History of Libraries and Librarianship
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Research interests: For me, the history of American libraries combines various personal and scholarly interests, including the Gilded Age/Progressive Era, U.S. social history, women's history, urban communities, professionalism, the world of work, the history of education, and the roles of information and technology in society. Currently, I am researching the history of public libraries in Pennsylvania.
Resources for other scholars: I am willing to do quick, once-in-a-while look-ups in Library Literature (1876-present) for researchers who don't have access to this index. I also own a small collection of postcards that show library buildings (about 1100 cards, pre-1920, emphasizing urban public libraries in the United States). I am willing to scan and e-mail selected images upon request.
Organizations: Library History Round Table (ALA) and Society for the History of Authorship Readership, and Publishing
Documentation projects: Carnegie Libraries in Iowa Project, Carnegie Libraries of California, Davies Project, and Pennsylvania Library History Project
Discussion networks: H-Net
Personal pages: Library History Buff
Publications: Book History, Libraries and the Cultural Record, and Library Quarterly
Copyright 2007, Bernadette A. Lear. Please contact me for permission to use this page.