Library's financial fortunes declined rapidly. "As early as January 1930, the library predicted a budget shortfall of 20 percent. The initial response included reducing library branch hours and laying off about one-fifth of the staff." (Novotny, 2010) In May 1931 all book ordering stopped. Chicago Public Library normally spent $200,000 to $250,000 a year. In 1932 a letter written by library director Carl Roden summarized the situation. "We are afflicted by the worst financial hardship we have ever suffered. We have bought no books for eight months, the magazine subscriptions for 1932 were cancelled... No budget for the current year has been attempted and the prospects of funds even our curtailed activities, are, at this writing far from encouraging." (Novotny 2010) Eventually subscriptions were reinstated but regular book purchasing would not resume for another four years. |
| Empty Library Work Room |
By 1934 the Library offered rental collections in over half of its branch locations. "Patrons paid five cents for the first three days and two cents each day after to rent newer books. The proceeds were invested back into the rental collections fund, allowing the library to offer a fairly represenative assortment of the better class of new publications at a very low fee, and this service was appreciated by many patrons." (Novotny, 2010) Also in 1934 the Chicago Public Library appealed to the public for support. The library organized a city wide book drive. "The news media trumpted the call for books and the city responded, donating more than eighty thousand volumes. About half were added to the library's permanent collection, while others were sold to cover the cost of the campaign or donated to emeergency relief shelters, where they did their part in lightening the desperation of the longs days enforced and hopeless leisure. From the library's perspective, the primary benefit of the book drive was an increased presence in the community." (Novotny, 2010) Finally in 1935 the Illinois state legislature approved an increase in the library tax rate and established a library relief fund. "The Chicago Public Library received $168,000 for two years from this fund. The book starved library began ordering immediately, and circulation showed signs of coming back." (Novotny, 2010) Library director Carl Roden then predicted in 1936, "that the library is well on the way back to its former position as the Public Lubrary with the largest circulation in the world." (Novotny, 2010)
Intellectual Freedom
Early in the libraries
history it faced a challenge to materials being housed at the libraries
central location. The complaints came from the Russian and Polish
communities concerning, "communistic and pornographic material in the
Foreign Language Department, the board of directors of the Chicago Public Library in
April 1936 prepared to adopt the first formal intellectual freedom
policy of any library in the United States." (Latham, 2009) Below is the
policy's opening statement.
Despite the Chicago board's historic pronouncements, scholars do not generally credit the Chicago library's intellectual freedom policy as a first of its kind. In Evelyn Geller's 1984 study, Forbidden Books in American Public Libraries, 1876-1939: A Study in Cultural Change, recognized that the Chicago Public Library refused demands by Polish and Russian groups that it remove communistic or pornographic works but did not report the passage of written policy." (Latham,2009) Therefore the Des Moines Public Library's "Bill of Rights For a Free Public Library as the model for the ALA policy."The Public Library asserts its right and duty to keep on its shelves a representative selection of books on all subjects of interest to its readers and not prohibited by law, including books on all sides of controversial questions."
Vivian Harsh
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| Vivian G. Harsh in 1920 at the age of thirty. Photo courtesy of Chicago Public Library |
"Vivian Gordon Harsh was a woman of regal bearing; in Chicago's Afro-American community of the 1920's, she was regarded as blue blood. Her parents had been early graduates of Fisk University and she had attended Simmons College Library School and later Graduate Library School of the University of Chicago." (Joyce, 1988) Vivian Harsh was the director of the George Cleveland Hall Library in Chicago from 1932 to 1958, she was known as, "a pioneer in adult education and the library's role as a community center. Harsh incorporated her active African American community into her library's educational and social planning, taking advantage of the library's location in Bronzeville, Illinois, her extensive social ties and the Chicago Black Renaissance to get her patrons involved. Harsh's work is more remarkable because of the vivid contrasts between her successful approach to library science and that of other librarians of her time." (Burt, 2009)
Harsh was the first African American branch head in the Chicago Public Library. She established the Hall library as a place for the community to meet as well as sponsoring debates and holding lectures on topics important to her patrons. "For Harsh, library science was her life, not her career, and this is highlighted in her working papers. Hall Library annual reports are full of her determined plans for her library, descriptions of the many community activities she helped to foster and strongly worded requests for more funding for her Special Research Collection, the African American book collection at the Hall Library" (Burt, 2009). The following quote ran in a local news paper and speaks to the power of Harsh not only as a librarian but a woman and an African-American.
The Collection Harsh was building did not escape controversy. "Andrew J. Kolar, president of the Chicago Public Library's board of directors, suggested her appointment was political instead of being based on merit and the collection was likely to cause a race riot. Despite this opposition, Harsh persevered by continuing to acquire more materials for the collection." (Carmichael, 2010) Among the first books added to the Special Negro Collection were, "monographs from the private library of Charles Bentley, a prominent Chicago Afro-American dentist. Bentley was actively involved in Niagara Movement and was one of the founding members of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peopl (NAACP) in 1908. The Bentley donation contained over 100 books on Afro-American history and culture."(Joyce, 1988) Among them were titles such as, The House Behind the Cedars, by Charles W. Chestnut (1900) and Character Building: Being Addresses Delivered on Sunday Evenings to the Students at Tuskegee Institute, by Booker T. Washington (1902). In 1967 nine years after Harsh's retirement and death the, "Special Negro Collection was inventoried. It totaled about 2,000 volumes, most published after 1900." (Joyce, 1988)"If we Negroes knew the full truth about what we, as a race, have endured and overcome just to stay alive with dignity, our respect and hunger for education would triple overnight."
Expansion
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| Timothy Blackstone Photo Courtesy of Google |
According to the Chicago Public library history website, "the branch library system grew by 50 percent and circulation reached stunning heights, though expenditures and book purchases were low in the wake of the Great Depression. During the three decades after 1950 the public library remained limited by its financial resources. By the end of the 1960's 59 libraries were in operation however there were problems. The library's central location was in dire need of renovations. "In 1977, the refurbished building reopened as Chicago's Cultural Center, also housing the library's new special collections unit. The rest of the collections, however, remained without a central building until 1991. In the meantime, the library's board debated plans for the new site while the budget, staff, and hours were cut and circulation dropped. Following strong support from Mayor Harold Washington, the new central library was built on the corner of Congress Parkway and State Street and was named in his honor. Its completion signaled a renewed emphasis on public service."
Chicago Public Library Foundation
In 1989 with the construction of the new library the Chicago Public Library Foundation was founded. The foundation, "was formed as an independent, nonprofit educational organization
dedicated to working with the City of Chicago in a public/private
partnership benefiting the Chicago Public Library. Support from the
Chicago Public Library Foundation is instrumental in enhancing book
collections, online information access and innovative programs for
Chicagoans of all ages." (Chicago, 2013)
The Library Today
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| Photo Courtesy of Chicago Public Library |
In Conclusion, today the library continues on with its rich tradition and mission. With more than seventy branches, "the Chicago Public Library are at the forefront of providing innovative
library services, technologies and tools Chicagoans need to achieve
their personal goals and to establish the City’s role as a competitive
force in the global marketplace. Since 1989, the City of Chicago and the
Chicago Public Library have opened 60 new or renovated neighborhood
libraries — unprecedented public library growth. These new libraries are
that special third place — beyond home and work — where people come to
improve their lives, nourish their intellect or simply to be
entertained. The library is where people of all ages and backgrounds
gather freely. Through its rich and current book collections, state of
the art technology and cultural and public partnerships, the Chicago
Public Library is a thriving, engaged leader in Chicago’s diverse
neighborhoods." (Chicago, 2013)
“We welcome and support all people in their enjoyment of reading and lifelong learning. Working together, we strive to provide equal access to information, ideas and knowledge through books, programs and other resources. We believe in the freedom to read, to learn, to discover.”- Mission Statement-
In moving forward to adhere to this mission statement the library has continued to grow and prosper. Below is a list of event which have enhanced the Chicago Public Library from 1995-2004.
1995-the Library upgraded its automated public access catalog and circulation system,added online research databases to all public access catalog terminals in all libraries. That same year, the Library established its Internet homepage offering patrons access to a wide range of the Library’s information and bibliographies and serving as a gateway to the Internet.
Created a broad range of free programs for adults and children, including author readings, story hours, exhibits, and dance and musical performances. Programs include:
One Book
One Chicago, the Summer Reading Program
Adult Book Discussion Groups
Chicago Book Festival
Money Smarts and Law at the Library lectures
The Library also works with many of Chicago’s museums and cultural institutions, creating partnerships such as the Great Kids Museum Passport and Words and Music program to provide City of Chicago library patrons with free access to Chicago’s cultural venues.
Financial Information
For the year ended December 31, 2011
Revenues:
City of Chicago $ 84,382,292
State 0f Illinois 6,704,370
Federal 1,597,067
Chicago Public Library Foundation 4,423,177
Fines and Fees 2,835,522
Capital Income From Bonds* 13,156,118
Total revenues $ 113,098,546
Expenditures
Personnel $ 61,584,753
Library Books and Materials 7,000,000
Capital Income from Bonds* 13,156,118
Other Operating Expenses 31,357,675
Total expenditures $ 113,098,546
*Capital income and capital construction expenditures reflect cash flow payments
Highlights of 2011 Achievements
CPL Locations 79
Circulation 9,764,381
Foundation support $4.4 million
Free public access computers 2500
1-hour computer sessions 2.9 million
Foundation funding $585,500
Summer Reading Program
58,678 participants
900,000 books read
1.4 million books read
Patron-placed holds 1.3 million
Website hits 135 million / month
Location visits 11.2 million
Downloadable circulation 198,177
On-line gifts $46,267
2013 Highlights
| January-April All Locations | |
| Circulation | 3,058,257 |
| Computer Sessions | 890,126 |
| Holds Filled | 696,417 |
| Holds Placed | 472,317 |
| Visitors* | 3,439,183 |
| WiFi Sessions | 283,779 |
CPL Employees
As of December 31, 2012:
| Full-time employees | 725 |
| Part-time employees | 185 |
* All numbers were provided by the Chicago Public Library Website
Links
References
Burt, L. (2009). Vivian Harsh, Adult Education and the Library’s
Role as Community Center. Libraries & the Cultural Record, 44(2),
234-255.
Gordon, C. J. (2009). Cultural Record Keepers- The English
Book Donation, Chicago Public Library. Libraries & the Cultural Record,
44(3), 371-374.
Kent, A. (1970). Chicago public library. In A. Kent (Ed.), Encyclopedia
of Library and Information Science (Vol. 5). CRC Press.
Latham, J. A. (2009). Wheat and Chaff: Carl Roden, Abe
Korman, and the Definitions of Intellectual Freedom in the Chicago Public Library.
Libraries & the Cultural Record, 44(3), 279-298.
Novotny,
E. (2003). Library services to immigrants: The debate in the library literature
1900-1920. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 42(4),
342-352.
Chicago Public
Library. (2013, 05). History 1870-1910. Retrieved from http://www.chipublib.org/aboutcpl/history/index.php
Carmichael Jr., J. (2011). Introduction: The Continuing
Depression. Libraries & The Cultural Record, 46(3), 251-257.
Novotny, E. (2011). "Bricks without Straw":
Economic Hardship and Innovation in the Chicago Public Library during the Great
Depression. Libraries & The Cultural Record, 46(3), 258-275.
Latham, J. M. (2011). Memorial Day to Memorial Library: The
South Chicago Branch Library as Cultural Terrain, 1937-1947. Libraries &
The Cultural Record, 46(3), 321-342.
Novotny, E. (2010). Hard Choices in
Hard Times: Lessons from the Great Depression. Reference & User Services
Quarterly, 49(3), 222-224.
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