Gerald A. Somers served as Director of the Green Bay Public Library (later the Brown County Library) from 1961 to 1987. He played a leadership role in the development of legislation that established Wisconsin’s public library systems. Somers was President of WLA in 1965-1966, and was WLA Librarian of the Year in 1972. He was instrumental in establishing the Brown County Library, the first consolidated county library in the state. Somers served in the U.S. Air Force from 1941 until his discharge in 1945. He later attended Knox College and the University of Chicago where he earned a Bachelor of Library Science Degree in 1948. Somers was employed as a Director of the Norris Branch of the Milwaukee Public Library from 1950-1956; Director of the Eau Claire Public Library from 1956-1961; Director of Kellogg Public Library in Green Bay from 1961-1968, and the Brown County Library from 1968 until his retirement in 1987. Somers was inducted into the Wisconsin Library Hall of Fame on October 25, 2012.
Elroy’s Public Library and the Ice Storm of 1922
I’ve lived in Wisconsin for 32 years and I’ve never experienced a serious ice storm. I missed the devastating ice storm of March, 1976. In February of 1922 Wisconsin also experienced one the worst ice storms in its history. During that ice storm ice accumulations ranging from one inch to as high as four inches brought down over 15,000 communication poles and caused $10 million in property damage (an enormous sum at that time). Interruptions in power and communications because of the storm ranged from 2 to 15 days. Elroy, WI was one of the communities that was hit hard by the ice storm. I recently acquired the postcard shown above which documents the impact of the storm around the Elroy Public Library.
Brodhead’s Early Public Library
I’m always on the lookout for postcards depicting Wisconsin libraries. I’ve been so successful that it is not often that I come across one that I don’t already have. So it was a real treat when I found a Real Photograph Postcard (RPPC) showing the the public library on the Main Street of Brodhead, WI (shown above). RPPCs as the name implies are photographs printed on a postcard formatted sheet of paper. They are printed in much smaller quantities that other postcards and often depict subjects that can’t be found on postcards in other formats. This postcard was mailed on October 30, 1911 from Brodhead to Neenah, WI. The public library is depicted on the far right side of the postcard (see detail to the left). It is located on the second floor of the building and there are covered stairs on the right leading to the library. Also depicted on the postcard is a horse drawn buggy. Although there are people shown on the postcard they have been deliberately blurred. I was able to find some other images (search for “library”) of various Brodhead public libraries on the Brodhead Historical Society’s website. One of the images depicts the interior of this library. Another gives a better view of the exterior of the library. The public library was founded in 1909. The current building was completed in 2009, 100 years later.
Wisconsin Library Memorabilia Exhibit at Lone Rock
The exhibit of Wisconsin library memorabilia sponsored by the Wisconsin Library Heritage Center is currently on display at the Lone Rock Public Library (see photo above). The exhibit will be there through the month of June. The Lone Rock Public Library is the smallest public library in which the exhibit has been displayed. A variety of library memorabilia exhibits have been on display in around 30 Wisconsin libraries so far. The largest library in which an exhibit has been displayed is the Central Library of the Milwaukee Public Library. In July, the Wisconsin library memorabilia exhibit will be on display at the Matheson Memorial Library in Elkhorn, WI.
Happy National Bookmobile Day
Today is National Bookmobile Day. Check out our “Bookmobiles” page to see information about the history of bookmobiles in Wisconsin. Paul Nelson has a nice post on his blog about bookmobiles which has some Wisconsin bookmobile images and information. The Library History Buff Blog also has a list of the best bookmobile websites. The item shown above is a paper cutout assembled as a bookmobile. It was given out to children by the Winding Rivers Library System in La Crosse, Wisconsin several years ago. The badge to the left was worn by the bookmobile driver of the Oshkosh Public Library. The bookmobile service for the Oshkosh Public Library was discontinued in 2007 due to budget constraints. Based on the fastener on back of the badge, I think it was probably worn on the driver’s hat. The vehicle shown on the badge appears to be a bus. It is likely that the company that made the badge supplied badges to bus drivers and they used the same basic design for the bookmobile badge.
Books for Soldiers and Sailors in WWI – An Exhibit
The Wisconsin Library Heritage Center sponsors exhibits of Wisconsin Library Memorabilia. One of those exhibits will be on display at the Waupaca Area Library for most of April and May. I will also have an exhibit on the American Library Association Library War Service for the month of April at the Hales Corners Public Library. Wisconsin libraries actively cooperated with the American Library Association in its efforts to provide books for soldiers and sailors during World War I. This included participation in nationwide fundraising efforts. Matthew S. Dudgeon, Secretary of the Wisconsin Free Library Commission, took a leave of absence to serve in the Library War Service. He was in charge of all camp libraries in the U. S., and later served in France. I’ve included some images of the exhibit below.
Janice Kee and a Librarian’s Travelogue
This entry was also posted on The Library History Buff Blog on March 4, 2012.
Sarah Janice Kee (1908 -1998) was inducted into the Wisconsin Library Hall of Fame in 2009 primarily because of her work as Secretary of the Wisconsin Free Library Commission from 1956 to 1965. During Kee’s tenure at the Commission, Wisconsin established the foundation for its current seventeen federated public library systems. In seeking to find out more about Kee a number of years ago, I was able to obtain a copy of a travelogue written by Kee titled Around the World in 80 Years: A Travelogue Interspersed with Anecdotes (unpublished, 1997). As the title suggests it is a record of Kee’s travels around the world during her lifetime, but it also chronicles a remarkable library career. Kee was a native Texan and ended her library career in Texas. In regard to her travels, Kee writes: “It has been my privilege to see much of the world in my life time. My methods of travel have been in a swing seat in a covered wagon, a buggy, surrey, the back seat of a Model T – Ford car, both slow and fast trains, the driver’s seat in a Ford, Chevrolet, Frazier and Oldsmobile, both slow and fast airplanes and a Cruiser in the Mediterranean sea.” From her rural Texas roots, Kee embarked on a library career with her first library position in the Library Service of the Air Force during World War II. She did so well that she was eventually promoted to Command Librarian supervising 35 post libraries. She went to work for the Missouri State Library in 1947, and again did so well that she was designated Acting State Librarian when State Librarian Katherine Mier retired in 1948. Unfortunately, it was only “until a man could be found for the job”. According to Kee the man they found “knew nothing – I mean nothing about State Library work”. Lucky for Wisconsin she left Missouri and came to Wisconsin for her first stint at the Wisconsin Free Library Commission. She entered the national library arena in 1952 as Executive Secretary of the Public Library Division of the American Library Association, a position she held until she assumed leadership of the Wisconsin Free Library Commission in 1956. Kee concluded her library career as Library Program Officer (classified as a GS-14) with the U.S. Department of Education at the regional office in Dallas, Texas. At her interview for the position in Dallas with the Head of the Regional Office, according to Kee “a political appointee – one of those good-ol-boys who was retired from a Superintendent’s position”, she was told “‘Miss Kee, do you realize I have MEN on my staff who are not GS-14s?'” She reminded him that she would be taking a pay cut if she took the job. She got the job anyway. Although Janice Kee wrote her travelogue primarily for her family, I feel fortunate to have shared via the travelogue in her travel and library career experiences. I wish more people could do the same. The original manuscript is located at the School of Library and Information Studies at Texan Woman’s University where Kee established the S. Janice Kee Library Scholarship Fund.
Lutie Stearns and the Woman’s Congress at Tower Hill, WI
This article was also posted on The Library History Buff Blog.
For Women’s History Month I thought I would post a story about Lutie Stearns, one of Wisconsin’s greatest library pioneers. As often happens, a piece of postal librariana was the stimulus for my engaging in some library history research. I was delighted when I researched a picture postcard depicting the Ann Mitchell Library at Tower Hill, Wisconsin (shown above) to find that there was a link between Tower Hill and Lutie Stearns. Tower Hill is now the Tower Hill State Park, but was originally the summer retreat of Jenkin Lloyd Jones, a prominent Unitarian minister. As is explained in the first issue of La Follette’s Weekly Magazine (January 9, 1909), Jones sponsored an annual Woman’s Congress at Tower Hill. The guests at the Woman’s Congress were limited to twenty-five invited individuals, and the speakers and topics for the Congress were selected by a committee which Lutie Stearns chaired for several years. Stearns at the time was on the staff of the Wisconsin Free Library Commission which she helped to found in 1891. In addition to her advocacy for free public libraries and traveling libraries, Stearns was an outspoken advocate for women and their role in society. Library Journal (October, 1916) reported on on a Library Congress held at Tower Hill in August of 1916. This Congress was also chaired by Lutie Stearns. Librarians from Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, and North Dakota participated in this informal gathering to discuss library issues and to relax. It is in that Library Journal article which was written by Stearns that mention is made of the Ann Mitchell Library. It notes that: “The afternoons during the week were given over to informal conferences and visits to the Ann Mitchell Library building on the Tower Hill grounds, which was found to be well supplied with the classics as well as the better part of latter-day literature.” I have been unable to determine the identity of Ann Mitchell. Jones was a promoter of women in the ministry so perhaps she was a minister. The library and the building that housed it no longer exist. I also have a blog post about Lutie’s speech impediment and her proposal for a book wagon. I highly recommend a book about Lutie for young people titled Books in a Box.
Library History Exhibits Schedule for 2012
The Wisconsin Library Heritage Center sponsors exhibits of Wisconsin library memorabilia and other library artifacts for display in Wisconsin libraries. The Center currently has an exhibit on display at the Mukwonago Community Library for the month of February. The Mukwonago Community Library which recently moved into a new building will be holding an open house on February 11.
After the Mukwonago exhibit, exhibits are planned for the following libraries through the end of 2012.
March, 2012 – Angie W. Cox Public Library, Pardeeville, WI
April, 2012 – Hales Corners Public Library (Special exhibit – Books for Soldiers and Sailors in World War I)
April-May, 2012 – Waupaca Area Public Library, Waupaca, WI
June, 2012 – Lone Rock Community Library, Lone Rock, WI
July, 2012 – Matheson Memorial Library, Elkhorn, WI
August, 2012 – DeForest Area Public Library, DeForest, WI
September, 2012 – Cedarburg Public Library
October–November, 2012 – Kimberly–Little Chute Public Library, Kimberly, WI
December, 2012 – Open
Reedsburg Public Library Carnegie Exhibit
The first exhibit of library memorabilia sponsored by the Wisconsin Library Heritage Center this year is at the Reedsburg Public Library. It will remain there for the month of January. The exhibit focuses on the Wisconsin library legacy of Andrew Carnegie. This is very appropriate since Reedsburg’s Carnegie library building is 100 years old this month. Although the public library now occupies a new building located across the street from the Carnegie building, the Carnegie is still used to house the library’s archive collection. I was delighted to find that the library has preserved and framed the original plans for the Carnegie building which were approved by James Bertram of the Carnegie Corporation on March 11, 1911.