Library on Wheels
Mary Lemist Titcomb and America's First Bookmobile
Will be published approx. on 10. April 2018
Book
Hardback
56 pages
978-1-4197-2875-4 (ISBN)
Description
If you can't bring the man to the books, bring the books to the man.
Mary Lemist Titcomb (1852-1932) was always looking for ways to improve her library. As librarian at the Washington County Free Library in Maryland, Titcomb was concerned that the library was not reaching all the people it could. She was determined that everyone should have access to the library-not just adults and those who lived in town. Realizing its limitations and inability to reach the county's 25,000 rural residents, including farmers and their families, Titcomb set about to change the library system forever with the introduction of book-deposit stations throughout the country, a children's room in the library, and her most revolutionary idea of all-a horse-drawn Book Wagon. Soon book wagons were appearing in other parts of the country, and by 1922, the book wagon idea had received widespread support. The bookmobile was born!
Mary Lemist Titcomb (1852-1932) was always looking for ways to improve her library. As librarian at the Washington County Free Library in Maryland, Titcomb was concerned that the library was not reaching all the people it could. She was determined that everyone should have access to the library-not just adults and those who lived in town. Realizing its limitations and inability to reach the county's 25,000 rural residents, including farmers and their families, Titcomb set about to change the library system forever with the introduction of book-deposit stations throughout the country, a children's room in the library, and her most revolutionary idea of all-a horse-drawn Book Wagon. Soon book wagons were appearing in other parts of the country, and by 1922, the book wagon idea had received widespread support. The bookmobile was born!
Reviews / Votes
**STARRED REVIEW**"Readers will be inspired by Titcomb's dedication to her work and indifference to naysayers. The book's attractive layout resembles a scrapbook, where archival photos, reproductions of letters, and other historic ephemera grace most pages. Glenn's accessible writing provides just the right amount of historical context to highlight the extraordinary nature of Titcomb's work and unquestionably establishes her as a true American pioneer." * Booklist * Attractively designed to resemble a scrapbook, the engaging narrative is complemented with archival photographs, reproductions of correspondence, and other artifacts. An ennobling portrait of a pioneer who took the library out of its walls and to the public * Kirkus Reviews * Handsomely design, well researched biography . . . * Publishers Weekly * Glenn incorporates many quotes from Titcomb's contemporaries into the narrative, providing a well-rounded view of Titcomb and the reception of her work . . . Bibliophiles, history lovers, and fans of libraries will thoroughly enjoy this pleasing addition to nonfiction collections. * School Library Journal *
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Publishing group
Abrams
Target group
Children/juvenile
Interest Age: From 8 to 12 years
Product notice
With printed dust jacket
Illustrations
Halftones, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 254 mm
Width: 253 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
532 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4197-2875-4 (9781419728754)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
04/2018
Abrams Books for Young Readers
€12.99
Available for download
Person
Sharlee Glenn has published articles, essays, poems, and short stories for adults in periodicals such as Women's Studies, The Southern Literary Journal, and Segullah. Her primary focus, though, is writing for children. Her stories have appeared in Cricket and Ladybug magazines and she has written three picture books: One in a Billion (Horizon), Keeping up with Roo (G. P. Putnam's Sons), winner of the Dolly Gray Children's Literature Award, and Just What Mama Needs (Harcourt).