Books and Blueprints: Building America's Public Libraries

(Hardback)

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A comprehensive treatment of American library architecture, this work details the evolution of the modern public library from 1850 to the present. Oehlerts provides a broad, historical perspective of the field of library architecture, examining the influences on the professions of public architecture and librarianship that shaped America's library buildings. Illustrations of several important buildings are featured.

Reviews

In Books and Blueprints: Building America's Public Libraries, Donald Oehlerts provides us with some sound historical insights into the history of American public library architecture since 1850. The original version was, as might be expected, a dissertation; it was completed in 1974 and covers the subject from 1850 through 1940. Here, Oehlerts has polished the narrative and brought his history up to 1989. Strengths of his work are that he places the development of public library architecture into the perspective of American library history, provides a substantial amount of important statistical and tabular data (e.g., the costs of large public libraries built from 1850 to 1893), and summarizes what we now know about such important issues as the location and design of such buildings. There are also a substantial number of snapshot portraits of the construction of major individual libraries as well as several portraits of architects whose work is of special significance, like Edward L. Tilton, who gets a whole brief chapter. Much of that information is extremely brief and, thus, of lesser value. He offers, alas, few judgments, but the carefully assembled and well-organized data that he presents make this a substantial addition to the literature of library history. Moreover, his narrative highlights numerous areas--such as a study of the work of individual architects like William Patton, who designed at least twenty Carnegie libraries in Indiana--for further investigation by other library historians.-Wilson Library Bulletin
Oehlerts chronicles the evolution of the public library building from 1850 to the present in four chapters on buildings of 1850-1893, 1894-1918, 1919-1945, and 1946-1989, respectively. (Libraries built with funding from Andrew Carnegie and Edward L. Tilton are treated separately.) Oehlerts documents how library construction related to the general history of the U.S. and to the changing needs of libraries, according the most detailed discussion to relatively large libraries, such as New York Public, without slighting smaller-community projects. Appended are an extensive bibliography of architecture and library history and another covering public library buildings geographically by city.-Booklist
This modest volume presents a useful and pleasant "grand tour" of the major public library buildings erected in this nation over almost a century and a half. It contains plentiful citations, frequent black-and-white half-tones, ample charts and tables, several appendixes, and a good index. It is thoroughly researched and well written in a straightforward style, and the text is completely edited. It is not likely to be superseded soon.-THE LIBRARY QUARTERLY
"Oehlerts chronicles the evolution of the public library building from 1850 to the present in four chapters on buildings of 1850-1893, 1894-1918, 1919-1945, and 1946-1989, respectively. (Libraries built with funding from Andrew Carnegie and Edward L. Tilton are treated separately.) Oehlerts documents how library construction related to the general history of the U.S. and to the changing needs of libraries, according the most detailed discussion to relatively large libraries, such as New York Public, without slighting smaller-community projects. Appended are an extensive bibliography of architecture and library history and another covering public library buildings geographically by city."-Booklist
"This modest volume presents a useful and pleasant "grand tour" of the major public library buildings erected in this nation over almost a century and a half. It contains plentiful citations, frequent black-and-white half-tones, ample charts and tables, several appendixes, and a good index. It is thoroughly researched and well written in a straightforward style, and the text is completely edited. It is not likely to be superseded soon."-THE LIBRARY QUARTERLY
"In Books and Blueprints: Building America's Public Libraries, Donald Oehlerts provides us with some sound historical insights into the history of American public library architecture since 1850. The original version was, as might be expected, a dissertation; it was completed in 1974 and covers the subject from 1850 through 1940. Here, Oehlerts has polished the narrative and brought his history up to 1989. Strengths of his work are that he places the development of public library architecture into the perspective of American library history, provides a substantial amount of important statistical and tabular data (e.g., the costs of large public libraries built from 1850 to 1893), and summarizes what we now know about such important issues as the location and design of such buildings. There are also a substantial number of snapshot portraits of the construction of major individual libraries as well as several portraits of architects whose work is of special significance, like Edward L. Tilton, who gets a whole brief chapter. Much of that information is extremely brief and, thus, of lesser value. He offers, alas, few judgments, but the carefully assembled and well-organized data that he presents make this a substantial addition to the literature of library history. Moreover, his narrative highlights numerous areas--such as a study of the work of individual architects like William Patton, who designed at least twenty Carnegie libraries in Indiana--for further investigation by other library historians."-Wilson Library Bulletin

Author Bio

DONALD E. OEHLERTS is a faculty member at the School of Library and Information Studies, Clark Atlanta University. He is author of two books and contributed chapters on librarianship to Austerity Management in Academic Libraries and Leaders in American Academic Librarianship: 1925-1975.