Maxon Bookmark
Henry E. Legler, former Secretary of the Wisconsin Free Library Commission, wrote the following about the Maxon bookmark in his 1918 book Library Ideals:
“What is known far and wide as the Maxon book- mark originated in Wisconsin,
Library artifacts
ALA Waukesha Follow-up
In a previous post on the 1901 American Library Association meeting in Waukesha, I mentioned that momentos or favors were often given to conference participants. I recently discovered another such momento for the Waukesha conference.
ALA in Waukesha
As noted in the previous post, the American Library Association met in Waukesha in July of 1901. As reported in the magazine Public Libraries: “The twenty-third annual meeting of the A. L. A. was held at Waukesha, Wis., with an enthusiasm and interest that has not been equaled more than two or three times in the history of the association.”
Milwaukee Pencil Dater
I came across this illustration in an 1886 Library Bureau supply catalog. It gives credit to the Milwaukee Public Library for creating the pencil dater which became a fixture in most libraries in the first half of the 20th century.
Seymour Eaton’s Libraries
At the turn of the 19th century entrepreneur Seymour Eaton established two national commercial libraries that had an impact on Wisconsin. The first of these libraries was the Booklovers Library which provided home delivery of books by subscription.
Library Artifact from Hell
Over the years I have collected a variety of library artifacts which reflect Wisconsin’s library heritage. Many of these are included in the exhibit of Wisconsin Library Memorabilia which is sponsore by the WLHC. Most of these artifacts have been relatively easy to acquire,
The Holy Grail of Library Artifacts
The entire Wisconsin Historical Society Library was housed in this bookcase in 1853. It is currently located on the second floor of the library near the circulation desk. It has been described as the “Holy Grail”
A Very Special Library Artifact
On a recent trip to Minneapolis I made a point of stopping off at the Russell J. Rassbach Heritage Museum in Menomonie, Wisconsin. The Museum is part of the Dunn County Historical Society.